We welcome all article topics focusing on systemic and relational subject matter. Please do not submit articles over 2,000 words. Please note that we do not conduct or publish book reviews.
Advocating for your profession
Your contribution to FTM is an important part of supporting the MFT identity. MFTs are sometimes improperly conflated with counselors, social workers, or psychotherapists. While there are intersections among these mental health professions, MFTs have their own distinctive character. The more we emphasize the traits that are special to us, the more we solidify the message that we are MFTs! The content of your article needs to reflect this identity. We ask that you include: 1) Specific content that indicates how MFTs are uniquely qualified to work with the population discussed in your writing; 2) Language that aligns with our expertise as systemic thinkers. For example, if writing about the importance of premarital counseling, underscore the relational knowledge that MFTs offer and how it differs from that of other mental health professionals; 3) Research to support MFTs as uniquely qualified providers. Your submission is an opportunity to differentiate our profession. The systemic lens that anchors our profession is particularly beneficial to improving individual, couple and family functioning. As AAMFT strives to promote the profession of MFT and advocate before legislators, we need to send a strong message about our difference. We can demonstrate through our research and communications that MFTs are exceptionally qualified to address issues that their counterparts in other mental health professions approach with different tools.
Since we are an online publication, we highly encourage you to include links to videos and other interactive materials that help bolster your content.
About Family Therapy magazine
Family Therapy is AAMFT's magazine website published for systemic therapists. Readers are generally clinicians at the postgraduate (master's and doctoral) level who have an average of 10-15 years of professional experience. The magazine is a feature-oriented publication that focuses on trends in systemic therapy, best practices in the field, emerging knowledge, research, clinical advances, and special populations. The magazine also aims to connect practitioners with the broader mental health and practice context—news of the mental health world, policies, or social and demographic data that might inform or impact relational therapy.
The magazine operates on a rolling publication model, meaning that rather than specific issues or themes, articles are published as they are accepted and finalized.
Content Level
One of the most important things to consider as you write your article is that the majority of readers are clinicians at the postgraduate level who have 10-15 years of professional experience. Your article's content should be advanced and appropriate for this audience, unless you are specifically writing a piece targeting student or earlier career professionals.
Submission Checklist
To ensure that your article is complete, please be certain that your submission includes the following items:
1. Byline(s) – This should include author's full name and highest degree held. Do not include licenses in the byline (LMFT, LCSW, etc).
2. Author(s) biography – A brief biography should be placed at the end of the article, before any references. The bio should include: full name (with degrees and licenses), AAMFT membership affiliation and designations (if any; for example, Professional Member holding the Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor designations, etc.), current employer and position, and recent books you authored (relevant to article's topic). If you will be presenting on the topic at an upcoming AAMFT conference, please include that.
3. References – Please use APA style when preparing your reference list and try to limit references to no more than 10-15.
4. Photo – Your photo will appear next to your bio. Please email it in electronic format (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, EPS; resolution: 150 or higher dpi).
5. Style Check – Please be sure that your article adheres to the style guidelines below.
Once your article is completed and ready for submission, please e-mail it as an attachment to [email protected], along with your photo. You will receive an e-mail confirming receipt of your article.
Style
As you compose your article, keep in mind that Family Therapy is a magazine, rather than a scholarly journal. Magazine articles are generally shorter, less structured, and at times more subjective than journal articles. Simple, straightforward writing—concise, logical, and clear—is best. Use examples to capture readers' interest and to stimulate their thinking. Tables, charts, and photographs are welcome, but will be used at the editor's discretion.
Additionally, please adhere to the following stylistic guidelines.
Book and journal titles and foreign words should be italicized.
MFTs: First mention is always marriage and family therapists (MFTs). Then “MFTs” (the same applies for marriage and family therapy). No apostrophe.
Global awareness: Remember that members and readers include a world audience. Always write the U.S. instead of “the country” or “the nation”; American instead of national when referring to occurrences in the United States.
Numbers: Spell out one through nine and use numbers for the rest.
Passive voice: Avoid as much as possible. Write “The U.S. Congress voted to pass legislation,” rather than “The legislation was passed.” Readers want to know agents, that is, who did what.
Proofreading: Please proofread your copy before submission and be certain that each in-text citation has a corresponding reference at the end. Please use APA formatting only. Footnote/endnote citations will not be accepted, as they require extensive time and effort to convert to APA.
Quotations: When quoting from someone, begin and end the quote with a quotation mark. If the quote goes on for more than one paragraph, begin the first, second and all successive paragraphs with a quotation mark, but do not put a final quotation mark until the quote is finished. Also put all punctuation inside the end quotation mark.
Run-on sentences: If your sentence is more than three lines long, it’s probably too long. Try to separate it into shorter sentences. Vary sentence structure and length.
Spacing: Leave one space after a period.
Please give your article a title. Exceedingly long titles will be shortened to adhere to spacing limitations on the website.
Please do not submit books for review. AAMFT does not conduct or publish book reviews.
For further information, please contact the editor at [email protected]