J Psychother Pract Res 10:iii, October 2001
© 2001 American Psychiatric Association
A New Beginning
Jerald Kay, M.D. and
Allan Tasman, M.D.
Key Words: Editorial
The first issue of The Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research appeared in the winter of 1992. Dr. Carol Nadelson, the former Editor-in-Chief of the American Psychiatric Press, Inc., and a past president of the American Psychiatric Association, agreed with our assessment that the APA needed and should sponsor a journal on psychotherapy. In 1990, when our deliberations and planning began, the practice of psychotherapy was under constant pressure from numerous sectors. This included the dramatic cost-containment policies of managed care, many of which now appear to have been poorly thought through and often carried out at the expense of our patients. Despite intense economic pressure, psychotherapy practice and psychotherapy research continued to thrive. Over the last decade researchers have made great strides in both process and outcome studies so that the practitioner now has solid data about the efficacy and effectiveness of psychotherapy in the treatment of many disorders. Neuroimaging studies have provided irrefutable evidence that the psychotherapeutic relationship does indeed lead to changes in both brain structure and function. In some instances, these changes are indistinguishable from those produced with the administration of medication. The last decade of psychotherapy research began to answer what works for whom and how it works.
The lead article of the inaugural issue of the JPPR was written by T. Byram Karasu and was entitled "The Worst of Times, The Best of Times: Psychotherapy in the 1990s." It seems fitting, then, that we announce the merger of the JPPR with The American Journal of Psychotherapy, whose editor is Dr. T. Byram Karasu. The American Journal of Psychotherapy, the official journal of the Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy, was founded in 1939 and has enjoyed an admirable reputation in the field of psychotherapy practice. We are excited about the prospects of creating a new journal that will be even stronger in the clinical arena and will be broadened to include psychotherapy research. In addition, the JPPR has become known for the publication of manuscripts addressing all theoretical models and modalities. This new arrangement will produce a more diverse and intellectually exciting publication and will appeal to clinicians from all disciplines and persuasions.
We wish now to thank all of our Editorial Board members, present and past, for their support, energy, and time in establishing the JPPR and continuously improving the quality and rigor of our publication. Another very important group that deserves our deepest gratitude is the reviewers of our journal articles, without whose participation the Journal would have never improved. We shall always be indebted to your unselfish contributions to the review process. Last, we must acknowledge our editorial staff. John McDuffie has been our only managing editor, and Roxanne Rhodes our only assistant editor. Their presence and support has provided a remarkable continuity to our efforts and in no small part has made the JPPR so attractive. Linda LaCour, our editorial assistant in recent years, has handled admirably all of the work related to the review and assignment of manuscripts.
In this last issue of The Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research, we wish to express our gratitude to all of our readers who have supported the journal through their subscriptions and their numerous helpful suggestions for improvement. Our citations in the Index Medicus will remain accessible, and in the near future, with the assistance of the American Psychiatric Publishing Group, the new Journal will be online as well.
