World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Journal of Counseling Psychology
H-index 25

Journal of Counseling Psychology

0022-0167

Published by: American Psychological Association

https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/cou

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Psychology 209 124 178 24

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 152
Documents by Best Scientists*: 191
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 3
SCIMAGO H-index: 172
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.734
Impact Factor: 3.8

Overview

Top Research Topics at Journal of Counseling Psychology?

The journal aims to foster the development of research in Social psychology, Clinical psychology, Developmental psychology, Applied psychology and Psychotherapist. It explores issues in Social psychology which can be linked to other research areas like Higher education, Ethnic group and Perception. The research on Clinical psychology tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of PsycINFO, Mental health, Test validity and Anxiety.

Most of the Test validity studies addressed also intersect with Construct validity. Topics in Developmental psychology were tackled in line with various other fields like Social relation, Cognition, Social environment and Coping (psychology). The journal features studies on Applied psychology, including topics such as Counseling psychology.

Personality works presented in it have a specific focus on Big Five personality traits.

  • Social psychology (35.80%)
  • Clinical psychology (22.37%)
  • Developmental psychology (17.54%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Testing Moderator and Mediator Effects in Counseling Psychology Research. (3230 citations)
  • Development and validation of the Working Alliance Inventory. (2500 citations)
  • Relation between Working Alliance and Outcome in Psychotherapy: A Meta-Analysis. (2156 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Journal of Counseling Psychology:

The primary areas of discussion in the journal articles are Social psychology, Developmental psychology, Clinical psychology, Ethnic group and Higher education. The studies on Social psychology discussed at the most cited publications can also contribute to research in the domains of Counseling psychology and Test validity. Concepts in Personality, as well as related topics in Structural equation modeling, are covered in the Developmental psychology research presented in the published papers.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Social psychology
  • Cognition
  • Statistics

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal mainly tackles studies in PsycINFO, Clinical psychology, Alliance, Mental health and Psychotherapist. The PsycINFO studies in it expound on topics in

  • Association (psychology) that intertwine with fields like MEDLINE,
  • Multilevel model and related Psychodynamics, Operationalization, Applied psychology, Self-efficacy and Developmental psychology,
  • Psychodynamic psychotherapy together with Attachment anxiety,
  • Qualitative research, which have a strong connection to Counseling psychology.. In Journal of Counseling Psychology, Psychological intervention, Cognition, Anxiety, Sexual minority and Depression (differential diagnoses) are investigated in conjunction with one another to address concerns in Clinical psychology research.

The journal explores research in Alliance alongside concepts in Perception and other areas of study in Multiculturalism. Test (assessment), Higher education, Empathy, Session (web analytics) and Feeling are some topics wherein Psychotherapist research discussed in Journal of Counseling Psychology have an impact. Aside from discussions in Sexual identity, Journal of Counseling Psychology also deals with the subject of Homosexuality which intersects with Social psychology disciplines.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Critical consciousness of anti-Black racism: A practical model to prevent and resist racial trauma. (16 citations)
  • The methodological integrity of critical qualitative research: Principles to support design and research review. (4 citations)
  • Racism's effect on depressive symptoms: Examining perseverative cognition and Black Lives Matter activism as moderators (4 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Journal of Counseling Psychology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Clara E. Hill (82 papers) published 8 papers at the last edition, 4 more than at the previous edition,
  • Dennis M. Kivlighan (70 papers) published 12 papers at the last edition, 11 more than at the previous edition,
  • Charles J. Gelso (49 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition,
  • Terence J. G. Tracey (46 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Bruce E. Wampold (44 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Journal of Counseling Psychology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of Maryland, College Park (204 papers) published 14 papers at the last edition, 12 more than at the previous edition,
  • Iowa State University (93 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Ohio State University (82 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Florida (74 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 4 more than at the previous edition,
  • University of Missouri (69 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 36.78% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 50.91% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 3.64% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 12.73% of all publications and 32.73% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Career Pathways in Criminal Psychology

For budding psychologists who are keen to venture into the realm of Criminal psychology, the road is often filled with a myriad of opportunities and challenges. An integral part of the journey starts with in-depth education and rigorous training in this specialized field of psychology. Future criminal psychologists are highly recommended to begin their journey by enrolling in reputable psychology programs, where the focus is on understanding the intricate links between psychology and the legal system. In Delaware, aspirants can explore a variety of programs in criminal psychology colleges in Delaware. There, they will engage with core curriculum covering diverse topics from clinical psychology applications to understanding criminal behavior, thereby laying a solid foundation for a promising career in criminal psychology. As the importance of understanding criminal behavior increases, the demand for skilled psychologists specializing in this field also rises, thereby offering a wide array of job options. These include working within the judicial system, mental health centers, social service agencies, and more. Remember, your job as a criminal psychologist would involve dealing with sensitive data and vulnerable individuals. Therefore, a combination of the right education, ethics, professionalism, and a strong desire to make a positive difference can help pave the way to a rewarding career as a criminal psychologist. So, if you envision making a significant contribution to society by understanding and deciphering the enigma of criminal behavior, consider a career in criminal psychology. Embark on your journey and let your passion for psychology and justice guide your path.

Top Publications

  • A mindfulness-based mobile health (mHealth) intervention among psychologically distressed university students in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial.

    Shufang Sun;Danhua Lin;Simon Goldberg;Zijiao Shen

    (2021)
    138 Citations
  • Machine learning and natural language processing in psychotherapy research: Alliance as example use case.

    Simon B. Goldberg;Nikolaos Flemotomos;Victor R. Martinez;Michael J. Tanana

    (2020)
    116 Citations
  • The stench of bathroom bills and anti-transgender legislation: Anxiety and depression among transgender, nonbinary, and cisgender LGBQ people during a state referendum.

    Sharon G. Horne;Mallaigh McGinley;Nedim Yel;Meredith R. Maroney

    (2021)
    107 Citations
  • Assessing the alliance–outcome association adjusted for patient characteristics and treatment processes: A meta-analytic summary of direct comparisons.

    Christoph Flückiger;A C Del Re;Daniel Wlodasch;Adam O Horvath

    (2020)
    83 Citations
  • Development and evaluation of a new short form of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI-30).

    Ronald F Levant;Ryon McDermott;Mike C Parent;Nuha Alshabani

    (2020)
    69 Citations
  • The methodological integrity of critical qualitative research: Principles to support design and research review.

    Heidi M. Levitt;Zenobia Morrill;Kathleen M. Collins;Javier L. Rizo

    (2021)
    67 Citations
  • From pain to power: An exploration of activism, the #Metoo movement, and healing from sexual assault trauma.

    Charlotte Strauss Swanson;Dawn M. Szymanski

    (2020)
    59 Citations
  • Ignoring race and denying racism: A meta-analysis of the associations between colorblind racial ideology, anti-Blackness, and other variables antithetical to racial justice.

    (2022)
    59 Citations
  • Women attaining decent work: The important role of workplace climate in Psychology of Working Theory.

    Jessica W England;Ryan D Duffy;Nicholas P Gensmer;Haram J Kim

    (2020)
    56 Citations
  • Trans adolescents' perceptions and experiences of their parents' supportive and rejecting behaviors.

    Kelly C. Johnson;Allen J. LeBlanc;Paul R. Sterzing;Julianna Deardorff

    (2020)
    54 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For those interested in expanding their expertise in Psychology, online degrees offer flexible pathways to advanced careers. Programs such as the cheapest CSWE-accredited online MSW programs provide an affordable option for students aiming to become licensed social workers without compromising on accreditation.

Students seeking to fast-track their education may explore the online MSW programs that offer accelerated formats. These programs allow individuals to complete their master's degrees more quickly, entering the workforce sooner in impactful roles.

Additionally, accelerated psychology degree programs online can be ideal for those wanting to deepen their understanding of human behavior and mental processes without spending years in traditional classrooms. The accelerated psychology degree programs blend flexibility with rigor to prepare graduates for diverse careers in psychology and related fields.

For careers specifically focused on therapeutic practices, the most affordable online masters in mental health counseling provide CACREP-accredited programs that equip students with the skills needed for licensure and effective client support.

Exploring these pathways can open doors to rewarding careers in mental health, counseling, social work, and beyond, all while benefiting from the convenience of online education.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles