The American Journal of Psychotherapy Moves Forward With an Impact Factor of 2.5

On July 1, 2018, after an 18-month publication hiatus, the American Journal of Psychotherapy resumed publication under the auspices of American Psychiatric Association Publishing. With a new publisher, the journal started on a path toward enhanced visibility and recognition within the academic publishing ecosystem. Beginning in 2018, the American Journal of Psychotherapy was accepted by the Institute for Scientific Information (Clarivate) for indexing in Web of Science. To be listed in a Web of Science database, journals must meet rigorous quality metrics and standards. Although the journal has been in circulation since 1947, consistent with its relatively recent entrance into Web of Science, the American Journal of Psychotherapy was listed in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI).

The American Journal of Psychotherapy has continuously published impactful scientific content and has experienced recent citation growth, leading to receipt of a Journal Impact Factor from Clarivate. Impact factors are calculated by averaging the frequencies with which articles in a journal are cited, reflecting the extent to which journals reverberate through the scientific literature. Although an impact factor is but one indicator of a journal’s quality, it is an important milestone. I am pleased to announce that in 2023 the American Journal of Psychotherapy received an impact factor of 2.5 according to the 2022 Journal Citation Reports (published by Clarivate in 2023), placing it among the top 10 journals in the Clinical Psychology category of the ESCI.

As the end of 2023 approaches, I am excited to acknowledge the journal’s substantial growth since 2018, culminating in receipt of a robust impact factor this year. The journal is proud to have published material by authors from diverse professional backgrounds, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and counselors. The wide range of article types, consisting of Clinical Case Discussions, Trainee’s Perspectives, Viewpoints, Psychotherapy Tools, Brief Reports, Reviews and Overviews, and regular (research) Articles, appeals to a broad readership, enhancing the journal’s relevance and impact. The American Journal of Psychotherapy continues to be a “big tent” publication, welcoming content related to all psychotherapy modalities and practitioners. As the flagship psychotherapy journal of the American Psychiatric Association, the American Journal of Psychotherapy especially celebrates psychiatrist-therapists, publishing articles written by and for psychiatrists about the practice of psychotherapy.

As the journal’s editor since 2018, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our readers, contributors, editorial board members, publisher, and reviewers for their interest in and support of the American Journal of Psychotherapy. I hope that the recently announced impact factor will lead researchers to be even more enthusiastic about submitting high-quality material to the journal. I look forward to the privilege of supporting many more outstanding scholarly articles in the years ahead as the journal continues its mission of engaging readers in the most current and urgent psychotherapy-related questions.