The Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings (JCPMS), the official journal of the Association of Medical School Psychologists (AMSP), is planning on developing an ongoing feature focusing on case presentations that illustrate important clinical information and principles of clinical psychology in medical or healthcare settings. The feature will pattern itself much like the case presentations in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in which cases are discussed by various, senior clinicians. Authors submitting manuscripts for this new feature can solicit senior psychologists as discussants from their own institution or from different hospitals, universities, medical schools or colleges of health professions, nursing, dentistry, etc. Non-psychologist discussants like physicians, nurses, dentists, are welcome as appropriate to enhance the presentation and discussions.

The format in JCPMS will somewhat follow the NEJM format with laboratory, radiographic, and pathology data included where these medical tests, as well as psychological or neuropsychological test information, add to the understanding of the case and diagnostic or clinical questions being illustrated. Manuscripts should focus on educating readers about specific illnesses, elucidating clinical decision-making and the critical thinking processes of psychologists, making differential diagnosis, suggesting interventions, and illustrating psychological contributions to the specific case in question and the body of knowledge in general. Common and usual disorders can be presented as well as more unique cases. Relevant evidence-based practices and research to support case presentation and conclusions will be expected and references will be included.

In the medical literature, there are many sources that contain this type of information and case presentations. However, in behavioral medicine and in the health and/or medical psychology literature, these types of presentations and discussions are less numerous. Thus, JCPMS would like to develop this as a feature of the journal for the continuing education of psychologists in the field, to model and to illustrate how psychologists conceptualize their clinical work, and how psychological assessments and interventions are employed. Finally, the series will provide for the young professionals and students a glimpse into the clinical skills, diagnostic thinking, and treatment skills of many experienced senior clinical/health psychologists working in medical settings and thus provide models of practice to emulate. Education and discussion are more primary than the “correct diagnosis or intervention” with appropriate literature to support the presentations. Manuscripts will be peered reviewed by JCPMS editors and ad hoc reviewers based upon topics and needed expertise.

Suggestions for submissions by interested individuals should be sent to: