Practice Brief Author Guidelines

Preparing Your Practice Brief Submission

Practice briefs often focus on topics such as diagnosis and treatment, specialty scopes of practice, philosophical approaches, and theoretical frameworks. All Practice Brief submissions are reviewed by the chair of the Research & Knowledge Committee following submission via the online form.

Submit a Practice Brief

Practice Briefs should be no more than 2,500 words and formatted in accordance with the 7th edition of the APA Manual. Authors should use any of the following Level 1 headers. Not all headers will be used in a single Practice Brief. Required Level 1 headers — Introduction, Cultural and Ethical Considerations, Conclusion, References, and Resources — are noted below.

Introduction (required) - Brief description of a disorder and its prevalence, overview of a counseling specialty and relevance to practice, or an introduction to a theoretical framework or philosophy
Description of the Topic - Diagnostic criteria, core symptoms, description of the phenomenon, differential diagnoses
Assessment Strategies - Tools, cultural considerations
Scope of Practice - Guidelines for training, certifications, and legal and ethical boundaries
Treatment Approaches - Evidence-based treatments and modalities for specific populations or discussion of key theories, historical evolution, and ethical challenges
Cultural and Ethical Considerations (required) - Address diversity in symptom presentation and ethical dilemmas related to diagnosis and treatment
Advocacy - Recommendations for increasing access to these services.
Conclusion (required) - Summary
References (required) - Not more than 5 years old unless essential. APA 7th Edition
Resources (required) - In APA style, provide links to:
- Relevant ACA guidelines, such as the AMCD Multicultural Counseling Competencies
- Peer-Reviewed Web Resources recognized as reliable by academic organizations
- APA Citation - Each brief should include an APA citation for the brief itself