The first order of business must be to thank the previous editors of the CoFT, Dorothy Becvar (2007–2011), Bill Nichols (1987–2007) and Gerald Zuk (founding editor, 1979–1985) who are truly the giants whose shoulders we will stand upon. It is a massive task to found, develop, and maintain a journal that is not financially or intellectually supported by a large professional organization for nearly 35 years.

In addition, it is important to recognize the role of our publisher Springer (http://www.springer.com) and their capable staff who support the journal with advanced technology that manages the entire publication process from initial submission through to on-line and then paper publication.

No journal can succeed without the trust placed in the journal by those who submit manuscripts for consideration. As any author will attest, the review process is daunting and fraught with some peril. Having one’s intellectual work peer-reviewed is not for the faint of heart. However, the reviews that have come from the CoFT have been primarily helpful and instructive. I expect that tone of respect and advice giving will continue through my time as editor of the journal.

Note: Persons wishing to submit a manuscript for consideration should do so electronically via the “Editorial Manager”® software (http://www.editorialmanager.com/coft/) that we use for handling all manuscripts, reviewers, and production of both the early view for accepted manuscripts and the final production process for paper issues of the journal.

Note: Also, persons who would like to receive free regular updates of the journal’s table of contents can sign up to do so on the link “ALERTS FOR THIS JOURNAL” button on the journals home page (http://www.springer.com/psychology/journal/10591). In observing what is being published by the journal, authors can get a reasonably good idea of the fit of their material to what the journal publishes.

I also need to thank those individuals who have volunteered their time to serve as reviewers and editorial board members. There is little benefit to those who do this work. However, a number of reviewers have expressed an appreciation for their role because they are asked to consider new trends or issues in the field. They also noted that they enjoy being helpful to authors, and providing suggestions for improvement, especially in cases where the manuscript cannot be accepted or when extensive revisions are required before the manuscript should be considered.

One of the initiatives I want to undertake is to publish one annual special issue of the journal. We will begin with a special issue concerning Medical Family Therapy. Those interested in this topic should contact Jennifer Hodgson, East Carolina University (HODGSONJ@ecu.edu). Persons with an interest in working on a special issue should send me a short proposal describing the theme, editor(s) and projected article titles and authors. In order to produce an entire issue, there will need to be ten articles at about 200 manuscript pages to produce 150 printed pages. I will ask a team of editorial board members and international advisory editors to review and evaluate the proposal.

Finally, I have made a few changes in the aims and scope of the journal to reflect my interest in applications to systemic clinical work that transcend national borders. The journal home page will be updated to reflect this change to be:

Contemporary Family Therapy: An International, quarterly, peer-reviewed journal that presents the latest developments in practice, theory, research, and training in family and couple therapy from international and multidisciplinary perspectives. CFT also publishes applied and basic research that includes application of findings to theory, treatment, or policy. The goal is also to understand couple and family functioning within the broader social contexts in which they exist. In addition, information about families in a variety of forms, and in national and international contexts is important to the journal. The journal is a favorite among mental health clinicians, family practitioners, educators, marriage and family therapists, family psychologists, clinical social workers, researchers, and social policy specialists.

Thank you for looking at this editorial, I am looking forward to working with scholars and reviewers from around the world.