Psychotherapy remains the treatment of choice for many types of mental health problems. Advances in mental health care rely on the scientific contributions that are reported in recent journal article publications. The Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy encourages the publications of articles that connect innovative research that remains aligned with established clinical practice. Many journals in the mental health field help to promote scholarship that is relevant to the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Anyone involved in academic publishing is aware of the massive amount of work that goes into every published article. Colleagues who publish useful information in journal articles are the unsung heroes of mental health care.

Some professions have award ceremonies that advertise and publicize their recent accomplishments. These award ceremonies are most visible in the fields of sports and entertainment. In contrast, most mental health experts work in relative isolation, either producing important works of scholarship or helping clients improve their lives. Despite hard work and great effort, mental health experts may go largely unnoticed.

Mental health care is advanced through a sincere integration of science and practice. The Boulder model (Raimy, 1950) espoused ideals for encouraging graduate training to combine clinical experience with research skills. Over the years, the Boulder model has struggled to remain relevant to the weekly workload of most university faculty members. Different jobs pull for different activities. The life of an academic is guided by pressure to publish quality research studies, obtain external grant funding and gain a reputation at national or international levels. In contrast, the average clinician aims to develop a full caseload, establish a regular referral network, and create a local reputation that enhances their referrals (Overholser, 2007). It is rare for one professional to integrate strong in both research and clinical skills. To qualify as a scientist-practitioner, the professional must remain active in both clinical practice and scholarly activities (Overholser, 2010). Thus, the Psyche Awards aim to protect the ideals of the scientist-practitioner model, finding, highlighting, and recognizing the valuable contributions that can be made when a published journal article integrates a strong scientific foundation with actual clinical relevance.

The Psyche Awards were developed in 2017 (Overholser & Beale, 2018) to recognize the important contributions that are made each year, as seen in published journal articles that help to improve our understanding or treatment of individuals with some form of mental illness. Over the past five years, the manuscript screening procedures have evolved and been clarified into six interrelated criteria described below.

First, active members of the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy’s editorial board were invited to nominate high quality journal articles that were published during the previous year. The nominated papers could not be written by the board members, their colleagues or collaborators, or their graduate student trainees.

Second, eligible papers were published during the previous year in a scholarly journal. There are a wide range of reputable journals that publish articles on topics related to psychological assessment or psychotherapy. At most journals, the peer review process involves close scrutiny by expert reviewers, and authors are expected to make extensive revisions before a manuscript is deemed acceptable for publication. True academic journals are different from the explosion of predatory journals that have developed in recent years (Sorokowski et al., 2017), which often charge authors hundreds of dollars to publish their work, with minimal attention given to the quality of the article. Further, books and book chapters follow a different path toward publication and therefore are not eligible for a Psyche Award.

Third, eligible articles focus on the assessment or treatment of patients who are struggling with some form of mental illness. Studies were excluded if they relied on data using a sample of convenience, including college students, high school students, community samples, anonymous online surveys or mTurk data collection procedures. Previous authors (Arnett, 2008; Henrich et al., 2010) have criticized the reliance on WEIRD samples, whereby the research only applies to samples collected from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic societies. Because of the limits when generalizing to a different sample, the findings from many psychology research studies are likely to only apply to undergraduate college students (Stroebe et al., 2018) and the findings may be less likely to generalize to clinical populations (Stroebe et al., 2018). In our efforts to improve psychological assessment and intervention, it remains important to conduct research on patients who are struggling with a medical illness or a psychiatric disorder (Overholser, 2012).

Fourth, the field of psychotherapy is advanced through research that focuses on the mind and mental processes (Overholser, 2003). Some investigators focus their research on topics of current interest (Overholser, 2014), and some cutting-edge research on innovative biological treatments or neuroanatomical measurements can be useful. However, psychotherapy research that focuses on biological processes or sociocultural issues is beyond the scope of the awards.

Fifth, in order to advance the field of psychotherapy, qualified research studies should be closely aligned with actual clinical practice. The field of psychology benefits from research that examines how people really live, even if the research methodology is not tightly controlled (Rozin, 2009). Approaches to psychotherapy should remain flexible and not become overly structured by manualized interventions (Smedslund, 2009; Smith, 2009). Further, there is a wave of interest in technological advances that can be incorporated into psychological research. There is potential for using technology within the field of psychotherapy. Technology-assisted psychotherapy could help to reach individuals who lack access care, especially now, with Covid precautions, and other barriers to treatment. However, there are risks of high attrition rates, and a reduction of emotional support as compared to traditional face-to-face sessions with a compassionate therapist. it could be useful to develop strategies for integrating a supportive therapeutic alliance with smartphone apps and internet information modules. Clients seem to prefer support from a caring professional more than an automated response from a software program, as seen in the low adherence and high attrition to technology-assisted forms of therapy (Linardon & Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, 2020). Therefore, papers eligible for a Psyche Award include information with practical utility that aligns with quality psychotherapy.

Sixth, in order to qualify for a possible Psyche Award, the published article should demonstrate a thoughtful integration of the science and practice of psychology. Whether working as a full-time clinician or a university faculty member, different jobs pull the psychologist in one narrow direction. Becoming a scientist-practitioner requires making it a priority to remain active both in clinical work and scholarship (Overholser, 2007). Thus, the awards attempt to recognize colleagues who aspire to live by the ideals of the Boulder model.

The initial selection of articles for the 5th annual Psyche Awards was based on a review of journal articles published during 2021. The following 161 scholarly journals relevant to the field of mental illness and its treatment were scanned for possible nominated papers: Academic Psychiatry, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Addictive Behaviors, Aggression and Violent Behavior, American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias, American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychotherapy, American Psychologist, Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, Annual Review of Psychology, Archives of Clinical Psychiatry, Archives of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Archives of Sexual Behavior, Archives of Suicide Research, Assessment, Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Australian Psychologist, Behavioral Sciences and the Law, Behavior Modification, Behavior Research and Therapy, Behavior Therapy, Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, BMC Psychiatry, British Journal of Clinical Psychology, British Journal of Psychotherapy, Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Canadian Psychology, Clinical Case Studies, Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, Clinical Psychological Science, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Clinical Psychology Review, Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, Cognitive Therapy and Research, Comprehensive Psychiatry, Contemporary Buddhism, Contemporary Family Therapy, Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, Counselling Psychology Quarterly, Counselling Psychology Review, Counselor Education and Supervision, Current Directions in Psychological Science, Current Psychiatry Reports, Death Studies, Dementia - International Journal of Social Research and Practice, Depression and Anxiety, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Ethics and Behavior, European Journal of Psychological Assessment, European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, European Journal of Psychiatry, European Journal of Psychotherapy Counseling and Health, European Journal for Qualitative Research in Psychotherapy, European Psychiatry, Frontiers in Psychiatry, Frontiers in Psychology, Gestalt Review, Group Analysis, Group Dynamics, History of Psychiatry, History of Psychology, International Forum of Psychoanalysis, International Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, International Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, International Journal of Eating Disorders, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, International Journal of Integrative Psychotherapy, International Journal of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, International Journal of Law & Psychiatry, International Journal of Mental Health, International Journal of Play Therapy, International Journal of Psychology and Counselling, International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, International Journal of Psychological Research, International Journal of Psychotherapy, International Journal of Supervision in Psychotherapy, Irish Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, JAMA Psychiatry, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Journal of Affective Disorders, Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Journal of Attention Disorders, Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Journal of Clinical Psychology, Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, Journal of Counseling and Development, Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies, Journal of Family Therapy, Journal of Happiness Studies, Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Journal of Loss and Trauma, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Journal of Mental Health, Journal of Mental Health Counseling, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Journal of Obsessive - Compulsive and Related Disorders, Journal of Personality Assessment, Journal of Personality Disorders, Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, Journal of Sexual Aggression, Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Mindfulness, Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, Personality and Individual Differences, Personality and Mental Health, Personality Disorders: Theory Research and Treatment, Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, Perspectives on Psychological Science, Philosophy Psychiatry & Psychology, Pragmatic Case Studies in Psychotherapy, Professional Psychology, Psychiatric Annals, Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Psychiatric Services, Psychiatry Research, Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Psychology and Psychotherapy, Psychoanalytic Inquiry, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Psychoanalytic Psychology, Psychodynamic Practice, Psychological Assessment, Psychological Bulletin, Psychological Medicine, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Psychosis - Psychological Social and Integrative Approaches, Psychotherapy - Theory Research and Practice, Psychotherapy Research, Rorschachiana, Scandinavian Journal of Behaviour Therapy, Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior, the Behavior Analyst, the Clinical Gerontologist, the Clinical Supervisor, the Counseling Psychologist, the Practitioner Scholar, the Psychotherapy Bulletin, Training and Education in Professional Psychology, and Transactional Analysis Journal.

The comprehensive screening of scholarly journals served to identify a total of 223 articles that seemed to address important issues in the field of mental illness. These 223 were then sorted into 11 award categories, with four, and occasionally five, articles nominated as the finalist in each category. Then, an award review panel was comprised of four licensed health care professionals, including three members of the editorial board for the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, with the addition of one more expert, a long-time clinician from a major urban medical center. The panel of judges read and rated a final list of 46 nominated papers. All reviewers were asked to submit rank ordered lists, rating papers within each category from most to least valuable to the average mental health scientist-practitioner.

1. Refining Strategies for Assessment of Psychological Problems: This award highlights useful information about psychological assessment, whether covering general strategies or specific instruments. The award recognizes the important advances in psychological assessment that improve the ability to understand or measure various psychological issues or processes. The article helps to advance knowledge and provides valuable insights into the mindset of individuals who are struggling with psychological problems. The goal is to identify papers that provide guidance for psychological assessment that are based on sound research and the findings are directly relevant to clinical practice. The nominees are ….

Abramovitch, A., Abramowitz, J. S., & McKay, D. (2021). The OCI-4: An ultra-brief screening scale for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 78, 102,354.

DiGiuseppe, R., Gorman, B., Raptis, J., Agiurgioaei-Boie, A., Agiurgioaei, F., Leaf, R., & Robin, M. W. (2021). The development of a short form of an Irrational/Rational Beliefs Scale. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 1–35.

DeMatteo, D., & Olver, M. (2021). Use of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised in legal contexts: Validity, reliability, admissibility, and evidentiary issues. Journal of Personality Assessment, 1–18.

Ghomi, M., Wrightman, M., Ghaemian, A., Grey, N., Pickup, T., & Richardson, T. (2021). Development and validation of the Readiness for Therapy Questionnaire (RTQ). Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 49(4), 413–425.

And the winner is …. David Dematteo and Mark Olver for their informative review of the Revised Psychopathy Checklist and its use in legal consultation. The authors used an engaging style of cross-examination questions and answers to explore the benefits and limitations of the assessment tool. According to Dr. Dematteo (personal communication, February 22, 2022): “The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) has received considerable attention from researchers and practitioners because of its relationship to several outcomes relevant to the criminal justice system. But there’s disagreement regarding the PCL-R’s utility in certain contexts. My co-author and I previously wrote separate papers in which we expressed opposing viewpoints about the PCL-R, and this paper stemmed from that disagreement. We were asked to write this paper as an ‘adversarial collaboration’ for a special issue of the Journal of Personality Assessment. What we discovered is that we agree on most things related to the PCL-R, and our disagreement was circumscribed. We hope this paper will serve as a ‘state of the PCL-R’ for those interested in this measure.“

2. Improvements in Psychiatric Diagnosis: This award highlights valuable insights into psychiatric diagnosis and possible revisions to the current diagnostic system. The award recognizes the important insights shared in the published article, helping to refine or revise the professional approach to psychiatric diagnosis, psychological terminology, nosology or specific diagnostic categories. The ideal paper captures useful ideas that confront important aspects of psychopathology and help the reader to refine or change their understanding of mental illness. The nominees are ….

Barlow, D., Curreri, A., & Woodard, L. (2021). Neuroticism and disorders of emotion: A new synthesis. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(5), 410–417.

Conway, C., Krueger, R., & HiTOP Consortium Executive Board. (2021). Rethinking the diagnosis of mental disorders: Data-driven psychological dimensions, not categories, as a framework for mental-health research, treatment, and training. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(2), 151–158.

Kotov, R., and colleagues. (2021). The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP): A quantitative nosology based on consensus of evidence. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 17, 83–108.

Michelini, G., Palumbo, I. M., DeYoung, C. G., Latzman, R. D., & Kotov, R. (2021). Linking RDoC and HiTOP: A new interface for advancing psychiatric nosology and neuroscience. Clinical Psychology Review, 86, 102,025.

Phillips, G., & Raskin, J. D. (2021). A primer for clinicians on alternatives to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 52(2), 91–103.

Psychiatric diagnosis is an important area, but it derived from medical diagnosis, and many aspects of a categorical approach to diagnosis do not align with psychological problems. Despite the importance of psychiatric diagnosis and the potential changes in the current nosology, there was no clear consensus as to what, if any changes would improve psychiatric diagnosis. Instead of implying there was no winner in this category, it seems more appropriate to respect the varied opinions about psychiatric diagnosis and different views as to the optimal direction for new diagnostic systems. It remains unclear as to whether these changes are necessary and whether nomenclature changes would be an improvement over the current system. Therefore, all mental health providers are encouraged to read these papers and continue exploring these topics.

3. Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders: This award recognizes valuable research on some aspect of anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are commonly found in community settings as well as many mental health care centers. The article integrates the science and practice of psychology, and provides valuable insights into the minds of clients who are struggling with worry, anxiety, or panic. The ideal paper examines psychiatric patients who have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and the research strives to either improve assessment strategies or treatment applied to the anxiety disorder. The nominees are ….

Dean, J., & Purdon, C. (2021). An in vivo study of compulsions. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 30, 100,648.

Ferrando, C., & Selai, C. (2021). A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of exposure and response prevention therapy in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 31, 100,684.

Plaisted, H., Waite, P., Gordon, K., & Creswell, C. (2021). Optimising exposure for children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD and PTSD: A systematic review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 24, 348–369.

Reid, J., Laws, K., Drummond, L., Vismara, M., Grancini, B., Mpavaenda, D., & Fineberg, N. (2021). Cognitive behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 106, 152,223.

Again, there was no clear stand-out contribution in this category. The panel of judges approved of all four nominated papers, but there was disagreement over which article made the most important contributions to the field. Therefore, it is recommended that all four of the nominated papers deserve an honorable mention and should be read by researchers and clinicians who work with clients that may be struggling with anxiety.

4. Assessment and Treatment of Depression: This award recognizes valuable research on emotional problems and depression. The award recognizes the important contribution made in an article that improves the understanding and treatment of depression. The publication integrates the science and practice of psychology and provides valuable insights into the struggles commonly experienced by clients as they deal with depression. The ideal paper confronts depression in a clinical sample, and helps to sharpen our understanding of assessment, treatment or prevention strategies that could be applied in actual clinical practice. The nominees are ….

Ciharova, M., Furukawa, T. A., Efthimiou, O., Karyotaki, E., Miguel, C., Noma, H., … & Cuijpers, P. (2021). Cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation and cognitive-behavioral therapy in the treatment of adult depression: A network meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89(6), 563–574.

Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., Ciharova, M., Miguel, C., Noma, H., & Furukawa, T. A. (2021). The effects of psychotherapies for depression on response, remission, reliable change, and deterioration: A meta-analysis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 144, 288–299.

Lin, T., & Farber, B. A. (2021). Trajectories of depression in psychotherapy: How client characteristics predict clinical improvement. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77, 1354–1370.

Murphy, S., and colleagues. (2021). Who benefits from a cognitive vs. behavioral approach to treating depression? A pilot study or prescriptive predictors. Behavior Therapy: 52, 1433–1448.

And the winner is …. Marketa Chiarova and colleagues for their comprehensive review of common psychological treatments for depression. Using a network meta-analysis to combine direct and indirect evidence, the authors showed that a mix of current interventions were equally effective in helping clients overcome their emotional struggles. According to Dr. Chiarova (personal communication, February 25, 2022): “We know that psychotherapies are effective in treating adult depression. For current research, it is thus important to focus on answering the question how they work and what components are crucial for effectiveness. Answering these questions, we can continue with optimising existing treatments by focusing on the elements which deserve the most attention, and creating interventions which need less time and resources, which in turn may help shortening waiting lists and increasing accessibility for individuals who need care, especially in contexts where mental health care resources are scarce. With these aims in mind, we compared the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring only, behavioral activation only, and their combination (i.e., full cognitive-behavioral therapy). All these treatments were effective in comparison to treatment-as-usual and waiting list condition, but no evidence of difference was found between these three treatments. This means that patient’s and therapist’s preferences, predictors of differential effectiveness (to be discovered in further research) and accessibility of psychotherapy in given context may play a role in choosing treatment for individual patients. In addition, we also identified a substantial gap in literature: The quality of evidence for the performance of cognitive restructuring was limited and low. Therefore, conclusions can be drawn about the comparison between behavioral activation only and cognitive-behavioral therapy, but more research is needed about the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring only.”

5. Understanding and Reducing the Risk for Suicide: The award focuses on suicide risk and how vulnerable people can be cared for in a supportive manner. Suicide remains a major public health concern, as the rates have been gradually increasing in the United States and other countries. Research on suicide risk may shed light in strategies for intervention or prevention of suicide in vulnerable individuals. Papers on suicide risk can confront the assessment, treatment, or prevention of suicidal tendencies. The nominees are ….

Diefenbach, G., Rudd, M., Merling, L., Davies, C., Katz, B., & Tolin, D. (2021). Brief cognitive-behavioral therapy for suicidal inpatients. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 28(2), 224–240.

Dixon, M., Hyer, S., & Snowden, D. (2021). Suicide in primary care: How to screen and intervene. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 56(5), 344–353.

Foster, A., Alderman, M., Safin, D., Aponte, X., McCoy, K., Caughey, M., & Galynker, I. (2021). Teaching suicide risk assessment: Spotlight on the therapeutic relationship. Academic Psychiatry, 45(3), 257–261.

Sabe, M., Kaiser, S., & Niveau, G. (2021). Suicide in psychiatry and medical liability: A case series. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 74, 101,671.

Ward-Ciesielski, E. F., & Rizvi, S. L. (2021). The potential iatrogenic effects of psychiatric hospitalization for suicidal behavior: A critical review and recommendations for research. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 28(1), 60–71.

And the winner is …. Erin Ward-Ciesielski and Shireen Rizvi for their critical review of psychiatric hospitalization when working with suicidal clients. Despite the standard practice to recommend hospitalization, the authors effectively argued that psychiatric hospitalization is more likely to have detrimental effects of the client. According to Dr. Ward-Ciesielski (personal communication, February 24, 2022): “This paper came from the intersection of two issues. First, looking at potential treatment harms is still something we haven’t adequately integrated into our treatment development work as a field, including long-standing practices that have not been rigorously evaluated. This leads to the second issue: we had heard for years that there was no data supporting hospitalization as effective for suicide and our clinical experiences suggested it was actually harmful for some people. Despite this discussion happening in multiple spaces, we’ve found relatively limited research seeking to answer this specific question. Therefore, we wanted to emphasize and summarize the concerns people have been trying to highlight for many years and encourage more people to study hospitalization and its possible harms.“

6. Impact of the Covid Pandemic on mental health symptoms or its treatment: This award highlights that changes that have been forced upon the world because of the worldwide pandemic. Since the start of the Covid pandemic, there have been numerous reports of increased anxiety (Santabarbara et al., 2021) and depression (Bueno-Notivol et al., 2021) in community samples. Articles eligible for the Psyche Award confronted mental illness symptoms or treatments and how these issues have been modified because of the current pandemic. The nominees are ….

Alzueta, E., Perrin, P., Baker, F., Caffarra, S., Ramos-Usuga, D., Yuksel, D., & Arango‐Lasprilla, J. (2021). How the COVID‐19 pandemic has changed our lives: A study of psychological correlates across 59 countries. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(3), 556–570.

Hardy, N., Maier, C., & Gregson, T. (2021). Couple teletherapy in the era of COVID-19: Experiences and recommendations. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 47(2), 225–243.

Roberts, A., Rogers, J., Mason, R., Siriwardena, A., Hogue, T., Whitley, G., & Law, G. (2021). Alcohol and other substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review. Drug and alcohol dependence, 229, 109,150.

Taylor, S. (2021). COVID stress syndrome: clinical and nosological considerations. Current Psychiatry Reports, 23(4), 1–7.

And the winner is …. Amanda Roberts and colleagues for their comprehensive review of substance use patterns during the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors summarize 45 recent studies that revealed the significant pattern of increase in alcohol and drug use since the start of the pandemic, and identify risk factors that were found to elevate this risk of abuse. According to Dr. Roberts (personal communication, February 23, 2022): " The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a phase of “lock-downs”. Members of society were faced with significant periods of time in their own home with limited social interactions since bars, restaurants, gyms, cafes and other venues closed. The impact of quarantine is known to have many psychological implications and stressors including implications on health-related behaviours such as substance and alcohol use, impacting on the healthcare services who are required to respond to this. Our systematic review was the result of a cluster of academics, practitioners and clinicians coming together (online) to work on this project during the first “lock-down”. Our aim was to document and interpret the frequency and severity of alcohol and other substance use during that time that may indicate further clinical implications. The evidence suggested a trend towards increased alcohol consumption and a clear trend towards increased use of other substances use during the COVID-19 pandemic. We concluded that increased targeting and evidence-based interventions will be essential in the period which follows the pandemic, to improve the quality of life for individuals and families, but also to prevent additional costs to society and health systems.“

7. Technology-Assisted Psychotherapy: This award confronts the many creative ways that psychotherapy can be enhanced through the use of technology. The recent pandemic has created many opportunities for telepsychology procedures, and technology-assisted psychotherapy have become commonplace. Technology can facilitate improvements in psychological assessment, daily tracking, remote delivery of services, and asynchronous forms of intervention (Overholser, 2013). The award recognizes useful ideas or strategies that are likely to improve the field of mental health treatment and should remain in use even after the pandemic has subsided. The nominees are ….

Cullen, A., Dowling, N., Segrave, R., Carter, A., & Yücel, M. (2021). Exposure therapy in a virtual environment: Validation in obsessive compulsive disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 80, 102,404.

de Boer, K., Muir, S., Silva, S., Nedeljkovic, M., Seabrook, E., Thomas, N., & Meyer, D. (2021). Videoconferencing psychotherapy for couples and families: A systematic review. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 47(2), 259–288.

Geller, S. (2021). Cultivating online therapeutic presence: Strengthening therapeutic relationships in teletherapy sessions. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34(3–4), 687–703.

Helps, S., & Grinney, M. (2021). Synchronous digital couple and family psychotherapy: A meta-narrative review. Journal of Family Therapy, 43(2), 185–214.

And the winner is …. Alison Cullen and colleagues for their innovative use of virtual reality technology to assist in the exposure therapy intervention. The article includes several images to help readers appreciate the realistic scenes used in the exposure plan. According to Dr. Murat Yücel (personal communication, February 24, 2022): “Virtual reality is an amazing technology that allows us to tap into emotional and motivational triggers of mental health and addictive disorders. Here, we spend enormous hours optimising the virtual reality environment (e.g., lots of interactive elements to immerse the participant), the psychophysiological measurements (e.g., bluetooth connectivity to improve freedom of movement), user interface, and installing a co-created virtual reality system into a busy and crowded hospital system. It was all worth it! We were able to put patients into realistic high-risk (emotional/symptom triggering) situations that trigger relevant anxiety profiles, but do so in a safe manner and while maintaining the therapeutic alliance. This presents enormous opportunities for novel and scalable treatment options going forward.“

9. Innovative Ideas in the field of mental illness. This award highlights articles that provide new ideas or confront controversial topics in the field. The award recognizes valuable innovations and creative ideas that can help to expand the strategies that are used by mental health practitioners. The ideal paper proposes creative solutions to difficult problems or may advance the field through constructive criticism. The nominees are ….

Ayres, J. (2021). A fish keeper’s life lessons: Implications for resilience promotion. The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 56(5), 311–318.

Dalal, F. (2021). CBF: Cognitive behavioral fallacies. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 41(8), 580–592.

Omylinska-Thurston, J., Karkou, V., Parsons, A., Nair, K., Dubrow‐Marshall, L., Starkey, J., … & Sharma, S. (2021). Arts for the Blues: The development of a new evidence‐based creative group psychotherapy for depression. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(3), 597–607.

Penney, S. (2021). Innovations in violence risk assessment: What aviation can teach us about assessing and managing risk for rare and serious outcomes. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 77, 101,710.

And the winner is …. Stephanie Penney (2021) for her thoughtful review of violence risk assessment and the benefits of thinking metaphorically. The article provides an interesting shift of perspective that helps stimulate creative ideas related to risk management. According to Dr. Penney (personal communication, February 22, 2022): “The idea grew from Monahan and Steadman’s 1996 article comparing the fields of meteorology and mental health law. I considered that article to be a seminal foundation in the field of forensic psychology/psychiatry, but often thought that the analogy was imperfect and could be strengthened with a closer comparison to a field like aviation where risks for adverse outcomes are intensively managed, and management plans continuously evaluated; this bears more similarity to what we do with patients receiving forensic care and who are actively supervised by a forensic mental health tribunal. This was a large undertaking and a that large amount of work went into this paper. For example, the aviation safety manual, published by the International Civil Aviation Organization and considered to be the ‘Bible’ of aviation safety, is about 300 pages and certainly intimidating for a novice such as myself trying to educate myself in this field! But it was really fascinating. I also conducted 2 phone interviews with actual safety operations managers who work with the ICAO to ensure I was interpreting some of the concepts correctly; these individuals were also kind enough to share samples of actual risk assessments conducted by their teams. I am a firm believer that having a wide scope, and looking for knowledge outside (and sometimes far outside) your particular field of study can yield fresh insights and new ways of looking at old problems.“

10. Integration of the Science and Practice of Psychology: This award highlights ideas and strategies for respecting the ideals of the Boulder model (Raimy, 1950). The award recognizes the important contribution made in an article that emphasizes the synergistic value of science and practice, when truly integrated as the foundation for psychotherapy. The award highlights the value of research while maintaining a strong focus on clinical applications that are useful for guiding psychotherapy sessions. Ideally, the article inspires faculty members and their students to remain active in both research and practice throughout their careers (Overholser, 2007). The ideal paper confronts the core issues, and challenges scholars or clinicians to integrate the scientific method with the realities of actual clinical practice. The nominees are ….

Gelso, C. J., Hill, C. E., & Kivlighan Jr, D. M. (2021). The synergistic but troubled relationship between psychotherapy science and practice: Moving forward. The Counseling Psychologist, 49(7), 1090–1116.

Greene, L. (2021). The research-practice psychotherapy wars: The case of group psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 71 (3) 393–423.

Pérez-Rojas, A., Bartholomew, T., Joy, E., & Lockard, A. (2021). Counseling psychology faculty’s involvement in practice: A mixed methods study. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34, 1–28.

Persons, J., Osborne, T., & Codd, R.T. (2021). Ethical and legal guidance for mental health practitioners who wish to conduct research in a private practice setting. Behavior Therapy, 52(2), 313–323.

And the winner is …. Charlie Gelso, Clara Hill and Dennis Kivlighan for their willingness to confront the differences between practitioners and researchers, while keeping a focus on possible pathways toward true integration. The article describes a campus psychology training clinic as an ideal location for conducting applied clinical research. Because their careers have been devoted to the scientist-practitioner model, their thoughtful advice is recommended for all faculty in clinical and counseling psychology as well as their trainees. According to Dr. Gelso (personal communication, February 23, 2022): " Throughout our careers, we have struggled to understand how science (especially empirical research) and practice can be mutually enhancing. We have always felt that they can be so, but we also realized from early on that this was by no means an easy matter. In so many ways, the two (science and practice) came from different worlds and were worlds apart. Our paper represented our efforts over many years at understanding the disconnects and figuring out ways to reduce them. The second part of the paper shows steps we have taken at our psychotherapy clinic to integrate the two. The contradictions and disconnects between research and practice will always exist, and we need continual efforts to foster their mutual enhancement.“

11. Lessons learned from the history of mental illness. This award highlights the valuable lessons that can be learned through a thoughtful review of historical trends. Over time, mental illness has been treated using a mixture of strategies, some that were helpful and others that seem quite dangerous. Many of the ineffective or dangerous interventions may be forgotten. However, important lessons can be learned from mistakes made in past theories or historical treatments. The nominees are ….

Braslow, J. (2021). Psychosis without meaning: Creating modern clinical psychiatry, 1950 to 1980. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 45(3), 429–455.

Handerer, F., Kinderman, P., Timmermann, C., & Tai, S. (2021). How did mental health become so biomedical? The progressive erosion of social determinants in historical psychiatric admission registers. History of Psychiatry, 32(1), 37–51.

Scull, A. (2021). American psychiatry in the new millennium: A critical appraisal. Psychological Medicine, 51, 2762–2770.

Weiss, K., & Dube, A. (2021). What ever happened to Nostalgia (the diagnosis)? Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 209(9), 622–627.

And the winner is …. Andrew Scull for his willingness to confront a mix of issues that have disrupted the optimal care for the mentally ill. His review paper presents an assortment of financial and political issues that have disrupted modern-day psychiatry, including the reasons behind deinstitutionalization and the irresponsible emphasis on psychotropic medications. According to Dr. Scull (personal communication, February 22, 2022): " I often think that those who don’t know their history are like patients with no long-term memory, really handicapped in making sense of the world. ‘American Psychiatry in the New Millennium’ derives from many years of work trying to understand the history of psychiatry, and what psychiatrists have done for and to their patients. I’m keen to bring that history to the attention of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, for both practitioners and researchers in both fields. I like to think both can benefit from the broader perspective a historian can bring to understanding the contemporary scene.“

Discussion.

Many important and useful articles were published during 2021. The present award paper has helped to highlight 46 papers with nine articles deemed best in their category. The ideal articles integrate the science and practice of psychology, and this remains a difficult task for most mental health professionals. Time is limited and every job has responsibilities that force the professional to spend most of their work time either as a clinician, focused on the supervision and the provision of clinical services, or the academics who devote their careers to teaching and conducting high quality research. It is the rare professional who manages to integrate the science and practice of the field.

One of the nominated papers (Perez-Rojas et al., 2021) conducted a survey of counseling psychology faculty members. Results showed that only 43.8% of the faculty members continued to conduct psychotherapy themselves, even though the majority (76.7%) were licensed to practice psychology and most (58.9%) continued to supervise graduate students in the provision of psychotherapy. Among those that had discontinued all clinical practice, there was a sentiment that clinical practice would be disruptive on their scholarly productivity. This seems to be a common misunderstanding or frequent rationalization, because remaining active in clinical practice can greatly enhance a faculty member’s teaching, research, and career satisfaction (Overholser, 2019).

Quite a few papers deserve recognition for their contributions to the field. However, some useful journal articles did not align with any specific award category and therefore were not included in the current review process. For example, Barsness (2021) conducted an interesting qualitative study that explained the common therapeutic strategies used as part of relational psychoanalysis. Barsness conducted interviews with 16 psychoanalysts and identified seven core strategies used in their therapy sessions. The strategies focused on issues and themes that can be found in many other schools of therapy, and the article may help to reduce some of the boundary debates between therapists who were trained in one school versus another.

The Psyche Awards require a massive investment of time from the editorial staff. The process involves screening more than 2,000 published articles, reading more than 200 published articles, and evaluating in detail the top 46 papers. However, it seems important for the nominated authors to receive a bit of respect and acknowledgment for their valuable contribution to the field. Further, it can be useful for others to use the award paper to identify some of the most useful articles that were published during the previous year. Ideally, the Psyche Awards will continue to show the respect earned by these most valuable papers.

Editorial Postscript:

It takes a massive amount of work to publish a scholarly journal each year. As editor-in-chief, I am thankful for every author that submits their work for possible publication in the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. Even when a manuscript is deemed not suitable for publication, I remain appreciative of the time, energy and determination that is involved in preparing and submitting a manuscript. In terms of processing the manuscripts, I have a skilled panel of experts who share their time and knowledge by serving on the editorial board for the journal. These mental health experts review several manuscripts each year, and shared their views of the strengths and weaknesses of the paper. I am especially appreciative of my panel of judges who read each nominated paper and provided rank order lists within each award category, and Dr. Lauren Fisher for serving as guest editor of special manuscripts and editorials. Finally, I am thankful for the numerous ad hoc reviewers who have received manuscripts during the past year. The list of reviewers includes mental health providers from a wide range of countries and academic backgrounds. I want to thank the recent ad hoc reviewers: Jaqueline Abate, Steve Abell, Rudy Abi-Habib, Panoraia Andriopoulou, Shlomo Ariel, Jenna Bagley, Allison Baier, Jorden Bale, Luz Bascunan, Ray Bergner, Vasiliki Baourda, Annette Bovee, Chantal Bourgault du Coudray, Cyrille Bouvet, Virginia Brabender, Nina Brown, Ana Mafalda Almeida Bruno, Fatima Khurram Bukhari, Gerry Byrne,John Carter, Eduard Carratala, Franz Caspar, Charles Cederberg, Julie Cerel, Samantha Chalker, Jasmine Childs-Fegredo, Vandana Choudhury, Massimillano Conson, Rachel Crook-Lyon, Gulio de Felice, Gulsen Erden, Bruno Faustino, Dragana Favre, Daniella Fernandez, Julian Ford, Haruo Fujino, Louis Gamino, Valerie Gaus, Emil Genc,Rajesh George, Duncan Gill, Rod Goodyear, Robert Gordon, Ethan Graure, Naveen Grover, Isaac Hooley, Jurgen Hoyer, Scott Hall, Waqar Husain, Guadalupe de la Iglesia, Nizar Ismat, Monika Janczak, David Jobes, Greta Kaluzeviciute, Jody Kashden, Lori Katz, David Klonsky, Ioanna Kousteni, Elisa Krackow, Jeffrey Kuentzel, Marilyn Lanza, Maxwell Levis, Kelsey Magee, Christopher McGovern, AnnaMaria McLaughlin, Sarah Meinkoff, Brian Miller, Dawn Moeller, Jay Nagdimon, Eleonora Natalini, Lindi Nel, Amy Przeworski, Diego Romali, Ed Shafranske, Prerna Sharma, Sonia Sofia, Sarah Spannagel, Daniel Strunk, Emmy Van Duerzen, Mette Vesterager, Jana Volkert, Simon Wharne, Manfred Wu and James Yokley.