The Professional Counselor (TPC) is NBCC’s peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to publishing original and innovative counseling research and scholarship in an electronic, open-access format.

For the 12th consecutive year, TPC’s commitment to quality has earned recognition from the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence.

“We are proud of TPC’s awards, which recognize the potential of our online, open-access format,” says Managing Editor Catherine Clifton, NBCC’s Director of Professional Services.

Open access means that students, faculty, practicing counselors, and the public can access any article, any issue, at any time and from anywhere with an internet connection.

"The value of open access journals like TPC cannot be overstated,” says Dr. J. Richelle Joe, Editor of TPC. “By making counseling scholarship widely available, we advance health equity for clients, contribute to the professional development of current and future counselors, and provide a solid foundation for researchers and authors to build upon in their own work." 

The open-access platform for TPC makes it a particularly great resource for counselors-in-training. NBCC hopes that students not only use TPC as a go-to research source, but as their avenue for publication when their own research reaches that stage. Open-access journals reach the widest possible audience and foster the interchange of ideas that underlies academic research as well as counseling practice.

“In this profession, people need research,” says Clifton. “Our focus is more on direct application to practice or teaching. That’s one reason we’re so proud of our timely review and publication process. We want counselors to have access to timely research for their population, to avoid doing harm based on out-of-date information.”

TPC continuously accepts submissions for consideration. The Submittable platform makes online submission easier than ever. TPC’s editorial staff also work to make the submission and review process as painless and constructive as possible.

All submissions receive personalized feedback. You’ll never receive a generic form letter from TPC. If your submission should be rejected, you’ll know the exact reason—so you can fix it.

This communication continues throughout the review process. TPC’s editors collaborate with authors, including plenty of back-and-forth communication to ensure each article is the best it can be. Through multiple stages of review, authors receive feedback, suggestions, and thoughtful questions from editorial staff and peer reviewers.

“We are focused on improving clarity and overall quality without sacrificing the author’s voice,” says Clifton. “You will receive suggestions during the review process, but you’ll never be surprised by the published article.”

Feedback and communication are especially helpful for new authors, including students or recent graduates, but can be constructive for professionals throughout their career. Researchers who aren’t accustomed to such collaboration with other journals may benefit from new perspectives or gain a better understanding of longtime issues.

The fact that many authors go on to submit future research to TPC speaks to the positive and constructive review and publication process.

If you’re ready to submit your work to TPC, get started on the TPC website. TPC has no submission or publication fees—you'll never pay anything to have TPC review or publish your research.