The JMHC: alive and well and moving forward.

I am very honored and excited to be taking over as editor of the Journal of Mental Health Counseling (JMHC). I am especially pleased to be following in the footsteps of Dr. Carole Pistole whose stewardship of the journal over the past three years has been exemplary. I owe Carole a special note of thanks for allowing me to serve the journal as associate editor for research during her term and for her continued support during the transition from her editorship to mine. I am also aware that the current status of the journal is a function of the dedication and hard work of all of the previous editors and their editorial boards and want to recognize that work. Specifically to my development, I take this opportunity to acknowledge the influence of two of JMHC's previous editors to my career: Dr. Earl Ginter (1993) and Dr. Kevin Kelly (1996). Drs. Ginter and Kelly have been instrumental in my development as a researcher and scholar over the years and I continue to consider them among my most valued colleagues.

ALIVE AND WELL

From my view, this is a very exciting time to take the editorship position of the JMHC. The journal is an integral component of the American Association of Mental Health Counseling (AMHCA) and has been gaining in respect and impact in the professional literature in the social behavioral sciences over the years. Clearly, the professional status of the JMHC is a function of the support of the association, contributing authors, the readership, members of the editorial board, and the editorial support staff.

Under the previous editors beginning with Dr. Weikel (1979), the JMHC has consistently grown and moved forward exposing AMHCA members and the broader readership of mental health counselors to relevant and often very progressive articles related to theory, practice, professional issues, and research. This progression and forward movement has been bolstered under the editorship of Dr. M. Carole Pistole and it is clearly my intent to continue the journal's legacy throughout my tenure as editor. Dr. Pistole's (2002) editorial written as she assumed the editorship of JMHC reflects my intent to maintain the focus of the journal on publishing high quality, relevant, and well written articles while taking a developmental approach when needed in nurturing manuscripts and developing scholars along the way. To this end, I am very excited to be working with the members of the Editorial Board and my Associate Editors Alex S. Hall (theory), Bernard S. Jesiolowski (practice), and Loreto R. Prieto (research). Together, we will continue to keep the JMHC alive and well, responsive to AMHCA and the readership, and moving forward.

MOVING FORWARD

In moving forward, I would like to highlight the editorials of the incoming associate editors. Dr. Alex S. Hall, associate editor for theory is continuing in that position for a second term. Her 2002 editorial focused on empowering the less visible groups and individuals in our society to make their voices heard (Hall, 2002). This included a special mention of youth in our society and the emerging social circumstances that impact their behavioral and emotional development. As with all of the associate editors, Dr. Hall's call for the integration of practice and theory relevant to the work of mental health counselors is as relevant in 2005 as it was then.

As associate editor for practice, Dr. Bernard S. Jesiolowski (this issue) has identified the importance of the consideration of context for practice related manuscripts. While he begins his editorial from a very broad contextual perspective, he quickly moves to a concrete discussion of the importance of the multiple contexts most relevant

to mental health counselors, the social, political, economic, and professional contexts. These contexts are related to the practice of mental health counseling whether that practice is as a clinician, educator, researcher, or various combinations of those roles. Dr. Jesiolowski's editorial provides a conceptual guide for authors to consider as they prepare practice-based manuscripts for submission to the JMHC.

Dr. Loreto R. Prieto, as associate editor for research has similarly provided a general blueprint for research-based contributions to the JMHC (see Prieto, this issue). In a relatively straightforward manner and using some interesting metaphors, Dr. Prieto considers the importance of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs in advancing the science and practice of mental health counseling. In discussing these general research strategies, Dr. Prieto highlights the importance of theory as providing the framework for building science, the necessity of linking science to practice, and the general importance of writing clearly and logically in conveying ideas to others in the field. Along the way, Dr. Prieto offers a number of resource suggestions for both beginning and seasoned researchers to consider in their work and as they prepare manuscripts for submission.

In addition to the perspectives and the roles of the associate editors, I will also underscore the role of the members of the Editorial Board and ad hoc reviewers. During the transition between Dr. Pistole's tenure and mine, I had the opportunity to work with all of the members of the Board and a number of ad hoc reviewers in processing manuscripts. Through this experience I was very impressed with the high quality of the reviews that I received and the commitment of these individuals to the important mission of the JMHC. It is out of this professional commitment that the JMHC has achieved its current level of respect in the mental health counseling field and will continue to meet the needs of the readership as we move forward together.

I am especially pleased with the final editorial in this issue, "The seamless transition: On exiting the JMHC Editorship" (Pistole, this issue). In her exit editorial, Dr. Pistole provides us with an insightful perspective on her tenure as editor of the JMHC. Throughout, she weaves the thread of appreciation for her editorial board, the leadership of AMHCA including Executive Director and Publisher W. Mark Hamilton, past presidents of the association, Midge Williams and Bill Wheeler, the editorial staff, and especially the many contributors to the journal. What becomes clear through Dr. Pistole's writing is that the process of submitting and publishing in the JMHC benefits everyone involved, authors, readers, reviewers, and editors, a true community of scholarship and engagement. My appreciation goes to Carole for her willingness to capture her experience on paper and share it in this editorial.

In conclusion, I am honored to assume the role of editor of the Journal of Mental Health Counseling. I look forward to working with the associate editors, the Editorial Board members, contributing authors, the editorial staff at AMHCA and EBSCO, and the leadership of the American Mental Health Counselors Association over the next three years. I appreciate Dr. Pistole's public acknowledgement of her confidence in my ability to carry out this role and together we will keep JMHC alive and well and moving forward!

REFERENCES

Hall, A. S. (2002). Theory, practice, and professional development: Best practices, hearing all voices. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 24, 199-201.

Jesiolowski, B. S. (2005). The context of contribution: Publishing practice articles in the Journal of Mental Health Counseling. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27, 193-196.

Pistole, M. C. (2002). The JMHC news: Changes and stability. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 24, 189-194.

Prieto, L. R. (2005). Research submissions to JMHC: Perspectives from the associate editor. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27, i97-204.

James R. Rogers, Ph.D., is with the Department of Counseling, University of Akron, Akron, OH. E-mail: [e-mail].