Abstract
The Beatles captured the changes they experienced along the way in their Magical Mystery Tour, released by Apple Music in 1967, in the song “Hello, Goodbye.” The deceptively simple lyrics have been reverberating in my mind as I approached some major changes this summer. There have been endings and beginnings. I know many colleagues are still remembering the tremendous contributions of our founding editor, Jon Carlson, and experiencing the emotions associated with his passing. As an innovator in the profession, he heralded many beginnings and guided us along the way. He established an outstanding editorial board and a host of collaborators to inaugurate The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families. He developed the format of the sections to encourage contributions. Jon Carlson, Candace Ward Howell, and Mary Kay Nieponski invested hours in the words and images shared with a large association membership and readers beyond the borders of the journal itself. I think Jon Carlson mastered the meaning-making implicit in the call, “Hello, Goodbye.”
I recalled working with Kay Nelson to welcome the journal to Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. Robert L. Smith, professor and chair, and my mentor, developed with his colleagues our association, the journal, and credentialing in marriage and family counseling. I appreciated his guidance and support along the path in the development of The Family Journal. Kay Nelson and I were faced with the unenviable task of modifying a successful, much beloved journal in order to respond to publisher and marketplace concerns. The journal faced the likelihood it would be reduced to the status of a popular periodical, rather than a peer-reviewed journal, due to the proliferation of section articles, cartoons, and photographs. It appeared necessary to eliminate the very items that made the journal so readable, the cartoons and photos, and to institute a cumbersome review process for section articles. While this reserved the peer-reviewed professional status and contributed to a “scientific” or “academic” image, it did not result in indexing or gain in impact status. We are now able to include many articles in each volume with increases in contributions from international student and new authors. However, we must work hard to enhance the relevance of published works for our readership of clinicians. We would like to hear more about your practice as we continue to publish interesting research and theory, “Hello Goodbye, Hello Goodbye.”
I also want to say goodbye and hello to our managing editor, Fangzhou Yu, and editorial assistant, Christina Cen. I have known Dr. Yu since she was a student and editorial assistant before she journeyed to the capable mentoring of Gerald Juhnke at the University of Texas–San Antonio. Fangzhou is a consummate young professional who moved from assistant to student section editor and ultimately to managing the day-to-day operations of the journal. I am blessed to have such a colleague. We made three study tours to China under her capable leadership and we are planning our next magical tour with the International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors. Ms. Cen, a student and protégé of Dr. Yu, stepped into the role of editorial assistant and demonstrated her prodigious talents and commitment to our collaboration always with sparkling eyes and a big smile. It has been wonderful to work with such a marvelous team.
My journey is taking me from Mississippi College to my new home at The Family Institute (TFI) at Northwestern University. I am very excited to begin my work at TFI, a leader in collaborative behavioral health care for nearly 50 years. As I passed the offices and consulting rooms of giants in marriage and family therapy (William Pinsof, Jay Lebow, Anthony Chambers, and Douglas Breunlin to name a few), I realized I was not leaving, but instead I was finding a home. I look forward to joining a vibrant group of researchers, clinicians, and educators. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families will be warmly embraced. I hope to share impressions and ideas that could lead us back to the future, reclaiming Jon Carlson’s spirit of innovation, while enhancing our reputation for both relevance and rigor. As John and Paul wrote, “I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello.”