CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE
SPECIAL ISSUE CALL FOR PAPERS
Title: The Contribution of Artificial Intelligence to Clinical Science: Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Considerations
Guest Editors:
Prof. Sigal Zilcha-Mano (University of Haifa, Israel); Prof. Juan Martín Gómez Penedo (Vrije
Universiteit Brussel, Belgium), & Prof. Christoph Flückiger (University of Kassel, Germany)
Description:
This special issue focuses on the contribution of artificial intelligence (AI) to clinical psychology science. AI technologies—such as machine learning, natural language processing, multimodal data integration, and digital phenotyping—are rapidly transforming the landscape of mental health care. These innovations offer critical opportunities to improve scalable assessment, diagnosis, treatment personalization, intervention delivery, and outcome prediction.
However, alongside these opportunities come critical questions regarding the conceptual coherence, ethical use, and clinical applicability of AI-driven methods. For example, how can AI enhance or complement clinical decision-making without compromising human agency, ‘de-skilling’ therapists, or degrading the therapeutic relationship? How can we ensure that AI systems operate transparently, avoid bias, and promote equity in care? What are the potential mental health impacts of large-scale deployment of AI based agents to the general public? How can data-driven personalization be meaningfully integrated with psychotherapy theories and conceptual and clinical frameworks?
This special issue seeks to advance the conversation about the role of AI in clinical psychology by bringing together diverse perspectives from researchers, clinicians, ethicists, and policy makers. We welcome submissions that critically examine both the promise and the limitations of AI in mental health contexts.
Topics of Interest May Include (but Are Not Limited To):
- Conceptual models for integrating AI with psychological science and clinical practice
- AI-based approaches for precision in mental health care and mechanism-focused treatment personalization
- Impact, explainability, trust, and/or clinician-patient engagement in the context of AI-assisted interventions
- Ethical, legal, and social implications of AI use in clinical psychology, including privacy, fairness, and accountability
- Algorithmic bias and strategies for ensuring equity and inclusion in AI-based mental health tools
- Reviews, meta-analyses, or evidence syntheses on the impact of AI in mental health care
- Policy perspectives on regulation, governance, and best practices for responsible AI use in clinical psychology
Manuscript Types:
We welcome systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and policy pieces. Contributions from interdisciplinary teams and international collaborations are especially encouraged. All manuscripts should adhere to the journal mission of publishing work that has broad relevance and significant impact on the field of psychology.
Timeline:
- Abstract Proposals Due: January 5, 2026
- Notification of Invitation to Submit Full Manuscript: February 2026
- Full Manuscripts Due: May 2026
Submission Instructions:
Please submit an abstract (up to 500 words) describing the planned manuscript, including its focus, key arguments or findings, and relevance to the special issue theme. Abstracts should be sent to the guest editors at: CPSPAISpecialIssue@gmail.com
Invited full manuscripts will be subject to peer review following the journal’s standard procedures. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Arthur Nezu, will have final decision-making authority.