The Uniquely Multidisciplinary Side of Clinical Psychology Is Spotlighted in New Special Issue
In a special issue of Clinical Psychological Science (Vol. 14, Issue 4, July 2026), guest editors APS Fellow Jennifer Tackett (Northwestern University), APS Fellow Alexander Shackman (University of Maryland), and Shirley Wang (Yale University) present seven articles and four commentaries that showcase the power and ongoing challenges of multidisciplinary collaborations in psychological science.
The articles in this special issue provide an eclectic glimpse at how clinical psychology is prioritizing multidisciplinary perspectives. Authors present important insights from neuroscience, immunology, environmental health, computer science, cultural studies, justice systems, and complex‑systems modeling to reshape how we measure, understand, and improve mental health.
Read more from the special issue: “Lesser of Two Evils”: Applying Artificial Intelligence to Move Beyond Self-Reports
Measurement in clinical science is examined by several authors, including an article by Michael Hallquist (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and his coauthors that outlines how automated language, image, and signal‑based measures can mitigate overreliance on self‑reports. Jasmin Perez and her team add to the conversation with their investigation on the role of language in measurement with their study focused on English–Spanish bilingual adults.
Authors also explore the nested systems needed to conduct science about mental health. For example, Donald Robinaugh (Northeastern University) and his coauthors worked with a broad interdisciplinary team to reconceptualize the biopsychosocial model as a systems-science framework, introducing concepts like feedback loops and tipping points as tools for understanding the progression of symptoms.
Hear directly from the authors: Promises and Challenges of Working With a Multidisciplinary Team
The special issue also emphasizes the importance of the human element. Deanna Barch (Washington University in St. Louis) provides a commentary that addresses structural barriers inherent in multidisciplinary science, including mismatched epistemologies, authorship norms, and promotion systems that struggle to value team‑based contributions.
“I do not think it is hyperbole to suggest that psychological clinical science might be one of the most uniquely multidisciplinary fields in all of science, given the huge range of collaborations and outstanding integrative research being produced by clinical psychological scientists and their collaborators,” the APS Fellow and William James Fellow Award recipient writes.
The issue is now available online.
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