Suggestions on where to submit an article

ProdigalGander

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I am looking for suggestions on where I might submit an article for publication. I am feeling led to write about my experiences dealing with Christian counseling in the effort to save my marriage.

In a nutshell my wife became addicted to the internet and started showing various symptoms of mental illness. We learned that she was having an inappropriate online relationship with someone in another country and was secretly planning to travel there. I was scared and knew next to nothing about mental health at that time. I wanted to keep her safe and to save my marriage, so I contacted a well-known national Christian counseling organization to try and find someone who could help her.

One of the people they referred to me offered to come to my home and lead an intervention with guaranteed results.....for $6000. When I refused he offered to cut his price to $3800. Eventually I was referred to a counselor who had previously worked in a mental hospital, which I thought would make him well-qualified to help her. He pushed her to start taking psych meds, and in fact referred her to a physician he knew who would prescribe them to her. The meds made her worse. They had made her even crazier and then dumped her back in my lap, and nobody wanted to talk to me because crazy people won't sign HIPAA releases.

Not long afterwards this counselor informed us that he had taken another job and was moving out of state. He referred my spouse to a former colleague. Unbeknownst to me that woman had a practice specializing in the counseling of abused women. I was shocked one day when my wife left me a note, packed-up, drove 1000 miles away and filed for a divorce. I was further shocked when the divorce paperwork filed with the court included an affidavit from this doctor claiming that she had been the victim of "adult emotional abuse". I had NEVER done anything to abuse my wife in our 25-year marriage, nor had she ever complained to me about any behavior that she deemed to be so.

Needless to say that baseless accusation made our divorce far more complicated, and has had a serious negative impact on my life. After hearing a caller to the Dr. Laura show with a similar tale, I am more convinced than ever that my ex-spouse got the idea to accuse me of being an abuser from her counselor. I am not saying that the counselor intended to do this. Only that either my ex is a good enough liar that she convinced these people she had been abused (which they really should be on-guard against if they are going to work in that specialty) or she merely was inspired to do this by the fact that her counselor had such a practice.

The basic problem as I see it is that current law and privacy arguments shield these counselors from having any accountability for their work. This has to change. Once things went south everybody hunkered down behind privacy arguments and refused to address my complaints.

Okay, I get it. Nobody would pursue or accept counseling without a guarantee of privacy. But no rights are absolute. It has famously been said that your rights end where my nose begins, and I was quite literally run through the gears of a machine here and spit out with not a lick of concern.

As part of a drive to bring about change I am thinking of writing an article about my experience. I am looking for a Christian publisher who would be willing to publish my words without sugar coating them or tamping anything down in the name of protecting Christian counselors. I have some harsh things to say, and they need to be said. I will not however be naming any names, as I am determined to show the sort of concern and respect for the reputations of these people that they never showed for mine.

If I were to shop this to a secular publication my fear is that they would use it as just one more club in their hand to beat-down Christianity in general. So I am trying to thread the needle with someone who would be willing to publish honest criticism in the spirit with which it is intended.

Does anyone have any suggestions?
 
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PloverWing

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Christianity Today sometimes publishes articles that are critical of particular Christian organizations or practices within those organizations, without using those criticisms to bash Christianity in general, so you might consider them if you have a high-quality article. They might need the article to be an investigation of problems in Christian counselling more generally, instead of just your one individual experience, but you could see if they're interested in the topic.
 
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St_Worm2

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Hi @ProdigalGander, first off, I just wanted to tell you how very sorry/sad I am for both you and for your wife.

That said, I agree with @PloverWing's sentiments concerning your proposed article. Such an article (unless you are perhaps a famous person?) would need to be something far more than simply autobiographical for a publisher, be they Christian or otherwise, to be interested in.

Perhaps you could "publish" it right here as a blog though, at least at the outset?

Another thought would be to self-publish a book about your experiences. I own a couple of books that were self-published through Amazon (as hardbacks, paperbacks, and on Kindle as well), books by a couple of Christian guys who had stories to tell about their particular life experiences, stories that they (like you) believed could be helpful to others who have found themselves in a similar situation to their own.

Praying for you (and for your wife too).

--David
 
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bèlla

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The best source for article submission is the Writer's Market guidebook. It's published on a yearly basis. You should be able to find a copy in your public library. Each entry includes the guidelines for article submission and contact information.

You may find similar information through Hope Clark's FundsforWriters free newsletter and consider Guideposts too. I'd check the latter first.
 
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xino

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I am looking for suggestions on where I might submit an article for publication. I am feeling led to write about my experiences dealing with Christian counseling in the effort to save my marriage.

In a nutshell my wife became addicted to the internet and started showing various symptoms of mental illness. We learned that she was having an inappropriate online relationship with someone in another country and was secretly planning to travel there. I was scared and knew next to nothing about mental health at that time. I wanted to keep her safe and to save my marriage, so I contacted a well-known national Christian counseling organization to try and find someone who could help her.

One of the people they referred to me offered to come to my home and lead an intervention with guaranteed results.....for $6000. When I refused he offered to cut his price to $3800. Eventually I was referred to a counselor who had previously worked in a mental hospital, which I thought would make him well-qualified to help her. He pushed her to start taking psych meds, and in fact referred her to a physician he knew who would prescribe them to her. The meds made her worse. They had made her even crazier and then dumped her back in my lap, and nobody wanted to talk to me because crazy people won't sign HIPAA releases.

Not long afterwards this counselor informed us that he had taken another job and was moving out of state. He referred my spouse to a former colleague. Unbeknownst to me that woman had a practice specializing in the counseling of abused women. I was shocked one day when my wife left me a note, packed-up, drove 1000 miles away and filed for a divorce. I was further shocked when the divorce paperwork filed with the court included an affidavit from this doctor claiming that she had been the victim of "adult emotional abuse". I had NEVER done anything to abuse my wife in our 25-year marriage, nor had she ever complained to me about any behavior that she deemed to be so.

Needless to say that baseless accusation made our divorce far more complicated, and has had a serious negative impact on my life. After hearing a caller to the Dr. Laura show with a similar tale, I am more convinced than ever that my ex-spouse got the idea to accuse me of being an abuser from her counselor. I am not saying that the counselor intended to do this. Only that either my ex is a good enough liar that she convinced these people she had been abused (which they really should be on-guard against if they are going to work in that specialty) or she merely was inspired to do this by the fact that her counselor had such a practice.

The basic problem as I see it is that current law and privacy arguments shield these counselors from having any accountability for their work. This has to change. Once things went south everybody hunkered down behind privacy arguments and refused to address my complaints.

Okay, I get it. Nobody would pursue or accept counseling without a guarantee of privacy. But no rights are absolute. It has famously been said that your rights end where my nose begins, and I was quite literally run through the gears of a machine here and spit out with not a lick of concern.

As part of a drive to bring about change I am thinking of writing an article about my experience. I am looking for a Christian publisher who would be willing to publish my words without sugar coating them or tamping anything down in the name of protecting Christian counselors. I have some harsh things to say, and they need to be said. I will not however be naming any names, as I am determined to show the sort of concern and respect for the reputations of these people that they never showed for mine.

If I were to shop this to a secular publication my fear is that they would use it as just one more club in their hand to beat-down Christianity in general. So I am trying to thread the needle with someone who would be willing to publish honest criticism in the spirit with which it is intended.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Praise God brother.

first of all, your wife's mental illness is caused by a demon.
You don't need to pay £10000 to set her free, but rather go to a spiritual church that use the power of Holy Spirit/Ghost, who do healing, speaking in tongues and deliverance.
Less cost!

That man that came to your house used tactics!
They prey on people's desperations.
They would come up with the highest price as a buff to see if you have the money or not. If you don't have the money, they would then reduce the price so that you cannot resist the offer.

Also you might want to go for Self Publishing!
If you have MONEY, then go for a publisher. If you want to know which good publishers are there, go through some best sellers, and you will see who the publishers are.
Also go here: Best and Worst Self-Publishing Services Rated by the Alliance of Independent Authors
They show you the good publishers to use and ones to avoid.
The mail I get from Xulu publisher, who claims to be a Christian book publication, actually have a bad review, so avoid!

The good thing about publishers is they help market your book and sell your book. But they get many percentages of your sales.

The thing about many publishers is that, they can have the right to your work.
Have a look at the list and see the pros and cons of certain publishers.

Go blessed you.
 
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