Carl Whitaker (1912-1995)

Professional Life
Carl Whitaker was a medical doctor, licensed in gynecology and obstetrics, before he began practicing psychiatry. In 1938, Whitaker worked at a psychiatric hospital and developed a psychological curiosity in the schizophrenic clients that he was treating. He was fascinated with the mental challenges they faced and was perplexed at how their symptoms would often disappear for a period, only to reappear when they were sent back home. This prompted him to look at the whole family from a treatment perspective, rather than just looking at the patient.

After leaving the hospital, Whitaker chaired the Department of Psychiatry at Emory University from 1946 to 1955. During this time, he worked with schizophrenic clients and their families to design new and innovative approaches to treatment in family therapy. Whitaker went into private practice for several years, and returned to academia in 1965 when he took a position at the University of Wisconsin. He remained there until 1982 when he retired.

Contribution to Psychology
Whitaker is recognized as one of the founders of Experiential Family Therapy, or the Symbolic-Experiential approach to therapy. Although he often called his work humorous or absurd, because of the playful nature of his technique, it was extremely effective. Whitaker’s approach focused on addressing the emotional process at work within the family, getting at the heart of the feelings experienced by all of the members. With complete abandonment and disregard for politeness, Whitaker’s technique relies on directness to cut to the emotional core of the experience. Confrontation is common in experiential family therapy, but is tempered with encouragement, support and guidance from the therapist. This approach to treatment is based on a naked honesty, and works best when all parties are authentic and dare to explore the depth of their emotions.

Whitaker is most well-known for acknowledging the role of the entire family in the therapeutic process. Through is humor and warmth, he created a colorful, powerful, and effective form of family therapy that continues to empower every family member to be their own voice in their recovery.