Whitaker, Carl

Name

Whitaker, Carl

Introduction

Carl Whitaker (1912–1995) was a twentieth-century family therapist and professor of psychiatry who is well known for the inclusion of spouses and children in therapy and founding the symbolic-experiential approach to therapy.

Career

Whitaker entered medical school with a plan to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology but switched to psychiatry. In 1946, Whitaker became the Chairman of the Psychiatry Department at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Whitaker left Emory in 1955 and began his work in private practice establishing the Atlanta Psychiatric Clinic. Ten years later, he returned to academia as a professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin in 1965 where he remained until his retirement in 1982.

Contributions to the Profession

Over the course of his career, Whitaker made a number of contributions to family therapy. In the 1950s, Whitaker made a significant impact by violating the traditions of therapy at that time. Instead of working...