With a focus on process over progress, a co-created experiential field, and a therapeutic power exchange with the family, Carl Whitaker demonstrates a playfully ruthless brand of family therapy in this two-session video. His own past suicide attempt, “this ADD thing” the son experiences, dad’s leveraging his polio for psychological gain, and mom’s “conning” people into various states of unconscious compliance all get addressed here, as the renowned family therapist presents a rare live glimpse into the approach that’s influenced a generation of subsequent clinicians.
You’ll be shocked and delighted throughout this video—it’s truly a classic example of groundbreaking therapy from a one-of-a-kind clinician. While every therapist must ultimately develop their own style congruent with their personality, watching a vibrant master like Whitaker can inspire you to find your own voice—and not have it be squelched as you try to adhere to a specific orientation or manualized treatment.
By watching this video, you will:
- Discover the theoretical underpinnings of Whitaker’s pioneering approach.
- Understand the major characteristics of the therapeutic system with regard to families.
- Identify the four essential steps of the family therapy process.
Length of video: 1:27:00
English subtitles available
Individual ISBN-10 #: 1-60124-398-7
Group ISBN-10 #: 1-60124-399-5
Group ISBN-13 #: 978-1-60124-399-7
Carl Whitaker, MD, (1912-1995) was a physician and pioneering family therapist credited for the co-development of the symbolic-experiential approach to therapy and the use of co-therapy. Known for his charm and charismatic manner, he was one of the most powerful voices in shaping the practice of family therapy as it began to develop in the 1960s. Often provocative in his teaching, he told one interviewer, “Every marriage is a battle between two families struggling to reproduce themselves.”
Starting in 1946, Whitaker served as chairman of the department of psychiatry at Emory University, where he focused on treating schizophrenics and their families. He became a professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1965 until his retirement in 1982. During his tenure there, he refined and articulated his ideas about psychotherapy, which he coined symbolic-experiential family therapy, and his national influence on the emerging field grew stronger. His book The Family Crucible, written with Dr. Augustus Napier in 1978, continues to be a highly influential work in the field.