Willem Kuyken

Willem Kuyken, PhD, is the Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. His work is focused on better understanding depression and developing evidence-based approaches to preventing depression and recovery from depression. His research has been published in more than 100 journal articles, including key papers on the effectiveness, mechanisms and implementation of mindfulness-based programs in The Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, Mindfulness and Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. With Christine Padesky and Rob Dudley he published Collaborative Case Conceptualization, also with Guilford Press. This was described by Aaron T. Beck as “setting a gold standard for how to develop individualized case conceptualizations with our clients.” With Christina Feldman he published Mindfulness: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology. This was described by Jon Kabat-Zinn as “A tour de force. This book elaborates in exquisite detail—yet with utter accessibility and clarity—what mindfulness is and where it comes from, as well as its profound ethical foundation, clinical applications, growing evidence base, and potential for healing.” He has supervised and mentored more than 40 graduate students, many of whom have gone on to productive careers in research, teaching and the health service. His research has been supported by the National Institute for Health Research, Wellcome Trust, Economic and Social Research Council, UK National Health Service, Oxford Mindfulness Foundation, Medical Research Council and the British Academy.