Kristoffer James Whittaker

• Tilden, Terje; Solem, May-Britt; Thuen, Frode; Lorås, Lennart; Stokkebekk, Jan Kristian & Whittaker, Kristoffer James (2024). Taking empirical evidence seriously v. 2.0. Journal of Family Therapy. ISSN 0163-4445. doi: 10.1111/1467-6427.12448.
• Whittaker, Kristoffer James; Stokkebekk, Jan; Lorås, Lennart & Tilden, Terje (2023). Researching what we practice—The paradigm of systemic family research: Part 2. Family Process. ISSN 0014-7370. doi: 10.1111/famp.12921. Full text in Research Archive
• Lorås, Lennart; Whittaker, Kristoffer James; Stokkebekk, Jan & Tilden, Terje (2023). Researching what we practice: The paradigm of systemic family research: Part 1. Family Process. ISSN 0014-7370. doi: 10.1111/famp.12903. Full text in Research Archive
• Tilden, Terje; Solem, May-Britt; Thuen, Frode; Lorås, Lennart; Stokkebekk, Jan & Whittaker, Kristoffer (2022). Å ta empirien på alvor v.2.0. Fokus på familien. ISSN 0332-5415. 4, p. 315–333. doi: 10.18261/fokus.50.4.5.
• Tilden, Terje & Whittaker, Kristoffer (2022). Using ROM in family therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology. ISSN 0021-9762. doi: 10.1002/jclp.23398. Show summary

  Background: Routine outcome monitoring (ROM) is in the article defined as a tool for feedback-informed therapy where clients' therapy relevant information is applied in real-time therapy. Because family therapy represents a comprehensive clinical setting, ROM is experienced as particularly useful. Aims: In a vignette from family therapy practice, the use of ROM is demonstrated on individual, couple, and family levels with reference to integrative systemic therapy. Discussion: ROM information is shown to play a central role in the different phases of treatment. It is demonstrated how ROM facilitates patient-centered assessment that strengthens the therapeutic collaboration such as the working alliance, identifying treatment targets, and possible constraints. In particular, ROM revealing alliance rupture followed by alliance repair is emphasized as a crucial therapeutic event in this treatment.

• Whittaker, Kristoffer; Johnson, Sverre Urnes; Solbakken, Ole Andre & Tilden, Terje (2022). Treated together–changed together: The application of dyadic analyses to understand the reciprocal nature of alliances and couple satisfaction over time. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy. ISSN 0194-472X. doi: 10.1111/jmft.12595. Show summary

  In a Norwegian study of 73 couples attending a residential couple therapy program lasting between 6 and 12 weeks, weekly self-report data on therapy alliance and couple satisfaction were collected using routine outcome monitoring (ROM). The aim was to show how dyadic analyses could be applied to examine the predictive association between alliances and couple satisfaction. Results showed that improved alliance between dyad members and their couple therapist predicted their spouses' alliance. The clinical implication of these findings should heighten awareness to the importance of male partners in couple therapy, something that predicts their spouses' couple satisfaction. These findings help nuance the already existing literature on the working alliance. Futhermore, we propose that dyadic analyses should be widely used in any psycho-therapeutic research that aims to understand the reciprocal effects of dyads.

• Whittaker, Kristoffer; Stänicke, Erik; Johnson, Sverre Urnes; Solbakken, Ole Andre & Tilden, Terje (2022). Troubled Relationships: A Retrospective Study of How Couples with Histories of Trauma Experience Therapy. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy. ISSN 1533-2691. p. 1–24. doi: 10.1080/15332691.2022.2053262. Show summary

  In the present study we aim to increase our knowledge of the relationship between childhood trauma and outcome in couple therapy. We samples participants based on their sub-optimal responses to treatment as well as one member of the dyad having reported experiences of childhood trauma. Six participants constituting three couples were included. All data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Our main finding was that when couples are not able to agree ont he goal of their therapy and this is not handled adequately by the therapist, the alliance tends to split. The therapy thus becomes more individually focused at the expense of the couple relationship. Generally, participants did not themselves assess their past traumas as having negatively impacted therapy giving instead credence as to how it has impacted their self-knowledge. In the future, longitudinal studies should be conducted to explore if there is an association across treatment between trauma and the therapeutic relationship, and the influence it might have on outcome. The findings of this study further support the already existing literature on the importance of alliance and elaborates upon how split alliances occur, develops, and constrains therapy.

• Whittaker, Kristoffer; Johnson, Sverre Urnes; Solbakken, Ole Andre; Wampold, Bruce E. & Tilden, Terje (2021). Childhood trauma as a predictor of change in couple and family therapy: A study of treatment response. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice (CFP). ISSN 2160-4096. doi: 10.1037/cfp0000181.
• Øverland, Simon Nygaard; Woicik, Wojtek; Sikora, Lindsey; Whittaker, Kristoffer; Heli, Hans & Skjelkvåle, Fritjof Stein [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2019). Seasonality and symptoms of depression: A systematic review of the literature. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences (EPS). ISSN 2045-7960. 29(e31). doi: 10.1017/S2045796019000209. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Aims. Lay opinions and published papers alike suggest mood varies with the seasons, commonly framed as higher rates of depression mood in winter. Memory and confirmation bias may have influenced previous studies. We therefore systematically searched for and reviewed studies on the topic, but excluded study designs where explicit referrals to seasonality were included in questions, interviews or data collection. Methods. Systematic literature search in Cochrane database, DARE, Medline, Embase, PsychINFO and CINAHL, reporting according to the PRISMA framework, and study quality assessment using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Two authors independently assessed each study for inclusion and quality assessment. Due to large heterogeneity, we used a descriptive review of the studies. Results. Among the 41 included studies, there was great heterogeneity in regards to included symptoms and disorder definitions, operationalisation and measurement. We also observed important heterogeneity in how definitions of ‘seasons’ as well as study design, reporting and quality. This heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis and publication bias analysis. Thirteen of the studies suggested more depression in winter. The remaining studies suggested no seasonal pattern, seasonality outside winter, or inconclusive results. Conclusions. The results of this review suggest that the research field of seasonal variations in mood disorders is fragmented, and important questions remain unanswered. There is some support for seasonal variation in clinical depression, but our results contest a general population shift towards lower mood and more sub-threshold symptoms at regular intervals throughout the year. We suggest future research on this issue should be aware of potential bias by design and take into account other biological and behavioural seasonal changes that may nullify or exacerbate any impact on mood.

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• Tilden, Terje; Solem, May-Britt; Thuen, Frode; Lorås, Lennart; Stokkebekk, Jan & Whittaker, Kristoffer James (2023). Svar fra forfatterne (Tilden et al., 2022) til Einar Egenæs. Fokus på familien. ISSN 0332-5415. doi: 10.18261/fokus.51.2.7.
• Whittaker, Kristoffer James & Lorås, Lennart (2023). Leder. Fokus på familien. ISSN 0332-5415. doi: 10.18261/fokus.51.4.1.
• Whittaker, Kristoffer James & Lorås, Lennart (2023). Integrative Systemic Therapy as a therapeutic approach to compounded problems. Fokus på familien. ISSN 0332-5415. 51(4), p. 332–348. doi: 10.18261/fokus.51.4.5.
• Whittaker, Kristoffer & Tilden, Terje (2022). Integrative Systemisk terapi: Metateori og psykoterapeutisk praksis. Fokus på familien. ISSN 0332-5415. 3, p. 190–206. doi: 10.18261/fokus.50.3.2.
• Whittaker, Kristoffer (2018). Flere perspektiver i ett: En introduksjon til Integrativ Systemisk Terapi. . Fokus på familien. ISSN 0332-5415. 46(03), p. 180–187. doi: 10.18261/issn.0807-7487-2018-03-03.

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