J. Mark G. Williams, is Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry. [1] He held previous posts at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, the Medical Research Council Applied Psychology Unit (now Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit) in Cambridge and the University of Wales Bangor, where he founded the Institute for Medical and Social Care Research and the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the British Academy. He was educated at Stockton Grammar School, Stockton-on-Tees, and at St Peter's College, Oxford. He received an honorary doctorate from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences) on May 8, 2023, in Leuven, Belgium.
His research is concerned with psychological models and treatment of depression and suicidal behaviour. He uses experimental cognitive psychology – in particular investigations into the specificity of autobiographical memory – to help understand the processes that increase risk of suicidal behaviour in depression. With colleagues John D. Teasdale (Cambridge) and Zindel Segal (Toronto) he developed Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT; ) for prevention of relapse and recurrence in depression, and several RCTs have now found that MBCT significantly decreases the recurrence rate in those who have suffered three or more previous episodes of major depression. [2]
Williams is an ordained priest of the Church of England and Honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. (Christ Church Cathedral Canons; )
1. Williams, J.M.G., Fennell, M.J.V., Barnhofer, T., Crane, R., Silverton, S. (2015) Mindfulness and the Transformation of Despair: Working with People at Risk of Suicide. New York, Guilford Press. (Translations: Japanese, German, Dutch, Korean)
2. Williams, J.M.G. (2014) Cry of Pain: Understanding Suicide and the Suicidal Mind (London, Piatkus: Updated and Revised Third Edition of Cry of Pain, 1997)
3. Teasdale, J.D., Williams, J.M.G & Segal, Z.V. (2013) The Mindful Way Workbook. Guilford, New York (Translations: Japanese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Chinese Mainland, Chinese Taiwan/Hong Kong, Swedish, French, German, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian).
4. Williams, J.M.G & Kabat-Zinn, J., (2013) (Eds) Mindfulness: Diverse Perspectives on its Meanings, Origins and Applications. Routledge, London (Translations: German)
5. Segal, Z.V., Williams, J.M.G., & Teasdale, J.D. (2013) Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Second Edition. Guilford Publications, New York. (Translations: German, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Croatian, Serbian)
6. Williams, M., & Penman, D. (2011) Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World Description & scrollable/arrow-searchable preview. (London, Piatkus, & New York, Rodale) Translations German, Dutch, Danish, simplified Chinese (Mainland), complex Chinese (Taiwan, Hong Kong), French, Bulgarian, Korean, Swedish, Estonian, Finnish, Norwegian, Turkish, Czech, Croatian, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Europe), Slovene, Romanian, Arabic.
7. Williams, J.M.G., Teasdale, J.D., Segal, Z.V., & Kabat-Zinn, J. (2007) The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness (New York, Guilford) Translations: Dutch, Danish, Swedish, German, Greek, Polish, Chinese (simplified; Mainland) Chinese (complex; Taiwan, Hong Kong), Finnish, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Persian, Croatian, Serbian.
8. Segal, Z.V., Williams, J.M.G., & Teasdale, J.D. (2002) Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: a new approach to preventing relapse. Guilford Publications, New York. Translations: Dutch, Italian, French, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese (simplified; Mainland) Chinese (complex; Taiwan, Hong Kong), Polish, German, Czech.
9. Williams, J.M.G. (2002) Suicide and Attempted Suicide. Penguin, London. (Second edition of Cry of Pain, 1997).
10. Williams, J.M.G., Watts, F.N., Macleod, C. & Mathews, A. (1997) Cognitive Psychology and Emotional Disorders. (Second Edition) John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. (Portuguese translation, 2000)
11. Williams, J.M.G. (1997) Cry of Pain: Understanding suicide and self harm. Penguin, London.
12. Williams, J.M.G. (1992) The Psychological Treatment of Depression: A Guide to the theory and practice of cognitive-behaviour therapy. (Second Edition). Routledge, London.
13. Scott, J., Williams, J.M.G. & Beck, A.T. (Eds.) (1989) Cognitive Therapy in Clinical Practice. Routledge, London. (Translations: Portuguese 1993; Hebrew 1995)
14. Williams, J.M.G., Watts, F.N., Macleod, C. & Mathews, A. (1988) Cognitive Psychology and Emotional Disorders, John Wiley & Sons, Chichester.
15. Watts, F.N, & Williams, J.M.G. (1988, re-issued 2007) The Psychology of Religious Knowing Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press.
16. Williams, J.M.G. (1984) The Psychological Treatment of Depression: A Guide to the theory and practice of cognitive-behaviour therapy. Croom Helm Ltd, London & Canberra, and Free Press, MacMillans Ltd, New York. (Translation: Japanese, 1992).
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psycho-social intervention that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most effective means of treatment for substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. CBT focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions and their associated behaviors to improve emotional regulation and develop personal coping strategies that target solving current problems. Though it was originally designed to treat depression, its uses have been expanded to include many issues and the treatment of many mental health conditions, including anxiety, substance use disorders, marital problems, ADHD, and eating disorders. CBT includes a number of cognitive or behavioral psychotherapies that treat defined psychopathologies using evidence-based techniques and strategies.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that began with efforts to treat personality disorders and interpersonal conflicts. Evidence suggests that DBT can be useful in treating mood disorders and suicidal ideation as well as for changing behavioral patterns such as self-harm and substance use. DBT evolved into a process in which the therapist and client work with acceptance and change-oriented strategies and ultimately balance and synthesize them—comparable to the philosophical dialectical process of thesis and antithesis, followed by synthesis.
Aaron Temkin Beck was an American psychiatrist who was a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is regarded as the father of cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). His pioneering methods are widely used in the treatment of clinical depression and various anxiety disorders. Beck also developed self-report measures for depression and anxiety, notably the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), which became one of the most widely used instruments for measuring the severity of depression. In 1994 he and his daughter, psychologist Judith S. Beck, founded the nonprofit Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which provides CBT treatment and training, as well as research. Beck served as President Emeritus of the organization up until his death.
Mindfulness is the cognitive skill of sustaining meta-awareness on the contents of one's own mind in the present-moment without conceptual reification. The practice of mindfulness meditation refers to the recurrent training of one's attention to reorient whenever it acquiesces to its opposite, absent-mindedness.
Acceptance and commitment therapy is a form of psychotherapy, as well as a branch of clinical behavior analysis. It is an empirically based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies along with commitment and behavior-change strategies to increase psychological flexibility.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an approach to psychotherapy that uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) methods in collaboration with mindfulness meditative practices and similar psychological strategies. The origins to its conception and creation can be traced back to the traditional approaches from East Asian formative and functional medicine, philosophy and spirituality, birthed from the basic underlying tenets from classical Taoist, Buddhist and Traditional Chinese medical texts, doctrine and teachings.
Zindel V. Segal is a cognitive psychologist, a specialist on depression and one of the founders of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).
Marsha M. Linehan is an American psychologist and author. She is the creator of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a type of psychotherapy that combines cognitive restructuring with acceptance, mindfulness, and shaping.
John D. Teasdale was a leading researcher at Oxford University, and then in the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge. He dedicated his focus to understanding the cognition behind depression. Teasdale was a pioneer in the cognitive therapy advancements in the United Kingdom. He was one of the founders of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, MBCT. He has received many awards to compliment his work and is now retired but still teaching meditation and mindfulness. He has received a Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Psychological Association, and has been elected Fellow of both the British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences. He is currently retired, pursuing personal interests in practising and teaching meditation and mindfulness training.
Cognitive therapy (CT) is a type of psychotherapy developed by American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck. CT is one therapeutic approach within the larger group of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) and was first expounded by Beck in the 1960s. Cognitive therapy is based on the cognitive model, which states that thoughts, feelings and behavior are all connected, and that individuals can move toward overcoming difficulties and meeting their goals by identifying and changing unhelpful or inaccurate thinking, problematic behavior, and distressing emotional responses. This involves the individual working with the therapist to develop skills for testing and changing beliefs, identifying distorted thinking, relating to others in different ways, and changing behaviors. A cognitive case conceptualization is developed by the cognitive therapist as a guide to understand the individual's internal reality, select appropriate interventions and identify areas of distress.
Buddhism includes an analysis of human psychology, emotion, cognition, behavior and motivation along with therapeutic practices. Buddhist psychology is embedded within the greater Buddhist ethical and philosophical system, and its psychological terminology is colored by ethical overtones. Buddhist psychology has two therapeutic goals: the healthy and virtuous life of a householder and the ultimate goal of nirvana, the total cessation of dissatisfaction and suffering (dukkha).
Self-compassion is extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering. Kristin Neff has defined self-compassion as being composed of three main elements – self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness.
Occupational therapy is used to manage the issues caused by seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Occupational therapists assist with the management of SAD through the incorporation of a variety of healthcare disciplines into therapeutic practice. Potential patients with SAD are assessed, treated, and evaluated primarily using treatments such as drug therapies, light therapies, and psychological therapies. Therapists are often involved in designing an individualised treatment plan that most effectively meets the client's goals and needs around their responsiveness to a variety of treatments.
Relapse prevention (RP) is a cognitive-behavioral approach to relapse with the goal of identifying and preventing high-risk situations such as unhealthy substance use, obsessive-compulsive behavior, sexual offending, obesity, and depression. It is an important component in the treatment process for alcohol use disorder, or alcohol dependence. This model founding is attributed to Terence Gorski's 1986 book "Staying Sober."
Overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) is an inability to retrieve specific memories from one's autobiographical memory. Instead, general memories are recalled, such as repeated events or events occurring over broad periods. For example, when asked to recall a happy event, a person who exhibits OGM may say, "when I was on vacation last month" instead of remembering a single incident, such as, "my high school graduation." Research shows a correlation between OGM and certain mental illnesses, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Paul Raymond Gilbert is a British clinical psychologist. Gilbert is the founder of compassion focused therapy (CFT), compassionate mind training (CMT) and the author of books such as The Compassionate Mind: A New Approach to Life's Challenges and Overcoming Depression.
Metacognitive therapy (MCT) is a psychotherapy focused on modifying metacognitive beliefs that perpetuate states of worry, rumination and attention fixation. It was created by Adrian Wells based on an information processing model by Wells and Gerald Matthews. It is supported by scientific evidence from a large number of studies.
Robert L. Leahy is a psychologist and author and editor of 29 books dedicated to cognitive behaviour therapy. He is Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York and Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Mindfulness-based pain management (MBPM) is a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) providing specific applications for people living with chronic pain and illness. Adapting the core concepts and practices of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), MBPM includes a distinctive emphasis on the practice of 'loving-kindness', and has been seen as sensitive to concerns about removing mindfulness teaching from its original ethical framework. It was developed by Vidyamala Burch and is delivered through the programs of Breathworks. It has been subject to a range of clinical studies demonstrating its effectiveness.
Willem Kuyken is a British/Dutch scientist, teacher and author. He is the Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, and Director of the University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre.