Martyn Whittingham, Ph.D., CGP., FAPA., FAGPA, is an internationally renowned speaker and consultant and the founder of Focused Brief Group Therapy.  He is a licensed psychologist in Ohio, with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University.  He has been granted Fellow status by both the American Group Psychotherapy Association and the Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy (Division 49 of the American Psychological Association).

Dr. Whittingham developed Focused Brief Group Therapy, a semi-structured, integrative interpersonal approach to brief group therapy that is now in publication with APA Press.  

He is also former President of the Society for Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy (Division 49 of the American Psychological Association). Dr. Whittingham is a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Group Psychotherapy Association.  

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He regularly teaches as part of the Chinese Institute of Psychology in Beijing, China, initially as part of the Yalom Institute and now as a stand alone Certification in Focused  Brief Group Therapy. 

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Dr. Whittingham has received several national awards, the most recent one being the recipient of the 2023 Arthur Teicher Group Psychologist of the Year award from Division 49 of APA. He was also awarded the 2010 Group Practice Award along with his colleague Dr. Erin Frick, by the Association for Specialists in Group Work for "innovation and excellence" in group psychotherapy.  Additionally, he was the recipient of the award for Group Dynamics Teacher of the Year, 2021 by the Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy, also known as Division 49 of the American Psychological Association. 

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Dr. Whittingham currently serves on several leadership committees for the American Group Psychotherapy Association and American Psychological Association:​

• AGPA Science to Service Task Force 

• Editorial Board of the International Journal of Group Psychotherapy 

• APA Health Care Reimbursement Advisory Board 

• AGPA Public Affairs Committee

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Dr. Whittingham has published numerous journal articles and book chapters.  He has two books - Focused Brief Group Therapy (APA Press) and Group Psychotherapy Assessment and Practice: A Measurement-Based Care Approach, Edited by Rebecca MacNair-Semands and Martyn Whittingham (Routledge).   He has presented internationally, nationally and regionally over ninety times.

Dr. Whittingham served as Chief, Clinical Integration and Research for the Behavioral Health Institute, Mercy Health (Ohio and Kentucky) (now called BonSecours Mercy Health). 

During his tenure he led one of the fastest roll outs of Primary Care Integration in the country at that time - 14 psychologist and social work hires serving 26 physicians offices in eighteen  months.  This was featured in the APA Monitor, October 2016 Issue (see blog for more details).

While at Mercy, he also led the development of Evidence Based group psychotherapy for inpatient and outpatient services. He introduced evidence-based group therapy across six inpatient and outpatient (PHP/IOP) therapy units serving 13,000 patients per year. ​

Dr. Whittingham has served as an adjunct faculty at Xavier University, as an instructor for the Institute for Disaster Mental Health, SUNY-New Paltz and The School of Professional Psychology, CA.

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