Willem Kuyken

Willem Kuyken (born 6 May 1968) is a British-Dutch clinical psychologist and scientist. He is the Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science at the University of Oxford and Director of the University of Oxford Mindfulness and Psychological Science Research Centre. His research focuses on the prevention and treatment of depression and the development, evaluation, and implementation of cognitive-behavioural and mindfulness-based interventions.[1]

Early life and education

Kuyken was born in Neath, Wales on the 6th May 1968, the youngest of three children, to Dutch parents. His father was raised in Indonesia, and worked as an engineer. His mother was raised in Venlo in the South of Holland, and was a nurse. He spent his childhood until age 9 in Nigeria before moving to the UK.

Kuyken was educated at Winchester College, University College London (BSc Psychology, 1989) and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London (PhD, 1992), before training as a clinical psychologist at the Salomons Clinical Psychology Training Centre (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, 1997).

Career and contributions

Kuyken's research focusses on depression, particularly its prevention, recurrence and long-term course, and the development and evaluation of psychological interventions. His work integrates clinical psychology, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches, drawing on both psychological science and contemplative traditions.

A central theme of Kuyken’s work is the challenge of implementation: how evidence-based interventions for depression and mental health can be delivered at scale and made accessible across populations and settings, including schools, healthcare systems, and communities.

Before taking up his post in Oxford in 2014, Kuyken was Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Exeter. There he led a clinical research group (2001–2010), co-founded (with Ed Watkins) the Wellcome Mood Disorders Centre (2004) and established (with Alison Evans) the Masters in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapies (2008) and Mindfulness Network (2012). He also directed the clinical psychology training programme (2001–2004).

He worked in two Postdoctoral Fellowships: a research fellowship at the World Health Organization project managing the development of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL; 1992–1994) [2] and a clinical research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania/Beck Institute working with Aaron T. Beck (1998–1999).

He was the recipient of the British Psychological Society May Davidson award in 2006.[3] He was a faculty member of the 2014 Mind and Life Summer Research Science Institute and a grandfathered Diplomate and Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

At the University of Oxford Kuyken has led and co-led major research programmes, including the MYRIAD project (with Mark Williams, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Tim Dalgleish) a programme of research on mindfulness in education (2014–2022).[4] He is Principal Investigator of the University of Oxford Mindfulness and Psychological Science Research Centre.[5]

Books and publications

Kuyken authored Mindfulness for Life, a trade book on making mindfulness part of everyday life.[6] He is co-author with Christina Feldman of Mindfulness - Ancient Wisdom Meetings Modern Psychology, which examines the integration of contemplative traditions and modern psychology.[7] He also co-authored, with Christine Padesky and Rob Dudley, Collaborative Case Conceptualisation, a clinical guide to cognitive-behavioural case formulation."[8] With John Orley he published an edited book Quality of Life Assessment: International Perspectives. Kuyken's work includes over 150 peer-reviewed publications,[9]

He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and was listed among the top 1% most cited researchers globally by Clarivate by Web of Science from 2019 to 2025.[10] His research includes randomised controlled trials, meta-analyses, prospective research, and experimental research evaluating mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for preventing relapse and promoting well-being, published in Lancet,[11] the British Medical Journal,[12] and JAMA Psychiatry.[13]

Public Engagement

Kuyken has engaged in public communication of psychological science through lectures, workshops and contributions to policy and healthcare discussions internationally. His work has been reported in media outlets including, The Telegraph,[14] The Guardian,[15] and the BBC [16] and in documentaries such as My Year of Living Mindfully [17] and Trust Me I'm a Doctor.[18]

Personal life

Kuyken has two daughters, Zoe Kuyken, a barrister [19] and Ava Kuyken a professional footballer. Kuyken has spoken publicly about his experience of recurrent depression and its influence on his clinical and research work. He has practiced mindfulness meditation since early adulthood and has trained with teachers including Christina Feldman and Jon Kabat-Zinn.

References

  1. ↑ "Future of Mindfulness research at Oxford secured with new professorship". www.development.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "WHOQOL - Measuring Quality of Life| The World Health Organization". www.who.int. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "Awards". BPS. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "The MYRIAD Project". myriadproject.org. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "University of Oxford Mindfulness Research Centre". www.psych.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "Guilford Press". Guilford Press. 22 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "Mindfulness: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology". Routledge & CRC Press. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Collaborative Case Conceptualization: Working Effectively with Clients in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy". Routledge & CRC Press. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  9. ↑ "ORCID". orcid.org. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Highly Cited Researchers". Clarivate. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  11. ↑ Kuyken, Willem; Hayes, Rachel; Barrett, Barbara; Byng, Richard; Dalgleish, Tim; Kessler, David; Lewis, Glyn; Watkins, Edward; Brejcha, Claire; Cardy, Jessica; Causley, Aaron; Cowderoy, Suzanne; Evans, Alison; Gradinger, Felix; Kaur, Surinder (July 2015). "Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy compared with maintenance antidepressant treatment in the prevention of depressive relapse or recurrence (PREVENT): a randomised controlled trial" (PDF). The Lancet. 386 (9988): 63–73. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(14)62222-4. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 25907157.
  12. ↑ Kuyken, W.; Crane, R.; Dalgleish, T. (9 November 2012). "Does mindfulness based cognitive therapy prevent relapse of depression?". BMJ. 345 (nov09 2) e7194. doi:10.1136/bmj.e7194. hdl:10871/9642. ISSN 1756-1833. PMID 23144206. S2CID 35708848.
  13. ↑ Kuyken, Willem; Warren, Fiona C.; Taylor, Rod S.; Whalley, Ben; Crane, Catherine; Bondolfi, Guido; Hayes, Rachel; Huijbers, Marloes; Ma, Helen; Schweizer, Susanne; Segal, Zindel; Speckens, Anne; Teasdale, John D.; Van Heeringen, Kees; Williams, Mark (1 June 2016). "Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse: An Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis From Randomized Trials". JAMA Psychiatry. 73 (6): 565–574. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0076. ISSN 2168-622X. PMC 6640038. PMID 27119968.
  14. ↑ Knapton, Sarah (27 April 2016). "Mindfulness can control depression as well as drugs, study shows". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  15. ↑ Freeman, Daniel; Freeman, Jason (20 April 2015). "New study shows mindfulness therapy can be as effective as antidepressants". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "Could mindfulness really work for me?". BBC Teach. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  17. ↑ "My Year Of Living Mindfully". My Year Of Living Mindfully. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "BBC Two - Trust Me, I'm a Doctor, Series 5, Episode 3, What is the evidence behind the latest craze for mindfulness meditation?". BBC. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  19. ↑ "Zoe Kuyken | Walnut House". 1 January 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
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