Current Winner

Carl A. Whitaker Award

The Carl A. Whitaker Award is given to an MFT who has distinguished themselves by contributing to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy in creative or innovative ways. It is named after Carl Whitaker because he was a pioneer in the marriage and family therapy field. Through his experiential family therapy, he was personally engaged in helping families bring about change and flexibility in the family system.


Christopher Wirth

Christopher Wirth graduated with a B.S. Psychology from UW Madison and a M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Edgewood University. Christopher has experience as a mental health clinician within a multitude of settings including community mental health, outpatient therapy, in-home therapy, and within integrated academic health systems. Currently, he is a Behavioral Health Supervisor at UW Health in Madison, WI, and also maintains a small private practice in the area. In both settings, Christopher treats individuals with a variety of presenting concerns throughout the lifespan. His strength-based and relational approach ensures his patients feel respected and understood.
 
Christopher also served on the Wisconsin Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (WAMFT) Board of Directors in 2016 as a Director at Large. In this role, he was Chair of the Legislative Committee, the Diversity and Social Justice Committee, and a member of the Finance Committee. In 2017 he became President-Elect, and assumed the roles of  President and Chairperson from 2018  through 2019. During this period, Christopher guided WAMFT from a divisional structure to a Geographic Interest Network (GIN) as part of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). During his tenure with WAMFT, Christopher also served on the Legislative and Policy Committee of the Wisconsin Council on Mental Health, which serves to inform mental health care policy within the state of Wisconsin. From 2022 through 2024, Christopher served as a Board Director for AAMFT. Within this capacity, he chaired the Performance Evaluation Committee, served as a mentor for the Certificate of Leadership Program, and presented on Governance Policy at the 2025 Leadership Symposium.