Mark Doyle
psychologicAl therapy & consultancy
About me
What type of therapist am I?
I am a fully accredited BABCP Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist & BPS Chartered Psychologist based in Lurgan, N.Ireland. I am here to help you understand the difficulties you have, how they connect to your thinking and actions and what you can do about them. I am a compassionate therapist who genuinely cares about his client’s well-being and guarantees evidence based therapeutic intervention and psychological services catered to their needs. I am heavily influenced by Compassion Focused Therapy by Prof. Paul Gilbert and have advanced clinical skills training in this approach. I currently hire a room via Links Counselling Services & also operate remotely via video-conferencing software (e.g. MS Teams, Skype). I also have professional indemnity insurance & I am registered with appropriate governing bodies.
Dr. Mark Doyle
EXPERIENCE CHANGE WITH MARK DOYLE PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPY AND CONSULTANCY
Your Local Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist -
Here to Guide You Through Difficult Journeys
MY QUALIFICATIONS
September 2004 - July 2007
BSC (HONS) PSYCHOLOGY
I studied my undergraduate psychology degree at Ulster University, Magee Campus. I really enjoyed this experience including all the knowledge and skills I developed over this time including a brief exploration of mental health and counselling. This provided me with the graduate basis for chartership.
September 2010 - September 2014.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PHD)
I also studied for my PhD at Ulster University, Magee Campus. This was under the supervision of Prof. Jamie Murphy who helped me develop my research skills and adapt to academia.
My PhD focused on exploring risk factors for mental health problems including childhood trauma, parent mental health, family environments and negative life events. The analysis used was advanced statistics called structural equation modelling. This also provided me with the eligibility for chartered psychologist status with British Psychology Society.
September, 2007 - December, 2008
MSC (PG DIP) APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY (MENTAL HEALTH)
I also studied my masters at Ulster University, Magee Campus. My masters helped me to further my understanding and knowledge of mental health problems and therapy. I also developed counselling skills within this qualification.
September 2015 - September 2016
POST GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION
I obtained this qualification at Solent University (Southampton) whilst working for this institution as a lecturer in Psychology. This qualification helped me to develop my understanding, skill and theoretical basis of teaching and learning within university settings. This provided me with the basis for fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA- now Advance HE).
Sept 2016 - June 2019
PG DIP COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (ADVANCED LEVEL)
This was my core training course at University of Southampton. The teaching focused on anxiety and depression treatment protocols, skills and theoretical understanding. Alongside the training, I worked within an IAPT setting (Portsmouth) to apply these knowledge and skills within a primary care setting and build up my experience.
Feb 2021 - Jan 2022
Feb 2019 - Jan 2020
CERTIFICATE IN COMPLEX TRAUMA AND CHILDHOOD ABUSE
This course was accredited by the National Counselling Society and delivered by Zest for Life Counselling Services, Banbridge. This certificate focused on a range of childhood traumatic effects and how to work with these specific difficulties within a trauma model therapy framework (Colin Ross)
Accredited Integrated Mindfulness & Compassion Teacher Training Course (Mindfulness UK)
I completed an accredited Mindfulness instructor course which
qualifies me to deliver mindfulness and compassion based practices to groups of up to 15 people.
Summer 2022 (5 Day Course)
Sept, 2023- June 2024
PG Dip in Compassion Focused Therapy (BPS Accredited)
Queens Uni. Belfast- Clinical Psychologist Supervision Training
This supervision training was to provide training to support
clinical psychology trainees whilst on placement. This covered
a range of supervision models including CBT, 7 I model, ACT &
how to help trainees formulate and develop their clinical practice.
This also included how to formulate & integrate skills from a range of
therapies
I thoroughly enjoyed this qualification focusing on Compassion focused therapy. This equates to 650 hours of approved CPD with the British Psychology Society. This includes a range of online master classes with Prof. Paul Gilbert, Deborah Lee, & many others. I draw upon this model a lot when working with clients.
Jan & June 2025
Dialectic Behavioural Therapy Training
May & Oct 2025
Queens Uni. Belfast- EMDR Training
Specific trauma focused training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. This technique is evidence based & widely recommended following traumatic experiences. It has a bottom up focus (stronger symptom level focus) rather than the CBT Top Down (logical approach).
DBT is a 3rd wave CBT approach developed to support individuals who struggle with regulating their emotions. These individuals tend to have underwent significant trauma in their lives. More recently, those with ASD have benefited from the use of DBT skills & approaches. DBT tends to be utilised with more severe difficulties.
“Discussing positive experiences leads to heightened well-being, increased overall life satisfaction and even more energy”
Nathaniel Lambert
PROFESSIONAL BODIES
Which professional bodies am I registered with?
BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Chartered Psychologist
BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF BEHAVIOURAL AND COGNITIVE PSYCHOTHERAPISTS
HIGHER EDUCATION ACADEMY/ ADVANCE HE
Fellow
MY EXPERIENCE
May 2007 - August 2008
SAMARITANS VOLUNTEER
Provided confidential and non-judgemental emotional support to callers who were suicidal. This provided a good level of experience for me to develop my therapeutic skills and compassionate approach.
Mar 2016 - June 2018
COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPIST (TRAINEE) - TALKING CHANGE, PORTSMOUTH
I developed my CBT intervention skills working with adult clients with depression and anxiety in IAPT services Portsmouth. I also received clinical supervision and support from a range of specialist therapists. I worked with a range of conditions including OCD, Panic, Social anxiety, PTSD, health anxiety and generalised anxiety disorder.
Sept 2008 - Sept 2012
SUPPORT/SOCIAL CARE WORKER (PRAXIS & WESTERN TRUST)
These role involved working with individuals with a learning disability & challenging behaviour. This involved managing violence and aggression and also providing access to the community and practical help to clients. It also involved working with individuals with poor mental health and supporting them in practical ways.
Aug 2018 - Jan 2021
ZEST FOR LIFE COUNSELLING AND TRAINING SERVICES, BANBRIDGE
Nov 2014 - Jan 2021
LECTURER/SENIOR LECTURER IN PSYCHOLOGY (SOLENT UNIVERSITY, SOUTHAMPTON)
This role involved teaching a range of modules including clinical psychology, counselling, developmental psychology, social psychology and applied psychology. This also involved providing a range of academic and pastoral support to students for their studies and some with emotional difficulties. I developed my teaching practice here to become confident in delivering complex theories and understanding about a range of topics. I was also involved in both the psychology and overall university ethics committees and ran the psychology participation pool. The research element involved helping students complete final year projects and supervising PhD students. I also developed my own research here.
October, 2023- Onwards
8a Specialist Psychological Therapist- Acute Mental Health Inpatient Centre (BELFAST TRUST)
This role involves providing psychological therapy to individuals in severe distress who have been admitted to AMHIC, Belfast City Hospital. This includes a range of assessments, MDT work & helping support an individual to return to the community safely.
Jan 2021 - Sept, 2023.
Psychological Therapist- Occupational Health Service (BELFAST TRUST)
This is my previous role providing psychological assessment, guidance and therapy to NHS staff. This role is within Occupational Health Service and has a focus on mental health in the workplace. This role covers fitness to work assessment, delivering therapeutic interventions for staff, group work for long covid, mindfulness & compassion sessions, supervision, quality improvement and co-facilitating training with Belfast Recovery College.
Provide high intensity cognitive behavioural therapy to a range of adult clients with depression, OCD, generalised anxiety, health anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, chronic pain and PTSD. I also worked with post-natal depression and anxiety. This position helped me to develop my compassionate approach to therapy further and build my experience in helping those with poor mental health using evidence based treatments
“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength”
Sigmund Freud
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME...
What am I like outside of therapy?
I am a very keen runner and have raised over £3000 for charities to date including NSPCC, PIPS Upper Bann, Autism NI, Stroke Association and MindWise. I have completed 3 Ultra (50k's) & 8 marathons & countless half's.
My current challenge is preparing for the Belfast Marathon.
I am raising money for Cause (mental health carers charitt) https://www.justgiving.com/page/mark-doyle-cause
I enjoy going to the gym and train twice weekly in Jeet Kune Do with Sifu Martin O'Neill in Lurgan. We also train Chum Sut Wing Chung, Kali, Silat & Irish Stick Fighting (Bataireact). I am also a father to three amazing kids who like to keep me busy.
I also enjoy playing the odd video-game or two and I am big fan of coffee!
