Derek Farrell

Prof Derek Farrell is a Professor of Trauma Psychology & Veterans Affairs at Northumbria University and Queen's University Belfast. He leads Trauma Aid Europe, the Trauma Response Network Ireland, and chairs EMDR All Ireland. His work focuses on EMDR therapy for trauma survivors, veterans, and humanitarian crisis response in over 20 countries. He holds an MBE (2020) and the 2024 Francine Shapiro Award for EMDR contributions. Farrell's research explores moral injury in law enforcement, EMDR with intellectually disabled populations, and military suicide prevention.

Education: PhD in Trauma Characteristics of Clergy Abuse Survivors from Manchester Metropolitan University (2003). Key roles include Co-Editor of the Oxford Handbook of EMDR and Journal of EMDR Practice & Research. He has delivered keynotes in 12+ countries and led capacity-building programs in Iraq, Pakistan, and Myanmar.

Research Interests:

• EMDR therapy mechanisms and applications
• Humanitarian trauma response systems
• Military/veteran mental health
• EMDR in under-resourced settings

Awards:

• David Servan Schreiber Award (2013)
• Humanitarian of the Year (2018)
• TES International Impact Shortlist (2017)

Advising/Grants: Leads projects on adverse childhood experiences in military families (2024-2026). Over 50 peer-reviewed publications and 11 current research outputs focus on trauma interventions and EMDR efficacy.