Research
Dr Marc Boaz is an independent researcher, published author, sessional speaker, and a visiting Professor in Mental Health and Psychotherapy at the University of Northampton, UK, and a visiting Senior Research Fellow (Hon) at the University of Sussex, UK.
Marc initially trained as a sociologist and ethnographer, focusing his doctoral research on the lived experiences of autistic people within institutional settings. He then worked in social policy and advocacy in the UK charity and public sectors focusing on disability (Scope), health (Healthwatch England), and mental health (YoungMinds and the UK Trauma Council). Marc later retrained as an existential psychotherapist and focused his research on people’s experiences of interpersonal trauma.
During his career in social policy, he served on research project boards and committees for statutory agencies (including the Children’s Commissioner for England, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Local Government Ombudsman, and NHS England), and advised and peer-reviewed independent reviews for the UK Government and public sector agencies (including reform of the Mental Health Act 1983).
Marc has also served on research funding panels in health and mental health (UK Research & Innovation / Medical Research Council) and for the Health Foundation. He was a co-recipient of a grant (2023/4) from the Renewing Phenomenological Psychopathology (RPP) project (University of Birmingham / Wellcome Trust) focusing on existential-phenomenological approaches to intersectional experiences of queerness and neurodivergence.
You can find a list of his recent publications here.
Research supervision:
Marc is a highly experienced research supervisor for Masters and Doctoral research students. He provides research supervision for student studying Counselling Psychology, Counselling, Psychotherapy, Sociology and those undertaking professional doctorates across psychotherapy, health and social work or social care. Further he has acted as an internal and external examiner for doctoral programmes (University of Northampton, NSPC, Metanoia and Middlesex University).
Most of the research Marc supervises focuses on:
Trauma and dissociation / dissociative states - particularly sexual violence.
relationships and psychosexual concerns - specifically around trauma-related impacts.
Familial complexity (including parental neglect and abuse).
Neurodivergence (especially live experiences of autism and ADHD).
Systemic, structural and institutional.
Theoretically and methodologically, Marc can supervise research focused in the areas of:
Existential (theory and practice).
Phenomenology (theory and practice).
Critical phenomenology (theory and practice).
Qualitative research methodologies (particularly phenomenological and ethnographic).
Marc is registered as a Masters and Doctoral research supervisor at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, and at Metanoia (UK) who both are validated and awarded by Middlesex University. He further offers independent research supervision to students and organisation.
To enquire about research supervision and sessional teaching (and associated fees) please contact directly.
Teaching:
Marc has a long background in teaching (lecturing, seminars, and experiential workshops) across the fields of sociology, psychology, and psychotherapy. He has taught core modules across Masters, Doctoral and CPD programmes in existential and phenomenological theory and practice, qualitative research methods, and applied theory in practice.
Currently he teaches introductory and advanced (critical psychopathology) courses at NSPC and ad hoc on courses at the University of Sussex (social work), University of Brighton (neurodivergence and complex presentations in psychotherapy), University of Vilnius (trauma in psychology and psychotherapy).
To enquire about sessional teaching (and associated fees) please contact directly.