Martin Thorp MBE

MSc BA(Hons)

  • Research Student

Martin served 24 years in the Parachute Regiment (British Army), reaching the position of Regimental Sergeant Major (Senior Manager).  His military experience is extensive, leading people through high-intensity operations.  His worldwide military career has also included leading L & D design and delivery in the UK and within a multi-national context abroad at a strategic level.  He has also project-managed high-level military equipment trials and has been instrumental in advising the government on combat capability requirements.  After leaving the military, Martin pursued a career as a Leadership Development Consultant and then moved into organizational Psychology.   

As an organizational psychologist (APB Accredited Practitioner), Martins specializes in workplace, team, and individual resilience and speaks about surviving psychological trauma.  Martin is particularly interested in the neurological, psychological, and physiological aspects of trauma, recovery, and prevention. He has been reading about this subject since 2012.  Martin is also on the Chair of the Board of Directors for Mental Health First Aid (Wales).

Leadership and Trauma: In what ways does 'command' influence the mental health of those exposed to trauma during military operations?

PGR Supervisors: Professor Caroline Kennedy-Pipe and Dr Tom Waldman

This current study will explore in what ways ‘command’ influences the mental health of military personnel exposed to trauma on operational deployments. The main source of data will be formed from interviews with UK Armed Forces Veterans (UKAFV) who have served in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan (timelines outlined later). The second source of data will be formed from interviews with therapists who have treated veterans who have developed mental health problems in service. Both sets of data will be analyzed and triangulated.