Dr Michael Duffy is a world leading expert in extreme trauma, terror-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and prolonged grief. He is the Director of the Specialist Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Trauma) program at Queen’s University Belfast.
Dr Duffy was instrumental in establishing a trauma centre following the Omagh car bombing in Northern Ireland in 1998, co-leading the application of a new cognitive model for PTSD – Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (TFCBT). He has also worked closely with mental health professionals in the aftermath of other terrorist attacks. These include the 9/11 Twin Towers attack in 2001, the Oslo and Utoya attacks in 2011 and the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.
Dr Duffy’s influential research into trauma has covered areas including preventing PTSD in children exposed to war and conflict; major depressive disorder and prolonged grief; persistent complex bereavement disorder; complex grief and COVID-19; the use of virtual reality in clinical settings and more.
Dr Duffy is a regular speaker at international conferences and events and recently took part in the BBC documentary, PTSD – Stress of the Past.