Dr Mark Hoelterhoff (PhD)
Lecturer in Clinical Psychology

- Centre for Data Culture and Society
- Edinburgh Futures Institute
- Curriculum Transformation Board
Contact details
- Email: mark.hoelterhoff@ed.ac.uk
Address
- Street
-
School of Health in Social Science
Medical School, Doorway 6
Teviot Place - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH8 9AG
Availability
Please contact via email
Background
My clinical, teaching and research focus is on positive psychology. I have been in the field of promoting positive mental wellbeing for over 25 years. As a counselling psychologist, I’ve provided psychoeducation and positive psychotherapy to individuals, couples and families in private practise along with third-sector organisations worldwide. In addition to healthcare settings, I worked at several higher education institutions before coming to the University of Edinburgh.
Qualifications
PhD Psychology at University of Plymouth
MA Psychology at Alliant University
MA Counselling Psychology at Trinity International University
BA Psychology at University of Dayton
Responsibilities & affiliations
British Psychological Society Chartered Psychologist
Health and Care Professioal Council Registered Practitioner Psychologist (Counselling Psychology)
Higher Education Academy Senior Fellow
Postgraduate teaching
Learning and Resilience for Edinburgh Futures Institute
Trauma Across the Lifespan for the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
Open to PhD supervision enquiries?
No
Areas of interest for supervision
I am unable to accept any new PhD students due to a secondment. However, there is information/application guidance here https://www.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate/degrees/index.php?r=site/view&id=397
Research summary
My research is focused on thriving in the university community. Specifically, how can we use data-driven educational strategies to support flourishing within the university experience among young people at risk of vulnerability in a global context? I'm keen to examine these asset-based approaches in the hopes this will lead to the development of graduates that can lead from a place of wellbeing and develop creative solutions to global issues.
- Creating a programme of positive wellbeing for university students to be well, live well and lead well.
- Developing learning experiences to support student's application of intrapersonal assets to real-world interpersonal and societal issues
- Embedding positive wellbeing in the curriculum to foster a thriving university community.
Current research interests
I am the research cluster lead for Data-Driven Thriving in the University Community as part of the Centre for Data, Culture and Society. We aim to provide leadership and empower capacity for thriving in university communities by developing data-driven asset-based education strategies in a global context for societal transformation. We aim to foster interdisciplinary research collaboration and networking among academic, support and professional services to promote positive education and well-being in the university community.Knowledge exchange
I founded THRIVE which seeks to network researchers across higher education who are exploring student, staff and university community wellbeing. This network is now open to members across the higher education and wellbeing sector. For more information please contact cdcs@ed.ac.uk
Affiliated research centres
Past project grants
2020-2021 Principal’s Teaching Award Scheme (£14,931) – Regular Grant Award (PI)
Project Title: Personal Values in Postgraduate University Student Engagement: a Creative Participatory Action Research Project
2020 (£15,000) Cara Syria Programme Larger Grant
Project title: The effect of electricity shortage on social well-being in people living in northern Syria (Principal Investigator).
2018-2020. Erasmus+ KA2 – Strategic partnership for innovation in the adult field
Project: Support well-being among potential entrepreneurs with a migrant/refugee background to start and develop business initiatives in the Blue Growth economy on behalf of the Scottish Islands Federation (Consultant).
2019 (£80,500) College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences SFC Official Development Assistance Global Challenges Internal Fund
Project Title: Leadership in Ethics, Integrity and Research Conduct in Complex LMIC-UK partnership projects (Co-Investigator).
2019 (£50,000) College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences SFC Official Development Assistance Global Challenges Internal Fund
Project Title: Strong minds, strong lives: Building enduring partnerships through co-design of a rural mental health service and research strategy in Malawi (Co-Investigator).
2018 (£14,981) The Global Academies and Edinburgh Global Research and Partnership Fund (LMIC).
Project: Growing strong kids in Malawi: A collaborative needs analysis between a Scottish research team and MamaLita School in Namwera, Malawi (Co-Investigator).
2018 (£9123). The College of Radiographers
Project: Studying resilience among newly qualified radiographers (Co-Investigator).
2016 (£5,000) University of Cumbria Research and Development Funding
Project: Exploring the role of social capital in the Storm Desmond flood (Co-Investigator).
2012 (£1200) University of Cumbria Research and Development Funding
Project: The impact of sustainable development activities on health and well-being in a Senegalese population (Principal Investigator).
2005-2010 (£21,075) University of Plymouth PhD Scholarship funding
2006 ($25,000) Lions Club International Start Up Grant
Project: Lions Quest well-being pilot programme for Lithuanian primary school children (Co-Investigator).
-
The challenges and experiences of academics supporting psychological capital among students at the emergence of COVID-19: A qualitative investigation of award-winning educators at a British university
(18 pages)
In:
British Journal of Educational Psychology, pp. 1-18
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12565
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
The effects of unemployment on locus of control: A meta-analysis
(15 pages)
In:
Psychreg Journal of Psychology, vol. 6, pp. 15-29
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Looking back at my student years now…: Recently-qualified radiographers’ retroactive understandings of key resilience sources
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Abstract (Accepted/In press) -
Don’t Fear the Theatre? Dark tales from recently-qualified diagnostic radiographers
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Abstract (Accepted/In press) -
Self-efficacy as an agentic protective factor against death anxiety in PTSD and psychiatric co-morbidity
In:
Psychiatric Quarterly, pp. 1-17
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-019-09694-5
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
A qualitative exploration of students' experiences of trauma - a dialectical perspective
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Abstract (Published) -
Strong minds, strong lives: Building enduring partnerships through co-design of a rural mental health service and research strategy
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Abstract (Published) -
The role of protective factors on flourishing vs. burn-out in the work force: A strengths-based perspective on resilience.
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Abstract (Published) -
Developing resilience through an agentic strengths-based education strategy promoting well-being among young people at risk of vulnerability in a global context
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Abstract (Published) -
The challenges and opportunities of informed consent in LMIC
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Abstract (Accepted/In press) -
Death anxiety resilience; a mixed methods investigation
(17 pages)
In:
Psychiatric Quarterly, vol. 88, pp. 635-651
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-016-9483-6
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Cognitive theories of depression in online peer support forums: Exploring the cognitive triad
(8 pages)
In:
Journal of European Psychology students, vol. 8, pp. 7-14
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/jeps.405
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Posttraumatic stress disorder following asthma attack: The role of agency beliefs in mediating psychiatric morbidity
In:
Journal of Mental Health, vol. 26, pp. 342-350
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2017.1340628
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
The role of social capital in developing flood resilience
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Paper (Published) -
What change processes does team formulations facilitate in intellectual disability (ID) staff teams?: A practitioner’s perspective
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Paper (Published) -
A theoretical exploration of death anxiety
In:
Journal of Applied Psychology and Social Science, vol. 1, pp. 1-17
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Resilience against death anxiety in relationship to post-traumatic stress disorder and psychiatric co-morbidity
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Paper (Published) -
Resilience against death anxiety in the face of trauma; the role of self-efficacy
In:
Comprehensive Psychiatry, vol. 54, pp. e24
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.07.027
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Death anxiety and well-being; coping with life-threatening events
(12 pages)
In:
Traumatology, vol. 19, pp. 280-291
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1534765613477499
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
A phenomenological study of Senegalese eco-projects; the connection between well-being and sustainable development activities
Research output: Contribution to Conference › Paper (Published)
Invited speaker