Overview

Dr Liam Myles, Clinical Psychologist in Berkshire Healthcare’s Newbury Community Mental Health Team, has received a national award from the British Psychological Society (BPS) in recognition of his outstanding doctoral research.

The 2025 Trainee Research Excellence Award celebrates the quality and impact of Liam’s research, completed at the University of Oxford, which explores new ways of understanding mental health conditions, including psychosis and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Supporting communities in West Berkshire

Liam now works within our Newbury Community Mental Health Team, where he supports people to manage their mental health and remain well in the community.

His role includes conducting assessments, delivering psychological therapy and contributing to ongoing research and service development.

“I work with people with a wide range of mental health difficulties, providing assessment and therapy as part of a multidisciplinary team”.

Research with real-world impact

Liam was recognised for his doctoral research, which explored whether traumatic life experiences influence the way people learn about the world and whether this impacts on mental health.

Across three projects, his work examined key questions in OCD and psychosis and also looked at the impact of patient led tools in assessing care outcomes. Liam’s research included a first-of-its-kind study challenging established theories and offering new insights into how conditions develop and are maintained.

Importantly, this research has practical implications for care and treatment. Findings from Liam’s study suggest that people with OCD may benefit from more intensive or extended therapeutic approaches to help break the perceived link between compulsive behaviours and relief from distress.

His research also challenges long-standing assumptions about hallucinations in psychosis, providing a new understanding that could influence how therapies - including approaches such as mindfulness - are used in practice.

Improving experiences for patients

Alongside his academic work, Liam has contributed to service improvement within NHS settings.

During his training, he led a project to improve support for people waiting for psychological therapy, after identifying that long waits could lead to uncertainty, reduced support and worsening outcomes.

By working with patients to understand their experiences and implementing practical changes, the project influenced local practice and helped shape how services support people while waiting for therapy.

Liam’s relentless focus on service improvement aligns with one of Berkshire Healthcare’s strategic objectives to reduce waiting times and harm risk for patients.

Research and innovation in the NHS

While Liam received the award for his work prior to joining Berkshire Healthcare, he continues to be actively involved in research alongside his clinical role, contributing to a range of projects exploring mental health, learning and psychological treatment.

“Being part of Berkshire Healthcare at this stage of my career is really inspiring. I’ve been really impressed by the innovative approaches across the Trust and I’m looking forward to continuing to contribute to both clinical work and research.”

The benefit is mutual – for Berkshire Healthcare, supporting research-active clinicians helps ensure that the latest evidence is translated into practice, improving outcomes and experiences for our patients and communities.

Looking ahead

Reflecting on the award, Liam said:

“I feel very honoured to have received this award and very grateful to have my research recognised in this way. It motivates me to continue pursuing research, with the aim of improving our understanding of mental health difficulties and developing more effective psychological interventions.”

We congratulate Liam on this outstanding achievement and look forward to seeing how his work continues to enhance care across Berkshire Healthcare.