Online CBT for men across the UK
and Europe

Clear, evidence-based therapy for anxiety, depression, OCD, low
self-worth, sexual difficulties, and the problems thoughtful people
can’t simply reason their way out of.

• BABCP - accredited CBT therapist
• 25+ years in mental health
• In person sessions available in Berlin
• Native English speaker

What men come to me with

Panic attacks
Health anxiety
Excessive worry
Phobias
OCD

Anxiety, Overthinking & Control

Confidence, Identity & Direction

Low self-worth
Life purpose
Shame
Procrastination
Feeling stuck

Sex, Relationships & Compulsive Behaviour

Sexual confidence
Sexual difficulties
Pornography
Compulsive sexual behaviour
Relationship difficulties
Chemsex & recovery

ADHD, Focus & Follow-Through

Attention & overwhelm
Emotional regulation
Procrastination
Getting things done
Neurodiversity

You do not need a diagnosis or a perfectly formed explanation to start. If something is getting in the way of the life you want to live, we can work it out together

Not sure where you fit?



My approach

Clear thinking. Honest conversation. Practical change.

Many of the men I work with have already spent years thinking about their difficulties. They may understand themselves well and still find the same patterns returning. Therapy should do more than produce a convincing explanation; it should help you change how you think, act, relate and live.

Evidence without dogma

My work is evidence-based but not formulaic. I draw on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and sex therapy, using each as a source of useful ideas rather than a script. CBT is often criticised for being overly manualised and too eager to fit people into neat models—sometimes fairly. Models should clarify your experience, not replace it.

Questions, not pronouncements

Philosophy shapes the work too. Sessions often take the form of Socratic dialogue: careful questioning rather than me handing you interpretations or answers. We may examine what you are assuming, the evidence for it, what you may be overlooking and whether another way of seeing or responding would give you more room to move.

Change in everyday life

My training in occupational therapy, together with extensive experience in psychiatric rehabilitation, keeps everyday functioning central to the work. Sleep, work, routines, relationships, physical health, valued roles and the environments around you can all sustain distress or support recovery. Activity is not merely an outcome of therapy; it can be part of the treatment. We may build routines, reduce avoidance, return to meaningful activities, practise difficult situations or reshape your environment so that change is easier to sustain.

From insight to action

I am interested in where a problem came from, but especially in what keeps it alive now: thoughts, behaviours, shame, emotional responses, relationship patterns, sexuality, habits, values or the practical structure of daily life. Insight matters, but understanding a pattern is not the same as changing it.

The aim is not simply to help you describe yourself more fluently. It is to help you respond with greater freedom and self-compassion—and develop the discipline and psychological flexibility to build a life that works better in practice.

About me

I’ve worked in mental health and psychiatric rehabilitation for more than 25 years, across secure services, prisons, NHS clinics and private practice. Along the way, I’ve managed therapy teams, supervised and taught clinicians, and spent a great deal of time trying to understand what genuinely helps people change.

My route here wasn’t especially conventional. I studied Art and Philosophy in the late 1990s, then spent much of the following decade working in frontline mental health, travelling, living in Australia, going to festivals and experimenting with different ways of living. I didn’t always take the sensible route. I occasionally found trouble and became fairly resourceful at finding my way out again. That part of my education didn’t come with certificates, but it taught me not to confuse respectability with wisdom—or someone’s messiest chapter with the whole story.

I eventually returned to formal study, completing an MSc in Occupational Therapy and later a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I’m now a BABCP-accredited CBT therapist and serve as a Trustee on the BABCP Board.

I discovered I was dyslexic while completing my MSc. Finding out relatively late explained quite a lot. I’ve always tended to think visually, make unusual connections and approach problems from unexpected angles. It gave me a personal understanding of what it can mean to experience learning, attention and perception differently from the expected norm. It also made me cautious about over-identifying with clinical labels. A diagnosis can offer relief and useful understanding; it can also become too narrow a story about who someone is.

I’m grounded in evidence and reason, but I also recognise that sometimes it can be logical to be illogical. Human beings do not live by facts alone. A conversation might move between behavioural patterns, philosophy, sexuality, symbolism, spirituality, grief or the nature of reality. Tarot, myth and metaphor can illuminate an experience without needing to be treated as scientific fact.

Sometimes we need to ask not only, “Is this real?” but also, “Does this help me live the life I want for myself?”

Loss has shaped me too. Grief altered my relationship with time, love and mortality. It strengthened my conviction that therapy cannot only be about reducing symptoms or functioning more efficiently. It must also make room for the larger questions: what matters, what we desire, whom we love and how we want to use the time available to us.

During the pandemic, I decided to live more closely by my values and took a leap of faith: I left the UK and moved to Berlin, where I now live and work. It was a fairly characteristic decision—question the existing arrangement, tolerate some uncertainty and build something different.

I take the work seriously, but not solemnly. There is room in therapy for warmth, irreverence, laughter and the occasional existential detour.

Outside therapy, much of my time is spent with Plato, my Irish Terrier. He is affectionate, playful and fearlessly sociable—still learning that not every growl is an invitation to try harder.

Plato’s philosophy is refreshingly embodied: examine every lamppost in search of its true form, greet the world with optimism, recover quickly and keep moving. He reminds me that not every problem improves with more thinking.

He is not a trained therapy dog, but if you attend in person and are comfortable with dogs, he will greet you enthusiastically before quickly settling down. If you would prefer, he can stay in another room.

Plato

What clients say

  • I learned a lot from you and you really helped me out the past few months dealing with all the different work/friendship/relationship/personal growth topics. I feel like I can trust you and you‘re sincere and non-judgemental. And also fun to talk to.

    (Tip, 2024)

  • Thank you for all you have done for me. I am truly living a different life due to your guidance and patience :) 

    (Rita, 2024)

  • Mark is an extraordinary therapist. His ability to help you bring clarity and focus to an issue, resulting in profound life changes, is remarkable. He is uniquely personable, genuinely caring, and most importantly, wise. I am forever grateful for his guidance.

    (Keith, 2024)

  • My work with Mark taught me invaluable lessons about love, compassion, and trust that I will carry with me throughout my life. From the start, Mark supported me in taking an active approach to my own healing, while allowing me the space to process things at my own pace. I not only gained a deeper understanding of the patterns that were causing me pain, but learned to harness the tools to work through and ultimately overcome them. Berlin is tremendously fortunate to have such a caring and competent practitioner working here. 

    (Alison, 2024)

  • Mark is a phenomenal therapist - he‘s kind, empathetic, reliable, knowledgeable, and extremely effective. I‘ve become so much happier and emotionally stable since Istarted working with him and I really cannot recommend him highly enough.

    (Greg, 2024)

  • I can‘t recommend working with Mark enough. He is a great listener and I really appreciated his approach to therapy. Our work together helped me identify the areas in my life I wanted to change and make actionable steps to work towards those goals. We ended up speaking about way deeper issues than I planned on, and I am very grateful for his help. It is not an overstatement to say it has truly changed my life.

    (Corey, 2023)

  • I contacted Mark during a very dark period, when I was struggling with relationships, work and finances. He was warm, sensible and an incredible listener. His practical exercises and weekly assignments helped me find my strength, take greater control of my difficulties and work through them. I still regularly use the techniques he taught me, and I am a better person today because of our work together. I would recommend Mark to anyone going through a difficult period.

    Julian, (2021)

  • Thank you for all your help over the past few months. You really created a foundation of support, which allowed me to build towards managing my OCD. Thanks for the clarity and understanding too, this really helped. I’ll miss our sessions and the perspective they gave me – it has kept me on track. You are a credit to our health system.

    (Anthony, 2018)

  • Thank you for helping me to put my brain back together! My course of CBT has taught me so much about myself and I feel like I finally have the insight to take charge of my mental health. I´m eternally grateful.

    (Phil, 2018)

  • I can only echo the many positive reviews here. Mark has helped me immensely during a very difficult time. What I appreciate most about his approach is the practicality. He listens deeply and respects the reasons behind why things are the way they are, but he also gives you concrete tools that actually work. His empathy, combined with his ability to help you see things from a different perspective, truly makes a difference. I’ll never forget the moment he teared up as I shared a personal story. That kind of genuine human connection is rare, and it’s exactly what you want in a therapist.

    H. Sulu (2025)

Start with a conversation

You do not need to know exactly what you need or explain everything perfectly. Tell me briefly what has been happening and what you would like help with. I’ll reply to let you know whether I think I can help, and we can arrange a free 30-minute online consultation.

You can use the form or email me directly:

mark@mbstherapies.org

Your name, email address and other personally identifiable information are stored securely and kept confidential. MBS Therapies will never share your details with marketers or send you messages unrelated to services that MBS Therapies provide.

FAQs

What is your fee and how long are the sessions?

The sessions are €95 for 60 minutes

How long does therapy last?

That depends on what you would like help with, your goals and how the work develops. CBT is generally focused and time-limited rather than open-ended. Many people work with me for around 12–20 sessions, although some need fewer and others benefit from longer-term work. We will review your progress together as we go.

Do you accept health insurance?

I work on a private-pay basis and do not bill health insurers directly. If your policy includes reimbursement for private therapy, please check the terms with your insurer before beginning.

Do you provide online and in person sessions?

Yes, I provide both online and in person sessions in Friedrichshain, Berlin.

What is your cancelation policy?

I require at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or rearrange a session. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice are normally charged in full. I understand that life sometimes throws us a curveball, so, where possible, I will try to rearrange your appointment within the same week.

How do I pay?

I accept bank transfer however am happy to discuss other payments such as cash and PayPal.

Can I stop at any time?

Yes. You are free to stop therapy at any time. Where possible, I recommend having a final session so that we can review what has been useful and bring the work to a thoughtful close.