It was largely based on his clinical work with EMDR that he was awarded the OBE in 2008 for Services to Healthcare in Northern Ireland. Always an advocate for EMDR, Michael sat on CREST in 2003 (Northern Ireland) and played a key role in ensuring the recommendation of EMDR as an effective treatment for PTSD in adults; the guidance from CREST subsequently fed into the NICE deliberations and their recommendation in 2005.