Dr Daniel O’Rourke · PhD, ABPP, CPsychol
Specialist treatment for OCD and anxiety — for adults, teenagers and children.
I am a clinical psychologist who does one thing and does it properly: evidence-based CBT and Exposure and Response Prevention. Online anywhere in the UK, or in person near Nottingham.
At a glance
- Where
- Online across the UK · in person near Nottingham and Mansfield
- Who
- Adults, teenagers, children and parents
- When
- Weekdays, 9am to 9pm — including after school and after work
- Fees
- £120 per session · £180 initial assessment · insurance accepted
- First step
- A free 30-minute call, with no obligation
- HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist
- Chartered Psychologist (BPS)
- Board certified by the ABPP
- PhD, University of Washington
- Recognised by BUPA, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality & WPA
For adults
Treatment that goes after the mechanism, not just the feeling
Adult OCD and anxiety respond to a specific kind of therapy done well. Not general counselling, and not talking around it. ERP and CBT delivered to protocol, at a pace you agree to, by someone who does this every week.
- OCD, including intrusive thoughts and “Pure O”
- Health anxiety and reassurance-seeking
- Social anxiety and panic
- Body dysmorphic disorder, skin picking and hair pulling
For parents, children & teenagers
When you can see it happening and cannot work out how to stop it
Childhood OCD and anxiety pull the whole family into a pattern. Reassurance, accommodation, arguments before school. That pattern is treatable, and often the most powerful changes are ones parents make.
- OCD in children and teenagers
- Anxiety, worry and separation anxiety
- School refusal and school avoidance
- Parent-based treatment when your child will not attend
How it works
Three steps, and no obligation at the first one
Most people arrive having already tried something that did not work. The first job is working out what is actually maintaining the problem.
- A free 30-minute call
You tell me what is going on. I tell you honestly whether I think I can help, roughly how long it is likely to take, and what it would involve. If I am not the right person, I will try to point you to someone who is. No charge, no pressure.
- A full assessment
A longer first appointment where we map the problem properly — what triggers it, what keeps it going, what has already been tried. You leave with a formulation and a treatment plan in plain English, not a diagnosis and a shrug.
- Treatment, with the end in view
CBT and ERP are active, time-limited treatments. We agree targets, we track them, and we work towards you not needing me. Most people are not in therapy with me indefinitely, and that is the point.
What I treat
A deliberately narrow list
I treat anxiety, OCD and closely related problems, across the age range. I do not treat everything, and I would rather tell you that up front than take on work that belongs with someone else.
OCD in adults
Intrusive thoughts, compulsions, checking, contamination fears, rumination and reassurance-seeking — treated with ERP.
Read moreOCD in children & teens
How childhood OCD presents, why family accommodation matters, and what ERP looks like for a nine-year-old.
Read moreOCD with ADHD
Common, frequently missed, and it changes how ERP should be delivered. Rarely written about in the UK.
Read moreAnxiety in children
Worry, separation anxiety, physical symptoms, avoidance — and the parent responses that unintentionally keep them going.
Read moreSchool refusal
When mornings have become a battle and the absence is building. A graded, structured route back.
Read moreHealth anxiety
Checking, googling, seeking reassurance from GPs and family. Treatable, and quicker than most people expect.
Read moreSocial anxiety
In adults and in teenagers, where it is often mistaken for shyness until it starts closing options down.
Read moreARFID & food-related anxiety
Extreme restricted eating driven by fear, sensory difficulty or lack of interest — not by body image.
Read moreEverything else I treat
Panic and agoraphobia, separation anxiety, phobias, body dysmorphic disorder, skin picking and hair pulling.
See the full listScreens & technology
Screens are the thing parents ask me about most
Phones, gaming and social media interact with anxiety, OCD, sleep and school avoidance in ways that are genuinely difficult to untangle. Some of it is a parenting problem. Some of it is a clinical one. Knowing which is which is most of the work.
I write and teach on this, and I co-created a structured programme for parents who want to sort it out themselves without therapy.
A self-guided option for parents
The Screen Balance Program
Most families worried about screens do not need therapy. They need a clear, structured plan and someone to tell them which changes actually matter. That is why I co-created the Screen Balance Program with Dr Jennifer Tininenko — a step-by-step programme parents work through themselves, at their own pace.
Disclosure: the Screen Balance Program is a paid programme I co-created and have a commercial interest in. It is not a substitute for assessment or treatment, and I will always tell you plainly if I think your family needs the latter.
About Dr O’Rourke
Trained where this treatment was developed
I have worked in psychology since 2008 and have been a qualified clinical psychologist for over a decade. I completed my PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Washington, my pre-doctoral internship at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Harborview Medical Center, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Evidence-Based Treatment Centers of Seattle, where I went on to become Director of Training and Education and then Assistant Director of the Child Anxiety Center.
I am a Clinical Instructor at the University of Washington, where I train and supervise clinical psychology students, and I continue to supervise qualified clinicians. I am registered with the HCPC, chartered with the British Psychological Society, and board certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology — a credential very few psychologists practising in the UK hold.
Fees
Clear pricing, and recognised by the major insurers
Sessions are £120. The initial assessment is longer — 90 minutes — and is £180. I hold a small number of reduced-fee places, so if cost is the obstacle, ask.
I am recognised by BUPA, AXA Health, Aviva, Vitality, WPA. Most people are not in treatment with me for long, and the fees page sets out honestly how many sessions things typically take.
Not sure whether this is the right fit?
Start with a free 30-minute call. We will talk through what is going on, I will tell you honestly whether I think I can help, and if I cannot I will try to point you to someone who can. There is no obligation and no charge.