About Dr Daniel O’Rourke
I have worked in psychology since 2008 and have been a qualified clinical psychologist for over a decade. Almost all of that time has been spent on one thing: the evidence-based treatment of anxiety, OCD and related problems.
I did not set out to do this. I read Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Bath and became interested in why some young athletes thrived under pressure and others came apart — and, more specifically, in the part parents played in that. That question turned out to be a psychology question, and it is more or less the same question I am still working on: what the people around a child do with their anxiety, and how much difference it makes.
I completed my PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Washington, one of the strongest clinical training programmes in the United States, where I trained in cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and family-based treatments. My pre-doctoral internship was at Seattle Children’s Hospital and Harborview Medical Center, where I received the John E. Carr Award for Outstanding Achievement in Empirically-Supported Psychotherapies.
I then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in child and adolescent anxiety disorders at the Evidence-Based Treatment Centers of Seattle, the largest private practice of its kind in the city. I went on to become its Director of Training and Education and later Assistant Director of its Child Anxiety Center. That is where the bulk of my clinical hours were spent: intensive, protocol-driven treatment of OCD and anxiety, in children, teenagers and adults, week after week.
I have since moved back to the UK with my wife and two children, and I now see clients here — online across the UK, and in person near Nottingham and Mansfield. I remain a Clinical Instructor at the University of Washington, where I train and supervise clinical psychology students, and I continue to supervise qualified clinicians.
Registration and credentials
- HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist — registration PYL043844, verifiable on the HCPC register
- Chartered Psychologist, British Psychological Society
- Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)
- PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Washington
- Clinical Instructor, University of Washington
- Member of the International OCD Foundation and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
- BSc (First Class Honours) Sport and Exercise Science, University of Bath
On research
My published research is in sport and exercise psychology, largely on how parental pressure and motivational climate affect young athletes’ anxiety and wellbeing, and on recovery after concussion. One of those papers received the Journal Paper of the Year award from the American Psychological Association’s Division 47.
I mention this partly because it is where I come from, and partly for honesty: I am not an OCD researcher. I am a clinician who was trained at a research-driven programme and who practises the treatments that research supports. If you want the science on OCD itself, the International OCD Foundation and OCD-UK are better sources than me, and I will happily point you to them.
How I think about this work
Three things, really.
The treatment should have evidence behind it. That is not a slogan. It means using ERP for OCD rather than talking around it, using parent-based treatment when a young person will not attend rather than giving up, and being able to say why I am doing what I am doing at any point in a course of treatment.
It should be time-limited. I am working towards you not needing me. If what we are doing is not producing change, the right response is to say so and change it, not to keep booking.
You should understand the plan. If you leave the assessment unable to explain to someone else what is keeping the problem going and what we are going to do about it, I have not done my job properly.
Outside the room
I am a parent, which has done more for my humility about parenting advice than any amount of training did. I am outdoors most weekends, usually taking my children somewhere muddy, and the rest of the time I am playing board games or reading science fiction.
Common questions
Are you registered, and how can I check?
Yes. I am registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as a Clinical Psychologist, registration number PYL043844, and you can verify that yourself on the HCPC register at hcpc-uk.org. I am also a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and board certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. Checking a clinician on the HCPC register before you commit to anything is a sensible habit, and I would encourage it whoever you end up seeing.
You trained in the United States. Does that translate to the UK?
The evidence base does not change at the border. CBT and ERP are the same treatments here as in Seattle, and the protocols I was trained in are the ones NICE points to. What is different is the system around them — the NHS, CAMHS, school SEN processes, UK insurers — and that is UK knowledge I have built since moving back. I am registered to practise here by the HCPC, which is the regulator that matters.
What does board certification actually mean?
ABPP board certification is a post-qualification credential in the United States. It involves submitting real clinical work for review by a board of specialists and defending it in an oral examination. It exists to demonstrate competence in a specific specialty — in my case Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology — rather than general fitness to practise. It is not required to work in the UK and very few psychologists practising here hold it.
Do you supervise other clinicians?
Yes. I am a Clinical Instructor at the University of Washington, where I train and supervise clinical psychology students, and I supervise qualified clinicians and trainees in the UK. If you are a clinician looking for supervision in anxiety, OCD or exposure-based work, get in touch and we can discuss whether I am a good fit.
Related pages
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.