Summary
Dan Drew is a Chartered Psychologist and CBT therapist who works with adolescents and adults across a wide range of emotional, behavioural, and neurodevelopmental presentations.
He has particular experience supporting people with anxiety, low self-esteem, emotional regulation difficulties, self-criticism, autism, and neurodivergence — especially where difficulties have gone misunderstood for many years or have become intertwined with mental health challenges over time.
Alongside therapy, Dan is also involved in Oxford CBT’s specialist neurodevelopmental assessment pathway, where he contributes to autism and ADHD assessments as part of a multidisciplinary team. His combined background in psychological therapy and neurodevelopmental work allows him to help clients build not only insight into their difficulties, but also a more compassionate understanding of themselves.
Dan holds a Postgraduate Diploma in CBT (with Distinction) from the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre, alongside two Master’s degrees in Psychology (Oxford Brookes University) and Primate Conservation. He is a Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society and accredited with the BABCP. He has completed ADOS-2 training and works within NICE-guideline-informed frameworks for both therapy and assessment.
Experience
Dan has experience working with individuals presenting with anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, panic, social anxiety, low self-esteem, emotional dysregulation, and stress-related difficulties. His CBT work focuses not only on symptom reduction but also on helping people develop greater self-understanding, self-compassion, and confidence in navigating everyday challenges.
Alongside therapy, Dan has developed specialist experience in neurodevelopmental work, with a particular interest in how ADHD and autism can be misunderstood, masked, or intertwined with mental health difficulties over time. Within screenings and assessments, he places strong emphasis on developmental history, collaborative discussion, and understanding the wider context of someone’s experiences rather than relying too heavily on questionnaires or labels alone.
As part of Oxford CBT’s multidisciplinary assessment pathway, Dan works alongside psychologists, psychiatrists, and consultant paediatricians to ensure assessments are balanced, thorough, and clinically robust. His approach is neuro-affirmative, practical, and focused on helping individuals and families make sense of patterns that may have been present for years.
Prior to joining Oxford CBT, Dan worked as a research coordinator and assistant psychologist within the Cognitive Neurology Research Group at the University of Oxford. His work contributed to a broad range of research areas, including social cognition, decision-making, impulsivity, memory, motivation, and cognitive change in the context of neurological conditions and trauma. A smaller strand of this work included involvement in a Parkinson’s disease apathy study, which provided his first exposure to applying CBT-informed approaches to support motivation and engagement in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. He also has experience supporting children and young adults, including those with autism and OCD, which continues to inform his clinical practice.
Approach
Dan’s approach is warm, collaborative, and non-judgemental. He recognises that many people begin therapy or assessment feeling anxious, uncertain, or highly self-critical, and he prioritises creating a space that feels calm, respectful, and easy to talk in.
In CBT sessions, Dan focuses on helping people understand the links between thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and life experiences, with particular emphasis on breaking cycles of self-criticism and building a more balanced and compassionate understanding of themselves.
Within neurodevelopmental work, he takes a holistic and neuro-affirmative approach, placing strong importance on developmental history, lived experience, and understanding how traits present across different areas of life. He is particularly interested in how ADHD and autism can overlap with anxiety, low mood, coping strategies, and long-standing patterns that may have gone misunderstood for years.
Across both therapy and assessment, Dan’s aim is consistent: to help people make sense of their experiences in a way that feels validating, practical, and genuinely useful in everyday life.
Interesting facts
Dan lives with his wife and two young children and enjoys seeing friends, playing and writing music, sport and snowboarding and spending time in nature.
Treatments
- Excessive Worry/ GAD – Teens and adults
- Social Anxiety – Teens and adults
- Panic Attacks/Panic Disorder – Teens and adults
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – Teens and adults
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) – Teens and adults
- Specific Phobias/Driving Phobias/Agoraphobia – Teens and adults
- Low Self-Esteem – Teens and adults
- Stress Management – Teens and adults
- Unhelpful habits (eg. Self Criticism, perfectionism, procrastination) – Teens and adults
- Anger Management – Teens and adults
- Body Image Difficulties – Teens and adults
- Depression/SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) – Teens and adults
- Sleep difficulties/Insomnia – Teens and adults
- Bereavement – Children, teens and adults
- Physical Health Conditions – Children, teens and adults
Screenings
- Autism
- ADHD
What Clients Say
“I did not feel judged throughout and felt genuine care. The assessor was very open-minded and fantastic at listening and remembering all my information. The report I received was worded in a very positive and understanding framework, which I appreciated. I feel I have a much greater understanding of myself now.”
— Oxford CBT Client
“Daniel was very understanding and patient with my daughter. The meeting environment was relaxing and I felt able to share freely.”
— Oxford CBT Client
