Dr Elaine Ryan Chartered Psychologist

About Dr Elaine Ryan

Dr. Elaine Ryan is a highly experienced and compassionate psychologist dedicated to helping adults overcome anxiety disorders and OCD. With 20 years of clinical experience, she offers a unique blend of expertise, drawing from extensive training and a deep understanding of neuroscience to provide personalised therapy tailored to each individual’s needs.

Qualifications and Professional Training

  • Doctorate in Psychology (PsychD) University of Surrey, UK
  • MSc Psychology
  • BSc Psychology
  • Degree in Finance

Elaine is a Chartered Psychologist registered with:

  • British Psychological Society (BPS)
  • Division of Health Psychology, BPS
  • Division of Neuropsychology, BPS
  • UK Society for Behavioural Medicine
  • Registered European Psychologist


Clinical Experience

NHS, UK

Elaine has worked in multidisciplinary NHS teams including:

  • Personality disorder Teams
  • Learning Disability Teams
    Adult Mental Health
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) programmes
  • Supervision of Doctoral CBT trainees

Academic and Community Roles

  • Student counselling, National University of Ireland, Maynooth
  • Lecturer in psychology and community psychoeducation
  • Group therapy for bipolar disorder and stress management
    Brothers of Charity, Ireland

Private Practice

Elaine has run her private practice for 15 years, specialising in anxiety disorders and OCD.

Specialision in Anxiety and OCD

Elaine focuses on helping individuals with:

  • Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  • Social Anxiety
  • Panic attacks
  • Health Anxiety
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Anger Management

She brings clarity, compassion, and effectiveness to even the most misunderstood presentations.

Therapy Models and Approach

Elaine uses a flexible, integrative approach combining:

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
  • Mindfulness and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)

This allows her to tailor treatment based on the needs, goals, and learning style of each client.

Neuroscience and Mental Health

Elaine integrates neuroscience into therapy:

“By understanding how your brain wires thoughts and emotional responses, we can work together to retrain those pathways—and reduce anxiety from the inside out.”

This approach ensures her clients aren’t just managing symptoms, but achieving deeper change.

Media/Recognition

Dr Ryan has appeared on RTÉ Television and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Irish Independent, and Business Insider. These appearances reflect her long-standing work as a psychologist specialising in anxiety and OCD.

Client Feedback

“Thank you so much for this course. I’m only halfway through it, but I’ve been undergoing a HUGE amount of health-related anxiety since September (scary physical symptoms + medical tests + extreme anxiety & panic + waiting on doctors who aren’t nearly as alarmed by all of this as I am) and your course has already helped me a lot. Being able to understand what’s actually happening in my brain makes a big difference. Thank you!

Thank you SO much! You have helped me so much, Dr. Elaine. God bless you!
“I truly enjoyed how you outlined the mechanics of anxiety and fear from an objective standpoint. This helped me see how some of these things were fear. For example I’ve had moments of being terrified with intense site and sound and someone how my brain tricked me into thinking “Look how attentive you are, you must be discovering truth about yourself”. Your course helped me understand this is emotional reasoning. Oh yes I also really enjoyed the negativity bias and the usefulness of fear, I believe this helps the course user come to better terms with their fear by seeing it as more normal. The only critical feedback I can think of (yet this may be the fact that I’ve been doing this course slowly, since january and it is now May 3rd) is that more assignments could be useful to engage the user. I think belief management is incredibly helpful and asking for users to outline their beliefs and even doing this thing called morning pages will help the user see their beliefs which may be causing them fear. Anyways, thank you and I look forward to continuing the course.

Ethics and Privacy

Elaine follows strict ethical standards:

  • ICO Registered (No. ZA472099)
  • Adheres to BPS Code of Ethics and Conduct
  • Complies with GDPR and data protection regulations

See Privacy Policy for more details.

In My Own Words

I’m Dr. Elaine Ryan, one of Ireland’s leading psychologists specialising in OCD, anxiety disorders, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). With over 20 years of experience, I bring a uniquely holistic perspective to mental health, blending advanced clinical expertise with a robust academic background—including a Doctorate, MSc, and BSc in Psychology, as well as a degree in Finance.

My diverse training enables me to view mental health challenges from a multifaceted perspective. Whether it’s my specialised work in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)—a focused form of CBT for OCD—or my post-doctoral training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), I use a broad range of evidence-based approaches to tailor solutions for each individual. This comprehensive foundation allows me to combine clinical insight with analytical, strategic thinking for a truly personalised therapeutic approach.

I have worked in multidisciplinary teams within the NHS in the UK, including advanced settings such as a personality disorder team. In addition, I have served as a psychologist at Irish universities, taught introductory psychology to the local community, led psychoeducational groups for individuals with bipolar disorder, and conducted stress management classes. I have also supervised doctoral-level trainees during CBT placements, further establishing my role as a mentor and leader in the field.

I remain dedicated to continuous professional development by rigorously monitoring the latest research, emerging therapeutic techniques, and clinical breakthroughs. I integrate these cutting-edge, evidence-based approaches into my practice and self-help courses, ensuring that my clients benefit from the most advanced and effective strategies available

In addition, I have been invited to speak at several professional conferences, where I’ve shared my insights on OCD, anxiety disorders, and innovative therapeutic approaches.

By combining extensive training with real-world clinical experience, I offer a distinctive approach that empowers individuals to overcome complex mental health challenges and achieve lasting, positive change.

My passion lies in empowering individuals to achieve positive growth and overcome the challenges that anxiety and OCD can present. My experience in the UK’s National Health Service provided me with a broad foundation in understanding and treating a wide range of mental health conditions. I had the opportunity to work with individuals from all walks of life, facing diverse challenges – from those struggling with severe depression and psychosis to those seeking support for everyday stressors. This experience equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of human psychology and a diverse toolkit of therapeutic approaches.

Since returning to Ireland 14 years ago, I’ve focused my practice on helping individuals who are seeking to regain control over their anxiety and live fulfilling lives. I work with people from all backgrounds who are committed to personal growth and well-being. Whether you’re struggling with social anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, or simply feeling overwhelmed by life’s demands, I’m here to provide support and guidance on your journey to a calmer, more fulfilling life.

My Approach

I believe in a holistic and personalized approach to therapy. While I am an expert in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – having even supervised Doctoral Level Trainees in CBT during my time in the NHS – I recognize that every individual is unique. I draw from various evidence-based approaches, including mindfulness techniques, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and compassion-focused therapy, to create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Neuroscience and Your Well-being

Understanding the intricate workings of the brain is central to my practice. Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all rooted in the neural pathways of our brains. By understanding how your brain works, we can identify the patterns that contribute to anxiety and OCD and develop strategies to retrain your brain for greater well-being.

This means that I don’t just apply CBT techniques in a standardized way. Instead, I work with you to understand the underlying mechanisms driving your anxiety or OCD. We’ll explore how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours interact, and we’ll develop personalised strategies to help you break free from unhelpful patterns and create lasting change.