Dr. Danny Derby
I am a clinical psychologist, researcher, and trainer with a doctorate in human sexuality. My main areas of expertise are Relationship Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (ROCD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sexuality, and relationship difficulties.
My work brings together clinical experience, scientific research, and a deeply personal approach to psychotherapy. I believe that effective treatment should be grounded in evidence while remaining responsive to the individual person, their history, relationships, values, and goals.
ROCD Research and Treatment
For almost 20 years, much of my clinical and research work has focused on Relationship Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
Together with Professor Guy Doron and our colleagues, I helped develop the conceptual and clinical understanding of ROCD. Our research described two common presentations: obsessive doubts about the relationship itself and obsessive preoccupation with perceived flaws in one's partner.
We established the ROCD Research Unit and developed assessment tools that are now used by clinicians and researchers internationally, including the ROCI, PROCSI, RECATS, PRS, and related measures.
Our studies have examined the ways in which ROCD can affect emotional well-being, relationship satisfaction, intimacy, sexuality, decision-making, and everyday functioning. This work has also contributed to the development of a treatment approach specifically adapted to the processes that maintain ROCD.
In therapy, I help people understand the obsessive cycle, recognize checking, comparison, reassurance-seeking, avoidance, and mental rituals, and develop a different relationship with doubt and uncertainty. Treatment may integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and other evidence-based methods.
The goal is not to tell people whether their relationship is right or wrong. It is to help them regain the freedom to relate, choose, and act without allowing obsessive doubt to dominate their lives.
OCD and Related Difficulties
I work with people experiencing a wide range of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, including intrusive thoughts, checking, contamination fears, relationship and sexual obsessions, body-focused concerns, sensory experiences, and feelings that something is incomplete or "not just right."
Treatment is individually tailored. It begins with understanding how the difficulty operates in the person's life and what keeps it going. From there, we develop a collaborative treatment plan that combines scientific knowledge with the client's priorities, strengths, and readiness for change.
Trauma and PTSD
A substantial part of my professional career has been devoted to the study and treatment of trauma and PTSD.
I worked at the Center for Trauma Research and Treatment at Hadassah University Hospital, led by Professor Arieh Shalev, and trained in evidence-based trauma treatments with internationally recognized experts, including Professor Edna Foa and Professor Patricia Resick.
I am a trainer in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and a supervisor in Prolonged Exposure (PE). Together with Professor Resick, I co-authored the Hebrew treatment manual New Horizons: Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD and Related Disorders.
Since October 7, 2023, I have been involved in leading a national initiative to train hundreds of Israeli mental health professionals in CPT, in collaboration with Professor Jonathan Huppert, the Ministry of Health, healthcare organizations, and military mental health services.
Cognetica and Clinical Training
In 2006, I founded Cognetica as a professional home for evidence-based psychotherapy.
Cognetica includes a psychological clinic and a school for research-based psychotherapy and clinical excellence. Our work is guided by the belief that high-quality treatment grows within a professional community that supports its therapists, encourages continuous learning, and combines clinical expertise with warmth, curiosity, and respect for every person.
Together with clinical psychologist Adi Cohen, I direct Cognetica's School for Evidence Based Psychotherapy and Clinical Excellence. The school provides extensive training and supervision for mental health professionals in CBT, trauma treatment, OCD, and process-based and integrative psychotherapy.
I have taught CBT and trauma treatment in Israel and internationally, including in Italy, Ethiopia, Albania, and Ukraine. I have also served as Chair of the Israeli Association for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
My Professional Path
My interest in psychology began when I was 16, after my mother was diagnosed with cancer. During that period, I became deeply interested in questions of suffering, meaning, resilience, and the possibility of psychological change.
After volunteering at a sexual assault crisis center, I decided to devote my professional life to helping people recover from trauma and emotional distress.
I completed my clinical internship at the Franz Brill Community Mental Health Center and later worked for several years at Hadassah University Hospital. Throughout my career, I have continued to combine psychotherapy, research, teaching, supervision, and the development of new clinical tools.
I am also interested in the responsible use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies to support therapist training and make high-quality psychological knowledge more accessible.
My Approach
I strive to create a therapeutic space that is professional, compassionate, collaborative, and free of judgment.
Evidence-based treatment does not mean applying the same protocol to every person. It means using the best available knowledge while taking the time to understand the individual, the context in which their difficulties developed, and the changes that matter most to them.
Therapy should help people do more than reduce symptoms. It should help them recover flexibility, reconnect with what is important to them, and build a life in which fear and uncertainty no longer make every decision.
Selected Publications
Podoly, T. Y., Derby, D. S., & Ben-Sasson, A. (2022). Sensory over-responsivity and obsessive-compulsive disorder: Measuring habituation and sensitivity through self-report, physiological and behavioral indices. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 149, 266-273.
Derby, D. S., Tibi, L., & Doron, G. (2021). Sexual dysfunction in relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sexual and Relationship Therapy.
Doron, G., Derby, D. S., & Szepsenwol, O. (2017). “I can’t stop thinking about my child’s flaws”: An investigation of parental preoccupation with children’s perceived flaws. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 14, 106-111.
Doron, G., Derby, D. S., Szepsenwol, O., Nahaloni, E., & Moulding, R. (2016). Relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder: Interference, symptoms, and maladaptive beliefs. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 7, 58.
Derby, D. S., Peleg-Sagy, T., & Doron, G. (2016). Schema therapy in sex therapy: A theoretical conceptualization. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 42(7), 648-658.
Doron, G., Derby, D. S., & Szepsenwol, O. (2014). Relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder: A conceptual framework. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 3, 169-180.
Doron, G., Derby, D. S., Szepsenwol, O., & Talmor, D. (2012). Flaws and all: Exploring partner-focused obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 1, 234-243.
Doron, G., Derby, D. S., Szepsenwol, O., & Talmor, D. (2012). Tainted love: Exploring relationship-centered obsessive-compulsive symptoms in two nonclinical cohorts. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 1, 16-24.
Contact
If you are seeking consultation or treatment for ROCD, OCD, trauma, PTSD, sexuality, or relationship difficulties, you are welcome to contact me.
​Together, we can explore your concerns and consider whether my approach is appropriate for your needs.
+972523515773