Owen O’Kane: From Nursing to Psychotherapy and Bestselling Books
The former NHS mental-health clinical lead built a career around psychotherapy, anxiety treatment, bestselling books, BBC work and lessons first learned while caring for seriously ill patients.
Introduction
Owen O’Kane is a psychotherapist, bestselling author, speaker and former NHS mental-health clinical lead.
His career took an unusual path.
He trained as a nurse. He worked in emergency care. Then came years in palliative care, followed by psychotherapy and mental-health leadership.
Today, O’Kane is widely known for books such as Ten to Zen, How to Be Your Own Therapist and Addicted to Anxiety. He also works across radio, television, podcasts and public speaking.
As of October 2026, he continues to practise psychotherapy and teach practical ways to handle anxiety and emotional stress.
Quick Facts About Owen O’Kane
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full professional name | Owen O’Kane |
| Profession | Psychotherapist and author |
| Earlier career | Nurse |
| Former NHS role | Mental Health Clinical Lead |
| Clinical experience | More than 25 years in physical and mental health |
| Known for | Mental-health books, psychotherapy and media work |
| Major book | Ten to Zen |
| Recent published book | Addicted to Anxiety |
| BBC work | BBC Radio 5 Live mental-health expert and BBC Drama adviser |
| Online course | A Life Less Anxious on BBC Maestro |
| Current practice | Private psychotherapy practice in London |
| Announced next book | Why We Love to Hate Ourselves |
| Next book release | 4 February 2027 |
Who Is Owen O’Kane?
Owen O’Kane is best known for making psychotherapy ideas easier to understand in everyday life.
His work often deals with anxiety.
That includes worry, fear, overthinking, avoidance and the need for certainty.
He does not come from a purely academic background. His experience began in hands-on healthcare, where he worked directly with people facing illness, pain and death.
That shaped his later work.
O’Kane eventually moved into psychotherapy and worked within NHS mental-health services. He later became a clinical lead.
His professional life now includes therapy, books, broadcasting, speaking and teaching.
Growing Up in Northern Ireland
O’Kane grew up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
He has spoken publicly about living around conflict and fear during childhood.
That experience later helped him understand something basic about anxiety: the brain can learn to stay alert when danger feels close.
Sometimes that response stays.
Even when life changes.
O’Kane has used parts of his own early experience while talking about fear, threat responses and emotional patterns.
He has also spoken about being bullied when young.
In 2022, he discussed parts of that period during his TEDx talk, Bombs, Bullets, Bullying and a Piano.
Three Years in a Monastery
One unusual part of O’Kane’s early life came before his main mental-health career.
He spent around three years in a monastery.
During that period, he has said he completed a placement at a hospice in Dublin.
It left a mark.
He saw people approaching the end of life and began thinking more deeply about fear, regret, loss and what people value.
Those questions followed him into nursing.
Then into therapy.
Starting His Career as a Nurse
O’Kane first trained as a nurse at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital.
He later worked in accident and emergency care.
It was demanding work.
Fast decisions. Real pressure. People arriving on some of the hardest days of their lives.
O’Kane then moved toward palliative care.
He spent close to a decade working with people who were seriously or terminally ill.
That period became a big part of his professional story.
How Palliative Care Changed His Career
Palliative care gave O’Kane regular contact with people facing death.
The work was medical.
But emotions mattered too.
Patients could be frightened, angry, anxious or overwhelmed. Families were often struggling as well.
O’Kane began seeing problems that medicine alone could not always fix.
Basically, physical treatment was only one part.
People also needed help with fear, grief and the way they were thinking about what was happening.
That pushed him toward psychotherapy.
Moving Into Psychotherapy
O’Kane retrained and built a career as a psychotherapist.
His work has drawn from recognised therapy approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, mindfulness, interpersonal therapy and EMDR.
He later worked in NHS mental-health services and served as a clinical lead.
That role gave him experience beyond one-to-one therapy.
He was also working inside a public mental-health system.
Today, he has a private psychotherapy practice in London.
His work often centres on anxiety, emotional stress and repeated patterns that keep people stuck.
Owen O’Kane and Ten to Zen
O’Kane became known to a wider audience through Ten to Zen: Ten Minutes a Day to a Calmer, Happier You.
The book was first published in December 2018.
Its idea is simple.
Give your mind ten minutes.
The book uses ideas linked to psychotherapy, CBT, mindfulness and EMDR to create a short daily mental routine.
O’Kane also brought lessons from his palliative-care years into the book.
A new edition of Ten to Zen was released in August 2026.
So the title remains part of his current public work.
Ten Times Happier
O’Kane followed with Ten Times Happier: How to Let Go of What’s Holding You Back.
It was published in 2020.
The book looks at common patterns that can leave people mentally stuck.
Past experiences.
Worry.
Relationships.
Expectations.
And habits that repeat.
The tone stays practical. That has become a common feature across O’Kane’s books.
How to Be Your Own Therapist
In 2022, O’Kane released How to Be Your Own Therapist in the UK.
The title does not suggest replacing professional care in every situation.
Instead, the book takes common psychotherapy ideas and shows readers ways to use some of them in daily life.
It draws on approaches including CBT, mindfulness and interpersonal therapy.
The focus is small, repeatable work.
Nothing flashy.
Just practical mental habits.
Addicted to Anxiety
O’Kane’s major 2025 book was Addicted to Anxiety.
The book looks at a tough question.
Can anxious behaviour become habitual?
O’Kane writes about patterns such as repeated worrying, avoidance and constantly looking for certainty.
These actions may give short-term relief.
But the pattern can continue.
That is the main idea behind the book.
The UK edition was published on 20 February 2025 and became a Sunday Times bestseller.
A US edition, titled Addicted to Anxiety: How to Break the Habit, followed in May 2026.
His Next Book
O’Kane already has another book announced.
It is titled Why We Love to Hate Ourselves.
The planned UK release date is 4 February 2027.
The book focuses on self-criticism and negative internal talk.
Basically, why people can become harsh toward themselves, where those patterns may come from and how they can change.
As of October 2026, the book has been announced but has not yet been released.
BBC Maestro Course
O’Kane also teaches through BBC Maestro.
His course is called A Life Less Anxious.
It includes 22 lessons and around two and a half hours of video.
The course covers subjects such as:
- Anxiety responses
- Fight, flight and freeze
- Overthinking
- Uncertainty
- Lifestyle habits
- Anxious thought patterns
- Setbacks and relapse
There are also exercises readers can work through alongside the lessons.
Again, the style is practical.
The aim is to explain what anxiety does and give people ways to respond differently.
BBC, Radio and Media Work
O’Kane’s work goes beyond books and private therapy.
He has been identified by his publishers as a resident mental-health expert on BBC Radio 5 Live.
He has also worked with BBC Drama as a psychological script adviser.
That means his clinical knowledge has been used when psychological issues appear in drama productions.
He has appeared in the BBC programme Change Your Mind, Change Your Life as a psychotherapist.
Podcasts are another part of his public work.
In March 2026, he appeared on The Mid•Point with Gabby Logan, where the discussion included anxiety, burnout, uncertainty and mental health in midlife.
TEDx Talk
O’Kane gave a TEDxKingstonUponThames talk in April 2022.
The title was Bombs, Bullets, Bullying and a Piano.
He spoke about growing up during the conflict in Northern Ireland, bullying and the role music played during that stage of his life.
It offered a personal look at experiences he has later connected with his professional understanding of fear and anxiety.
Owen O’Kane’s Personal Life
O’Kane keeps much of his personal life outside his professional work.
Publisher information says he lives in West London with his partner, Mark, and their dog, Will.
Those details have been publicly stated through publisher material.
Reliable sources reviewed for this profile do not give enough support for publishing claims about his age, exact birth date, parents or other private family details.
So those claims should not be guessed.
Public Presence
O’Kane uses several online platforms to share his work.
His public links include Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Substack.
His publisher lists his Instagram and X username as @owenokaneten.
His online presence mainly centres on mental health, anxiety, books, talks and therapy-related advice.
He also promotes public talks, workshops and his BBC Maestro work.
What Makes His Career Different?
O’Kane did not move directly from university study into a therapy room.
There were several stages.
Monastic life came first.
Then nursing.
Then emergency care.
Then palliative care.
Psychotherapy followed.
That career path gave him experience with people at very different stages of fear, illness and emotional distress.
His books often reflect that background.
The language is usually direct.
The ideas are meant for everyday life.
Current Work in 2026
As of October 2026, Owen O’Kane remains active across several areas.
He continues his psychotherapy work.
His BBC Maestro course A Life Less Anxious is available.
A new edition of Ten to Zen arrived in August 2026.
Addicted to Anxiety remains his most recent major published book.
And another title is already scheduled.
Why We Love to Hate Ourselves is due in February 2027.
So his work now sits across clinical practice, publishing, broadcasting and mental-health education.
Final Thought
Owen O’Kane’s career started far from bestselling books.
He worked as a nurse.
He cared for dying patients.
He moved into mental health.
Then he began writing.
That background helps explain why his work often stays close to everyday fear, worry and loss rather than abstract theory.
His public message is pretty clear: anxiety can feel automatic, but people can learn to notice patterns and respond in a different way.
For now, his focus remains psychotherapy, mental-health education, books and public discussion around anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Owen O’Kane?
Owen O’Kane is a psychotherapist, bestselling author and former NHS mental-health clinical lead. He previously worked as a nurse, including in palliative care.
What does Owen O’Kane do now?
As of October 2026, he works as a psychotherapist, author, speaker and media mental-health expert. He also teaches the BBC Maestro course A Life Less Anxious.
Did Owen O’Kane work for the NHS?
Yes. Reliable publisher and professional sources identify him as a former NHS Mental Health Clinical Lead.
Was Owen O’Kane a nurse?
Yes. He trained as a nurse at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital and worked in areas including accident and emergency and palliative care.
What books has Owen O’Kane written?
His major titles include Ten to Zen, Ten Times Happier, How to Be Your Own Therapist and Addicted to Anxiety.
What is Owen O’Kane’s newest published book?
As of October 2026, his newest major published book is Addicted to Anxiety. It was released in the UK in February 2025, with a US edition following in May 2026.
Is Owen O’Kane releasing another book?
Yes. Why We Love to Hate Ourselves is scheduled for release on 4 February 2027.
Is Owen O’Kane on the BBC?
Yes. He has worked as a mental-health expert for BBC Radio 5 Live, advised BBC Drama on psychological matters and appeared in Change Your Mind, Change Your Life.
