Dan Villiers completed his PhD in Counseling Psychology at Northeastern University in 2009. He also earned an MEd. in School and Applied Child Psychology from Kent State University and an MA in Cognitive Science from Dartmouth College. His academic journey began with a BA in Psychology, with a minor in Classics, from Kenyon College.

Originally from a small village in the Cotswolds, England, Dr. Villiers has lived in the U.S. since attending The Thacher School in Ojai, California. His personal struggle with severe anxiety during high school sparked a deep commitment to developing innovative methods and programs to address the emerging epidemic of youth anxiety in the early 2000s. This dedication led him to co-found Mountain Valley Treatment Center in 2011 and the Anxiety Institute in 2016, both of which have become industry leaders in the residential and outpatient treatment of anxiety disorders, respectively. Over his 21-year career as a scholar-practitioner, Dr. Villiers has developed subspecialties in family-based exposure therapy for pervasive school avoidance and refusal, exposure/response prevention (E/RP) for treating OCD in both neurodiverse and neurotypical teens, and exploring the roles of perfectionism, avoidance, and self-sabotage in anxiety and mood disorders.

Dr. Villiers’s early career was profoundly influenced by his experience at Mountain Valley, where he witnessed the value of intensive treatment. This experience inspired him to create the first in-home intervention model for anxiety and OCD spectrum disorders. His return after eight years, now serving as an admissions and outreach consultant, marks a full-circle moment in his professional journey.

Dr. Villiers is based in South Carolina with his wife, Kate, an equestrian professional, and their two daughters, Bryn and Zara. He enjoys racquet sports, fishing, golf, and playing guitar and piano. Dan also enjoys vacationing in Naples, Florida, and visiting family in England, France, and Australia.