Helene Amundsen Nissen-Lie

• Tømmerås, Truls; Backer-Grøndahl, Agathe; Høstmælingen, Andreas Teisner; Laland, Hanne; Gomez, Maria & Apeland, Anett Kristin [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2024). Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of supportive parents – coping kids (SPARCK)—a transdiagnostic and personalized parent training intervention to prevent childhood mental health problems. BMC Psychology. ISSN 2050-7283. 12. doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01765-y.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Oddli, Hanne W. & Heinonen, Erkki (2024). Do therapists differ in their general effectiveness? Therapist effects and their determinants. In Leong, Frederick (Eds.), APA handbook of psychotherapy: Evidence-based practice, practice-based evidence, and contextual participant-driven practice, Vol. 2. American Psychological Association (APA). ISSN 978-1-4338-3674-9. p. 213–226. doi: 10.1037/0000354-014.
• Delgadillo, Jaime; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; De Jong, Kim; Schröder, Thomas A. & Barkham, Michael (2024). An examination of therapists’ professional characteristics as moderators of the effect of feedback on psychological treatment outcomes. Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1050-3307. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2024.2310635.
• Mcaleavey, Andrew Athan; de Jong, Kim; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Boswell, James F.; Moltu, Christian & Lutz, Wolfgang (2024). Routine Outcome Monitoring and Clinical Feedback in Psychotherapy: Recent Advances and Future Directions. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. ISSN 0894-587X. doi: 10.1007/s10488-024-01351-9.
• Stormoen, Halvor Raddum; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Hoff, Cecilie Hillestad & Strømme, Hanne (2023). “Detoxification” of destructive clinical material in psychodynamic psychotherapy: A case study of how the therapists’ interpersonal skills are used in a challenging treatment case with a successful outcome. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. ISSN 0951-5070. doi: 10.1080/09515070.2023.2291199. Show summary

  There is a need to gain more knowledge of how interpersonally skilled therapists handle demanding clinical situations to better understand therapist effects. The aim of this single-case study was to investigate how the therapist encountered challenging situations where her interpersonal skills were put to test and how her handling likely contributed to patient change. From a larger research project on learning processes, this case was selected since it was judged to be both challenging and with a good outcome. Interpretative phenomenological analysis of video-recordings of a 42 session long psychodynamic psychotherapy, was conducted. The analysis yielded one superordinate theme: The therapist “detoxifies” demanding clinical material, such as aggression and shame. Three constituent sub-themes expressed different ways in which this process took place (1: The therapist tolerates the patient’s skepticism and criticism in a non-defensive manner by focusing on the patient’s underlying feeling; 2: The therapist responds to the patient’s self-destructive behaviors in a non-judgmental and “containing” way that reduces shame; and 3: The therapist interprets the patient’s rejection as separation anxiety related to termination of the therapy). Our findings provide a more nuanced understanding on how the interpersonal skills of the therapist come into use in a specific, challenging therapy process.

• Finsrud, Ingvild; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Ulvenes, Pål Gunnar; Vrabel, KariAnne; Melsom, Linne & Wampold, Bruce E. (2023). Emotional and Cognitive Processes in Psychotherapy Are Associated With Different Aspects of the Therapeutic Relationship. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. ISSN 0022-006X. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000853. Show summary

  Objective: In this naturalistic study we aimed to investigate the relationships between two central change processes (affective and cognitive) and two common relationship factors (“Confidence in the therapist” and “Confidence in the treatment”), which have been shown to impact outcomes in a clinical context. We also investigated whether these interrelationships varied across treatment orientations (i.e., cognitive or psychodynamic focused). Method: The sample consisted of 631 patients with a primary anxiety or depressive disorder who were admitted to an inpatient program and treated with psychotherapy. The data consisted of weekly measures of cognitive (i.e., “rumination”) and affective (i.e., “problems with emotional clarity”) change processes as well as scores on Confidence in the therapist and Confidence in the treatment and symptom distress. A multivariate version of the latent curve model with structured residuals was used to investigate the within-patient effects of week-to-week changes in all variables. Results: Initial analyses established that both problems with emotional clarity and rumination predicted symptom distress. Further, we found that higher Confidence in the therapist predicted higher emotional clarity (but not lower rumination) whereas higher Confidence in the treatment predicted lower rumination (but did not affect emotional clarity). Post hoc analyses found that these interrelationships varied across treatment orientation (i.e., cognitive vs. psychodynamic). Discussion: The results indicate that patients’ experience of the therapist is associated with emotional change processes, and that patients’ experience of the coherence and meaningfulness of treatment, on the other hand, is associated with cognitive change processes. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

• Høstmælingen, Andreas Teisner; Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen; Wampold, Bruce E. & Ulvenes, Pål Gunnar (2023). Symptom Change during Waitlist for Medicated and Nonmedicated Patients with Chronic Depression. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. ISSN 0033-3190. doi: 10.1159/000533661. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Introduction: Patients seeking psychotherapy often spend time on waitlist (WL), the effect of which is largely unknown. WL patients may forego alternative non-psychotherapeutic assistance and thus do more poorly than had they not been placed on a WL. The course of symptoms might also be influenced by use of antidepressant medication (ADM), an issue that remains unexplored in the literature. Objective: In a naturalistic setting, WL symptom change before inpatient psychotherapy (mean weeks of waiting = 22.6) was assessed in a sample (N = 313) of chronically depressed patients. Methods: Using the Beck Depression Inventory-II, patients’ symptoms were tracked at assessment, when admitted to treatment (i.e., after WL), at posttreatment and 1-year follow-up. Multilevel growth curve analysis was used to examine waitlist change for the whole sample as well as for ADM users and nonmedicated patients. Results: Symptoms were reduced significantly from assessment to admittance (Cohen’s d = 0.47). Symptoms reduced less for ADM users (d = 0.39) than for nonmedicated patients (d = 0.65). Conclusion: The findings indicate that chronically depressed patients experience a decrease in symptoms during WL, quite likely due to treatment expectations. We discuss whether less symptom improvement for ADM users could be attributed to iatrogenic comorbidity and a higher degree of demoralization in this group.

• Ansar, Nadia; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen & Stiegler, Jan Reidar (2023). The effects of emotion-focused skills training on parental mental health, emotion regulation and self-efficacy: Mediating processes between parents and children. Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1050-3307. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2023.2218539.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Heinonen, Erkki & Delgadillo, Jaime (2023). Therapist factors. In Miller, Scott D.; Chow, Daryl; Malins, Sam & Hubble, Mark A. (Ed.), The Field Guide to Better Results: Evidence-Based Exercises to Improve Therapeutic Effectiveness. American Psychological Association (APA). ISSN 978-1-4338-3759-3. p. 79–107. doi: 10.1037/0000358-005.
• Calderon, Ana; Elvejord, Cecilie; Hooper Storeide, Knut Arne; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Ulberg, Randi & Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen (2022). Examining Psychotherapeutic Processes with Depressed Adolescents: A Comparative Study of Two Psychodynamic Therapies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH). ISSN 1661-7827. 19(24). doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416939. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  To understand processes associated with better or poorer psychotherapy outcomes is vital. This study examined and contrasted interaction patterns between one therapist and two depressed 17-year-old girls, Johanna (good outcome) and Sonja (poor outcome), in short-term psychoanalytic therapies selected from an RCT. Outcome data were collected regarding level of inter- and intra-personal functioning and symptoms of depression. Process data were obtained using the Adolescent Psychotherapy Q-Set on all available sessions. Analyses yielded five relational patterns or “interaction structures” in the two therapy processes; Three explained most of the variance in sessions with Johanna (i.e., ‘positive working alliance’, ‘therapist’s active use of psychodynamic techniques’, and ‘a receptive patient’) and two explained more of the variance in sessions with Sonja (i.e., ‘therapist using a more problem-solving and symptom-oriented approach’ and ‘patient displaying limited capacity for mentalization’). The processes in the two cases presented differences related to mentalization, psychological mindedness, and attachment style of the patients. The therapist used different therapeutic approaches, favouring more psychodynamic interventions in the good outcome case and a more problem-solving and symptom-oriented approach with the poor outcome case. In the latter case, the relationship seemed to be more of a struggle.

• Finsrud, Ingvild; Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen; Ulvenes, Pål Gunnar; Melsom, Linne; Vrabel, KariAnne & Wampold, Bruce E. (2022). Confidence in the therapist and confidence in the treatment predict symptomatic improvement week by week in therapy: A latent curve modeling approach. Journal of Counseling Psychology. ISSN 0022-0167. doi: 10.1037/cou0000640. Show summary

  Previous research suggests that common relationship factors are composed of two overarching factors, “Confidence in the therapist” and “Confidence in the treatment.” The aim of this naturalistic process–outcome study was to investigate the reciprocal relationships between these two constructs and patients’ symptom level across treatment. The sample consisted of 587 patients who were admitted to an inpatient program and treated with psychotherapy for a range of mental health disorders, such as chronic depression, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders. Our data consisted of weekly measures of symptomatic distress (Patient Health Questionnaire) and the common relationship factors were measured weekly using a newly developed scale. Latent curve modeling with structured residuals was used to investigate the between- and within effects of week-to-week changes in the two components as predictors of subsequent symptom level. An increase in both relationship factors predicted a decrease in subsequent levels of symptoms at the within-patient level, and the other way around, but the two relationship factors did not systematically relate to one another at the within-patient level over the course of treatment. Our findings indicate that patients’ perceptions of the therapist as a person and their appraisal of the treatment, are important, different predictors of therapeutic change. Furthermore, they support prior research demonstrating a reciprocal relationship between common relationship factors and symptomatic distress and add to existing common factor theory by exploring the role of two central relationship dimensions and using a method which examines reciprocal relationships and within-patient effects simultaneously

• Ansar, Nadia; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Zahl-Olsen, Rune; Bertelsen, Thomas Bjerregaard; Elliott, Robert & Stiegler, Jan-Reidar (2022). Efficacy of Emotion-Focused Parenting Programs for Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical Study. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. ISSN 1537-4416. 51(6), p. 923–939. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2022.2079130. Show summary

  Objective Emotion-Focused Skills Training (EFST) is a 12-week parental program based on Emotion-Focused Therapy, developed to improve children and adolescents’ mental health problems. Methods In a randomized clinical dismantling study, including parents of 236 children and adolescents (ages 6–13, Mage 8.9, 60.6% boys, 95.8% Caucasian) with externalizing and/or internalizing problems within clinical range, we examined the efficacy of two versions of EFST: one experiential condition (n = 120) involving emotionally evocative techniques and two-chair interventions, and one psychoeducational only condition (n = 116) involving didactic teaching of emotion skills. Both groups received a 2-day group training and 6 hours of individual supervision. Outcomes were parent- and teacher-reported symptoms at baseline, posttreatment, and 4-, 8-, and 12-month follow-up. Analyses were conducted using multilevel growth curve modeling and Bayesian post hoc analysis. Results EFST showed efficacy in reducing parent-reported externalizing (b = −1.72, p < .001, d = 1.0) and internalizing (b = −1.71, p < .001, d = 0.9) symptoms, and teacher-reported externalizing (b = −.96, p < .001, d = 0.4), but not internalizing (b = −.13, p > .05, d = 0.2) symptoms. Multilevel analyses showed nonsignificant differences between conditions (all p’s > .05), although a Bayesian longitudinal sensitivity analysis indicated a better outcome for the experiential condition. Conclusion EFST showed efficacy in symptom reduction for children and adolescents with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Outcomes were maintained over 12 months for both conditions, supporting EFST as a transdiagnostic parental approach for early intervention.

• Severinsen, Linda; Stiegler, Jan-Reidar; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Ben, Shahar & Zahl-Olsen, Rune (2022). Effectiveness of emotion focused skills training for parents: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial in specialist mental health care. BMC Psychiatry. ISSN 1471-244X. 22(1). doi: 10.1186/s12888-022-04084-x.
• Orlinsky, D. E.; Rønnestad, Michael Helge & Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2022). Quality of life. In Orlinsky, David E. (Eds.), How Psychotherapists Live. The Personal Self and Private Life of Professional Healers. Routledge. ISSN 9781032108797. p. 82–99.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Orlinsky, David E. & Rønnestad, Michael Helge (2021). The Emotionally Burdened Psychotherapist: Personal and Situational Risk Factors. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. ISSN 0735-7028. 52(5), p. 429–438. doi: 10.1037/pro0000387. Show summary

  Objective: Psychotherapists’ experiences of emotional burdens and distress in their personal lives can compromise their professional functioning, as well as undermine their own wellbeing. To identify preventative measures, we need more knowledge about the personal and situational risk factors that contribute to therapists’ emotional burdens. Method: From a large-scale international study of psychotherapists (N = 12,036), we analyzed a scale of Personal Burdens (PB) as a criterion variable with different sets of predictors: (a) age and gender; (b) childhood family functioning (e.g., trauma/abuse; early care quality); (c) dimensions of self (as experienced in close personal relationships); (d) current work satisfaction; and (e) current life stressors (financial and health worries), examining the relative importance of these predictors. Scores on attachment avoidance and anxiety were also included (as Step 6) for a subsample (N = 1,243) which had responded to a standard measure of those dimensions. Finally, we investigated whether the association of personal self (in the full sample) and attachment dimensions (in the subsample) depended on therapist gender and age cohort (Steps 7 & 8). Results: The most salient predictors of therapists’ PB were current worries; early trauma; experiences of self in close relationships (e.g., being demanding and/or reclusive); low work satisfaction; an anxious attachment style (especially for male therapists) and younger age. The model with all predictors explained almost 30% of the variance in PB. Conclusions: Both personality-related and past and current life circumstances contributed to therapists’ emotional burdens. Implications for prevention and selfcare are suggested. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

• Høstmælingen, Andreas; Ulvenes, Pål Gunnar; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Eielsen, Karl Mikkel Veum & Wampold, Bruce E. (2021). Trajectories of change in chronic depression: Differences in self-criticism and somatic symptoms between users of antidepressants and nonmedicated patients. Journal of Counseling Psychology. ISSN 0022-0167. 69, p. 85–99. doi: 10.1037/cou0000572.
• Finsrud, Ingvild; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Vrabel, KariAnne; Høstmælingen, Andreas; Wampold, Bruce E. & Ulvenes, Pål Gunnar (2021). It's the therapist and the treatment: The structure of common therapeutic relationship factors. Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1050-3307. 32, p. 139–150. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2021.1916640.
• Høstmælingen, Andreas; Ulvenes, Pål Gunnar; Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen ; Eielsen, Karl Mikkel Veum & Wampold, Bruce E. (2021). Do self-criticism and somatic symptoms play a key role in chronic depression? Exploring the factor structure of Beck depression inventory-II in a sample of chronically depressed inpatients. Journal of Affective Disorders. ISSN 0165-0327. 283, p. 317–324. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.066. Full text in Research Archive
• Høstmælingen, Andreas; Ulvenes, Pål Gunnar; Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen ; Eielsen, Karl Mikkel Veum & Wampold, Bruce E. (2021). Comparing outcomes in chronic depression following inpatient psychotherapy for patients continuing versus discontinuing antidepressant medication. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. ISSN 1063-3995. 28, p. 1111–1127. doi: 10.1002/cpp.2561. Full text in Research Archive
• Oddli, Hanne; Mcleod, John; Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen ; Rønnestad, Michael Helge & Halvorsen, Margrethe S. (2021). Future orientation in successful therapies: Expanding the concept of goal in the working alliance. Journal of Clinical Psychology. ISSN 0021-9762. doi: 10.1002/jclp.23108.
• Ditlefsen, Ingrid Tande; Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen; Andenæs, Agnes; Normann-Eide, Eivind; Johansen, Merete Selsbak & Kvarstein, Elfrida Hartveit (2021). “Yes, There Is Actually Hope!”—A Qualitative Investigation of How Patients Experience Mentalization-Based Psychoeducation Tailored for Borderline Personality Disorder. Journal of psychotherapy integration. ISSN 1053-0479. 31(3), p. 257–276. doi: 10.1037/int0000243. Show summary

  Common factors, such as the working alliance, positive expectations, and psychoeducation have been robustly related to outcome in studies of psychotherapy. As a multicomponent treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD), Mentalization-based treatment (MBT) includes introductory group-based psychoeducation on core features of personality functioning, BPD, the treatment program and disorder-related personal management. Generally, few studies have investigated patients’ views on how psychoeducation works. This study aimed to explore their experience of the group-based psychoeducation. Twelve patients who had attended the introductory group-based psychoeducation in MBT participated. Qualitative interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. MBT psychoeducation was found helpful in itself and in the further treatment process. Identified experiences related to the group (feeling less ashamed, learning from others, feeling different from others), acquisition of “tools” for better personal management (the psychoeducational content; putting new knowledge into practice), preparation for longer term therapy (therapy became more trustworthy, easier to understand, felt more effective), and demanding aspects (problems with attendance or concentration). This qualitative study is the first to present patients’ own experiences of psychoeducation as part of MBT and suggests that psychoeducation is a powerful and facilitating intervention. Careful patient selection may further optimize its potential. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

• Bakali, Jan-Vegard; Vestbø, Hanne Sofie & Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen (2020). The role of attachment anxiety and avoidance for reduced interpersonal problems in training group analytic therapy. Group Dynamics. ISSN 1089-2699. doi: 10.1037/gdn0000112.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen; Solbakken, Ole Andre; Falkenström, Fredrik; Wampold, Bruce E.; Homqvist, Rolf & Ekeblad, Annika [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2020). Does it make a difference to be more "on the same page"? Investigating the role of alliance convergence for outcomes in two different samples. Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1050-3307. p. 1–17. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2020.1823030. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objective: To better understand the complexity of dyadic processes, such as the mechanisms of the working alliance, researchers recommend taking advantage of innovations in data analytic procedures when studying the interactions between therapists and patients that are associated with favorable therapeutic outcomes. Inspired by a recent line of alliance research using dyadic multilevel modeling, the present study investigated the hypothesis that convergence in the patient-therapist working alliance (i.e., increased similarity in ratings of the alliance across treatment) would be associated with better outcomes. Method: Data were retrieved from two samples: 1. A randomized controlled trial for treatment resistant depression (N= 96 dyads), and 2. An archival dataset of naturalistic psychotherapies from public health care (N = 139 dyads). Multilevel growth curve analysis was employed to investigate the degree of change in session-to-session agreement of global WAI ratings between therapists and patients (i.e., alliance convergence) as a predictor of symptom reduction in the BDI-II and the SCL-90R. Results: Contrary to our expectations, alliance convergence did not predict outcome in either sample, but was negatively associated with symptom severity in Study 2. Implications for understanding the complexity of dyadic processes and alliance work in psychotherapy are discussed.

• Bernhardt, Ida S.; Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen & Råbu, Marit (2020). The embodied listener: a dyadic case study of how therapist and patient reflect on the significance of therapist`s personal presence for the therapeutic change process . Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1050-3307. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2020.1808728. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objective: There is a need to understand more of the dyadic processes in therapy and how the therapist’s ways of being are experienced and reflected upon by both patient and therapist. The aim of this dyadic case study was to investigate how the therapist’s personal presence was perceived by the patient and the therapist as contributing to change. Method: From a larger project on collaborative actions between patient and therapist, a dyadic case involving in-depth interviews of the therapist and patient was selected to examine the research question. Interpretative phenomenological analysis of four interviews with the therapist and one interview with the patient was conducted. Results: The analyses indicated that the therapist’s way of being, as perceived by both therapist and patient, was expressed at a superordinate level through the concept of embodied listening, which was of particular help for the patient, and influenced by the therapist’s theoretical orientation, as well as being rooted in his own personal history. Three sub-themes emerged from the analysis, each illustrating how embodied listening contributed to the therapeutic relationship and process. Our findings flesh out how the underlying phenomena of emotional attunement, presence, and genuineness are observable in therapeutic encounters.

• Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen ; Dahl, Hanne-Sofie Johnsen & Høglend, Per Andreas (2020). Patient factors predict therapists' emotional countertransference differently depending on whether therapists use transference work in psychodynamic therapy . Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1050-3307. 32(1), p. 3–15. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2020.1762947. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objective: Recently, studies have reported systematic relationships between the therapists’ emotional response/countertransference (CT) during therapy and a variety of patient characteristics, speaking to the communicative potential of CT. Within an RCT assessing the role of transference work (TW) in psychodynamic therapy, we investigated whether therapist CT was related to patients’ pre-treatment interpersonal problems, degree of personality pathology and motivation for psychodynamic therapy. Secondly, we explored if these relationships depended on whether the therapists used TW or not in sessions. Method: One hundred outpatients were treated with psychodynamic psychotherapy (with or without TW) for one year. Their therapists’ emotional reactions after sessions (CT) were assessed with the Feeling Word Checklist-58 (FWC-58). Results: Four subscales of the FWC-58; Inadequate, Confident, Disengaged and Parental feelings were differentially predicted by patient characteristics. Some of the associations depended on treatment condition such that degree of PD pathology was associated with therapists feeling more inadequate in the non-TW-group. Patients’ motivation for treatment was associated with less disturbing CT feelings, such as Inadequate and Disengaged CT (the latter especially in the TW group), and feeling more Confident CT. Conclusion: Patient factors predict therapists’ emotional countertransference differently depending on whether therapists use transference work in psychodynamic therapy

• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2019). Klinisk tenkning og terapeutens personlige bidrag. In Stänicke, Erik; Strømme, Hanne; Kristiansen, Sølvi & Stänicke, Line Indrevoll (Ed.), Klinsisk tenkning og psykoanalyse. Gyldendal Akademisk. ISSN 978-82-05-52260-2. p. 36–59.
• Leitemo, Kai; Bakali, Jan Vegard; Vestbø, Hanne Sofie & Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2019). The Role of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance for Reduced Interpersonal Problems in Training Group Analytic Therapy. Group Dynamics. ISSN 1089-2699. doi: 10.1037/gdn0000112.
• Råbu, Marit; Mcleod, John; Haavind, Hanne; Bernhardt, Ida S.; Nissen-Lie, Helene A & Moltu, Christian (2019). How psychotherapists make use of their experiences from being a client: Lessons from a collective autoethnography . Counselling Psychology Quarterly. ISSN 0951-5070. 34(1), p. 109–128. doi: 10.1080/09515070.2019.1671319. Full text in Research Archive
• Heinonen, Erkki & Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2019). The professional and personal characteristics of effective psychotherapists: a systematic review. Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1050-3307. 30, p. 417–432. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2019.1620366. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objective: Psychotherapists differ notably in the outcomes their patients achieve, and the characteristics that may explain these differences have attracted increasing interest. We systematically review studies on therapist pre-treatment characteristics predicting patient outcomes. Method: Systematic searches on databases for psychotherapy research, clinical psychology, and medical science for the years 2000–2018 identified published research examining therapist characteristics and psychotherapy outcomes. Of 2041 studies, 31 met inclusion criteria. Results: Findings show a few direct effects of therapist intrapersonal variables (e.g., self-relatedness, attachment) and several interaction effects with other constructs (e.g., patient pathology) on outcome. There is little support for the relevance of self-rated social skills. However, more consistent evidence has recently emerged for performance-based measurements of professional interpersonal skills, especially when elicited in challenging situations. Patient outcomes were also predicted by therapists’ self-rated professional characteristics, such as their experienced difficulties in practice, coping mechanisms, and attitudes towards therapeutic work, indicating that therapist self-perception also matters, although not always in the direction expected. Conclusions: More effective therapists seem characterized by professionally cultivated interpersonal capacities, which are likely rooted in their personal lives and attachment history. Research guidelines are proposed for moving this field forward (including larger samples, multilevel modeling, and in-depth qualitative work).

• Cappelen, Fredrik; Landmark, Anders Flækøy; Stänicke, Line Indrevoll & Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2018). Psykodynamisk terapi med barn og ungdom i dag. Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening. ISSN 0332-6470. 55(9), p. 750–761.
• Rønnestad, Michael Helge; Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Oddli, Hanne; Benum, Kirsten; Ekroll, Vidar Blokhus & Gullestad, Siri Erika [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2018). Expanding the Conceptualization of Outcome and Clinical Effectiveness. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy. ISSN 0022-0116. 49, p. 87–97. doi: 10.1007/s10879-018-9405-z.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2018). Effekten av psykodynamisk psykoterapi: Status i kunnskapsfeltet og ubesvarte spørsmål. Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening. ISSN 0332-6470. 55(6), p. 416–427.
• Bernhardt, Ida S.; Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Moltu, Christian; Mcleod, John & Råbu, Marit (2018). "It's both a strength and a drawback." How therapists' personal qualities are experienced in their professional work. Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1050-3307. 29(7), p. 959–970. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2018.1490972. Full text in Research Archive
• Goldberg, Simon, B.; Hoyt, William T.; Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Nielsen, Stevan Lars & Wampold, Bruce E. (2018). Unpacking the therapist effect: Impact of treatment length differs for high- and low-performing therapists. Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1050-3307. 28(4), p. 532–544. doi: 10.1080/10503307.2016.1216625.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2017). Mistet og funnet: Et essay om filmen Lost in Translation av Sofia Coppola. Matrix. ISSN 0109-646X. 33(2), p. 76–83.

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• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2024). Si hva Modum Bad har gitt verden! En refleksjon over forskningsbidragene fra Modum Bad gjennom årene .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Stiegler, Jan Reidar Reidar & Hagen, Anne Hilde Vassbø (2024). Boklansering av Terapeutens håndbok i emosjonsfokusert terapi .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). DEN STORE #PSYKOTERAPI DEBAT 2.0: HVAD VIRKER OG HVAD HAR DET MED MIG AT GØRE? .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). "Nadine" og de de ulike terapiretningene: Er de likere enn vi tror eller representerer de radikalt forskjellige menneskesyn? En kommentar.
• Ekroll, Vidar Blokhus & Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). Pasienter fortjener god kommunikasjon rundt psykologisk behandling. Psykologisk.no.
• Ekroll, Vidar Blokhus & Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). Folkeforvirring om effekten av psykologisk behandling. Psykologisk.no.
• Ansar, Nadia & Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). Boksamtale om "Min Skam" av Nadia Ansar .
• Oddli, Hanne Berit Weie; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Røssberg, Jan Ivar; Schanche, Elisabeth & Karlsson, Bengt Eirik (2023). Runderbordssamtale om endring .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). Når psykoterapi ikke virker.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Wampold, Bruce E. & Muran, John Christopher (2023). The Great Psychotherapy Debate 2.0 .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). Transference and countertransference dynamics working in psychoanalysis with a patient gradually emerging from a psychic retreat .
• Stänicke, Erik; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen & Blüml, Victor (2023). Visions of psychoanalysis. Confronting modern Zeitgeist.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). Discussant on the panel "Development of Psychotherapist Trainees: New Qualitative and Quantitative Findings from the SPRISTAD Longitudinal Study". Moderated by Armin Hartmann .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). But how does it actually work? Transdiagnostic change mechanisms and mediators of outcome in psychotherapy across patient diagnoses, age groups, settings and treatment models. Moderator for panel .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). Discussant for the panel: "Searching for, finding, and revealing exceptional therapists: Complex empirical, professional, and interpersonal issues". Moderated by Stevan Lars Nielsen. .
• Wampold, Bruce E. & Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). "The Power of Professional Humilty"- Podcast episode in "Making Therapy Better" led by Prof. Bruce Wampold . [Radio]. Making Therapy Better /www.makingtherapybetter.com. Show summary

  Helene Nissen-Lie is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oslo and a practicing psychologist. She participates in a number of research projects in Norway as well as internationally, including collaborations with the University of Sheffield and the University of Chicago. She has published over 50 papers and articles, and her research interests include therapist effects, the therapeutic alliance, mechanisms of change in psychotherapy, and outcomes research, among many others. In this episode, Bruce talks to Helene about her research and her surprising finding that therapists who expressed more professional self-doubt, which they both agree may be better thought of as "professional humility" end up with better outcomes for their clients. They also talk about some of the applications of measurement-based care and the differences between the Norwegian and American systems of mental-health care. The intro and outro music is the Borromeo String Quartet performing Beethoven's "String Quartet No. 3 in D Major" www.makingtherapybetter.com

• Jernberg, Maria & Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). Terapeutfaktorn. [Journal]. Psykologtidningen. Show summary

  Terapeutfaktorn är på väg fram ur skuggan. Forskarna vet alltmer om vad som utmärker terapeuter som lyckas med sina behandlingar. Nya studier vill ge svar på om och hur det går att lära sig

• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2023). How to improve the effectiveness of psychotherapy? The role of therapists' skills and appropriate responsiveness .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Vøllestad, Jon & Halvorsen, Joar Øveraas (2023). Virker egentlig psykoterapi?
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Vøllestad, Jon & Halvorsen, Joar Øveraas (2023). Virker egentlig psykoterapi? [Radio]. Litt Pod; Litteraturhuset i Bergen sin podkast.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen & Rubin, Fredrik (2022). Så är en bra terapeut – och så är en dålig: ”Kan handla om en mängd orsaker”. [Journal]. Socionomen . Show summary

  Finns det bra och dåliga terapeuter? Ja, menar inte bara patienter utan även forskare som tittat på frågan. Faktum är att den terapeutiska metoden till viss del ges en undanskymd roll. Åtminstone jämfört med terapeutens personliga egenskaper.

• Solbakken, Ole Andre; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Oddli, Hanne Berit Weie; Råbu, Marit; Stänicke, Erik & Hagen, Roger [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). Folkeopplysningens konklusjon er misvisende. . Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening. ISSN 0332-6470. p. 1051–1052.
• Oddli, Hanne Berit Weie; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Hagen, Roger; Halvorsen, Margrethe S.; Råbu, Marit & Solbakken, Ole Andre [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). Psykoterapi har god effekt – selv om NRK sår tvil. Morgenbladet. ISSN 0805-3847.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen & Stänicke, Erik (2022). Den omnipotente terapeut og ISTDP-debatten: Hva lærte vi? . Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening. ISSN 0332-6470. Show summary

  I denne artikkelen oppsummerer vi debatten som kom i kjølvannet av Flaatens bekymringsmelding. Vi er fullt klar over at vi ikke vet hva som faktisk skjedde i terapien, og at det er hennes erfaring som beskrives. Vi tar likevel utgangspunkt i Flaatens beskrivelse fordi den er en viktig påminnelse om å ta klientens opplevelse på alvor. Vi ønsker dessuten å kommentere Flaatens innlegg fordi det skriver seg inn i helt sentrale debatter i terapiforskningsfeltet (se Fors, 2021; Heinonen & Nissen-Lie, 2020; Nissen-Lie & Rønnestad, 2015). Hun peker indirekte på hvor vanskelig det er å skille metoden fra terapeuten. Vi vet at metodisk tilhørighet har stor betydning for terapeutenes identitet, men samtidig er det også kjent at terapeuteffekten er mange ganger større enn metodeeffekten (Wampold & Owen, 2021). Derfor er det relevant å trekke frem den empiriske forskningen på gunstige og ugunstige terapeutegenskaper for å sette Flaatens innlegg og debatten som fulgte, inn i denne sammenhengen. Vi følger Ole Magnus Vik (Vik, 2022a og b), Henrik Berg (Berg, 2020) og sist Kaja Betin (Betin, 2022); ISTDP-debatten reiser en større diskusjon om terapiens grunnlagsproblemer og vitenskapssyn – og til syvende og siste berører de store spørsmål i vårt fag, for eksempel hvordan vi lar oss informere av teori og empiri, hvordan vi ser på vår rolle i klientens endringsarbeid – og spørsmålet om menneskesyn.

• Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen (2022). Lost in Transition: Patient and Therapist Experiences of Forced Shift to Remote Psychotherapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Discussion by Helene A. Nissen-Lie .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen (2022). Responsiveness as common factor? Discussion in plenary on responsiveness in psychotherapy .
• Steimoen, Teodor Melker Nytrøen; Høstmælingen, Andreas Teisner; Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen; Monsen, Jon Trygve & Solbakken, Ole Andre (2022). Toward a more nuanced understanding of the role of the working alliance in producing therapeutic benefits.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2022). Den terapeutiske relasjon og hjelperens egenskaper.
• Rønnestad, Michael Helge; Orlinsky, David E.; Willutzki, Ulrike; Loeffler-Stastka, Henriette; Messina, Irene & Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2021). Psychotherapy Trainees' Quality of Life: Demographic and Personal Factors and Implications, panel chaired by Ulrike Willutzki. Discussant .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2021). Therapist effects and development of psychotherapists: How can we best develop our personal and professional qualities to maximize client outcomes? Key note lecture .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2021). What are the therapist characteristics that are associated with positive client outcomes? Paper-in-Panel on What works for whom? Patient, therapist, technique, and relationship determinants of success and failure in psychotherapy, chaired by Erkki Heinonen .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Orlinsky, David E. & Rønnestad, Michael Helge (2021). The emotionally burdened psychotherapist: Personal and situational factors. Paper in panel: The impact of therapist effects: Improving patient outcomes and therapists’ wellbeing, chaired by Michael Barkham.
• Barkham, Michael; Castonguay, Louis Georges; De Jong, Kim; Douglas, Susan; Gomez Penedo, Juan Martin & Kilcullen, Ryan [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2021). Generating practice-oriented research: Guidelines from patient focus, practice evidence, and practice oriented research. Structured discussion.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2021). "Mellom person og profesjon: Hvordan kan vi utvikle gunstige terapeutegenskaper?" Faglig foredrag ved 50 års-jubileet for internklinikkene ved Det Psykologiske Fakultet, UiB .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen & Friestad, Marit (2021). Om terapeuten og temaet på Schizofrenidagene i Stavanger, NRK Rogaland, Lokalen (Distriktsprogram) . [Radio]. NRK Rogaland .
• Ansar, Nadia; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Elliott, Robert & Stiegler, Jan Reidar (2021). Emotion Focused Skills Training: A randomized controlled trial for parents of children with mental health symptoms. Paper-in-Panel on "Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) in various forms", chaired by Franz Caspar . Show summary

  Objective: There is a need to find effective and easy-to-implement interventions to alleviate emotional problems in children. Research indicates that how parents deal with their own emotional issues play a crucial role in the development, maintenance and deterioration of emotional issues in their children. There are currently few programs targeting these mechanisms. The purpose of the present study was to investigate a parent-based intervention and its effect on the internalizing or externalizing symptoms in children were within a clinical range. Method: Emotion Focused Skills Training (EFST) (Dolhanthy and Greenberg, 2007) is a manualized parental program based on principles from Emotion Focused Therapy (Greenberg, 2010) and humanistic client-centered therapy (Elliott, 2013). Parents of 236 children aged 6-13 with externalizing/internalizing symptoms were randomly allocated to one of two conditions; one with an experiential component/chair work and one without, which makes this study a dismantling, randomized controlled trial. Parents received 2 days’ group training and 6 hours of parental supervision. Feedback regarding symptoms was obtained from parents and teachers at baseline, treatment completion and at 3, 6 and 9 months follow-up. Results: Preliminary results of multilevel modeling indicate that the children’s symptoms changed significantly over time after receiving EFST in both conditions. Internalizing symptoms changed more if the parents had participated in the condition with the active experiential component (chair work). There was no significant difference in externalizing symptoms caused by different conditions. Conclusion: Children’s symptoms can be reduced with a short term accessible parental training program based on emotion focused principles.

• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Norcross, John C.; Wampold, Bruce E. & Castonguay, Louis Georges (2021). Roundtable: The developing therapist .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2021). "Terapeutens hemmelige liv". Key note foredrag.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen (2021). Faglig foredrag om driftsbegrepet i psykoanalysen under lanseringen av Siri E. Gullestads bok "Å begjære den du elsker".
• Høstmælingen, Andreas; Ulvenes, Pål Gunnar; Nissen-Lie, Helene, Amundsen ; Eielsen, Mikkel & Wampold, Bruce E. (2021). Trajectories of change in psychotherapy for chronically depressed patients: Differences in self-criticism and somatic symptoms between users and non-users of antidepressant medication. Paper-in-Panel on the treatment of depression for vulnerable groups, chaired by Helene A. Nissen-Lie .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene Amundsen (2020). Humility and self-doubt are hallmarks of a good therapist. Aeon.
• Finsrud, Ingvild; Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Ulvenes, Pål; Vrabel, KariAnne & Wampold, Bruce E. (2019). Structure of Common Factors across Psychotherapies and Diagnoses.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2019). Emnekurs i psykodynamisk terapi for rus- og avhengighet:«Forskning på psykodynamisk terapi».
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2019). Klinisk ekspertise.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2019). Therapist effects: How can we develop our therapist qualities? .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2019). How can we best develop our personal and professional qualities to maximize client outcomes?
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2018). "The Contribution of the Psychotherapist and Therapist Characteristics To Therapy Process and Outcome" .
• Pedersen, Pia Beate & Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2018). Hva kjennetegner en god terapeut? . [Internet]. Podcast .
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Solbakken, Ole Andre & Monsen, Jon Trygve (2018). Are we on the same page? Alliance convergence and its impact on therapy outcomes.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2018). Five questions on expertise in psychotherapy . The Integrative Therapist, SOCIETY FOR THE INTEGRATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY,. ISSN 2520-2464. 4(2), p. 13–15.
• Bernhardt, Ida S.; Moltu, Christian; Nissen-Lie, Helene A & Råbu, Marit (2018). Feeling at home in theory – an echo of the therapist’s personal history in the professional domain.
• Axelsen, Eva Dalsgaard; Benum, Kirsten; Bernhardt, Ida S.; Gullestad, Siri Erika; Halvorsen, Margrethe Seeger & Hartmann, Ellen Johanne [Show all 24 contributors for this article] (2017). Historien Psykologtidsskriftet ikke forteller. Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening. ISSN 0332-6470. 54(12), p. 1197–1199.
• Heldmark, Thomas & Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2017). "Terapeutens personlighet påverkar behandlingen" - Vetenskapsradion. [Radio]. Sveriges Radio 1.
• Heldmark, Thomas & Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2017). Så är en superterapeut - Vetandes Värld, Sveriges Radio. [Radio]. Sveriges Radio 1.
• Halvorsen, Per & Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2017). I første rekke for klinikken. [Business/trade/industry journal]. Norsk Psykologforening.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2017). Hva kjennetegner dyktige terapeuter?
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2017). Finding the common ground: Where to go from here? Some reflections.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Garås, Anna & Monsen, Jon Trygve (2017). Agreement about goals in psychotherapy: Patients’ and therapists’ perspectives, therapist effects and predictors, and relation to outcome.
• Oddli, Hanne; Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Mcleod, John; Rønnestad, Michael Helge & Halvorsen, Margrethe S. (2017). Goal consensus between client and therapist. A mixed-method study.
• Homqvist, Rolf; Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Jørgensen, Carsten René; Broberg, Anders; Gustavsson, Per & Hau, Stephan [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2017). Enfäldiga riktlinjer för behandling av depression. Dagens nyheter. ISSN 1101-2447.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2017). Kritik mot Socialstyrelsens nya riktlinjer om terapi: ”Gränsar till det oetiska”. [Newspaper]. Dagens ECT.
• Nissen-Lie, Helene A (2016). Mistet og funnet: Et foredrag om filmen Lost in Translation av Sofia Coppola.
• Godunko, Maria; Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Karevold, Evalill Bølstad & Bugge Bergsund, Hans (2018). «Dekker dagens diagnosekriterier og depresjonskartlegging gutters depressive plager?»: En kvalitativ undersøkelse av mannlige psykologistudenters og skolepsykologers refleksjoner rundt gutters symptomer på depresjon. Universitetet i Oslo.
• Hansen, Mari Kjos; Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Karevold, Evalill Bølstad & Bugge Bergsund, Hans (2018). ”Gutter gråter ikke”: En kvalitativ studie av gutter og unge menn sine depressive uttrykk basert på psykologistudenter og skolepsykologer sine antakelser og erfaringer. Universitetet i Oslo.
• Berg, Anna Asbjørnsen; Nissen-Lie, Helene A; Karevold, Evalill Bølstad & Bugge Bergsund, Hans (2018). The Role of Socialization in the Development and Prevention of Depression in Young Men/Boys. Universitetet i Oslo.

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