Academic Interests
I am interested in psychotherapy research and how this research can be made relevant to clinical practice. My primary interest is in the relationship between process and outcome in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy research over the past 50 years has shown that the most consistent relationship between process and outcome in psychotherapy is to be found in aspects of the interaction between client and therapist. These aspects are often defined as the therapeutic working alliance. An important field of research to improve the effect of psychotherapy, as well as to reduce dropout, is therefore to focus on how a good working alliance is created and maintained in therapy.
I am head of the research project POET (Studies of Process and Outcome in psychotherapies with Experienced Therapists) at the Department of Psychology, UiO. The main purpose of this project is to investigate how experienced psychotherapists establish and maintain working alliances with their clients, and how any ruptures in the relationship are repaired. The participants in this study are experienced psychotherapists who have both extensive clinical experience and have been involved in professional development and teaching, as well as adult clients who have sought outpatient treatment. Together with collogues, I have published works on different aspects of process, outcome, method, and expertise in psychotherapy.
I am also interested in mind-body interactions in mental health and psychotherapeutic work. This includes clinical experience and involvement in research projects on eating disorders, self-harm and trauma, as well as interventions as yoga, mindfulness, physical activity and the use of nature and “friluftsliv”.
Teaching
PSYC1202: https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/sv/psykologi/PSYC1202/
PSYC1302: https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/sv/psykologi/PSYC1302/
PSYC2302: http://www.uio.no/studier/emner/sv/psykologi/PSYC2302/
PSYC2210: http://www.uio.no/studier/emner/sv/psykologi/PSYC2210/
PSYC4301: http://www.uio.no/studier/emner/sv/psykologi/PSYC4301/
PSYC5410: https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/sv/psykologi/PSYC5410/
PSYC6350: https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/sv/psykologi/PSYC6350/
Higher education and employment history
- My academic training includes social anthropology, history of religion, developing studies and psychology.
- I graduated as Cand. psychol. from the University of Tromsø in 2001.
- Dr. Psychol. (PhD in clinical psychology) from the University of Oslo (2006)
- Specialist in adult clinical psychology (2012).
- Since I graduated, I have worked in parallel as a clinician and researcher. For many years I worked part time as a consultant clinical psychologist at Vinderen outpatient clinic, Diakonhjemmet hospital, Oslo (2008-2023). I am now employed as an Associate professor at the Department of Psychology, UiO and works part time as a clinical psychologist in private practice. I am also engaged as supervisor at Institute for Active Psychotherapy (IAP).
Supervision of PhD-candidates
Ongoing:
- Main supervisor for Ingunn Holbæk (Modum Bad/PSI, UiO) on the project: “Living with dissociative disorder. Experiences of treatment and change”
- Main supervisor for Kari Evelin Arellano Lorentzen (PSI, UiO) on the project: “Minds in motion - Yoga for patients with complex trauma experiences”
- Co-supervisor for Lillan Halsaa (Innlandet Hospital Trust) on the project: “Family based treatment for child and adolescent eating disorders: How can we improve treatment?”
Awards
- Årets hovedoppgave 2001. [Master Thesis of the year, 2001]. University of Tromsø
- Årets doktorgrad 2007. [Doctoral dissertation of the year, 2007]. The Norwegian Psychological Association (NPF)
Cooperation
I collaborate closely with several colleagues at the Section for clinical psychology at the Department of Psychology, UiO, i.e., Hanne Weie Oddli, Erik Stänicke, Helene Nissen-Lie, Marit Råbu, and Line Stänicke. At the department I am involved in several research groups, i.e., POET, DRIVE, NORTRAS, and Quali-LAB. Outside the University of Oslo, I am involved in a research group on eating disorders (PROUD) and collaborates with a research group on the disclosure of child sexual abuse led by Professor Signe Hjelen Stige at the University of Bergen. I am involved in two PhD projects on medication free treatment, one with PhD candidate Kari Standal at Ahus Hospital Trust, and one with PhD candidate Elisabeth Klæbo Reitan at University of Tromsø/ University Hospital of Northern-Norway.