Background and experience
I am cand. psychol. from UiT in 2001 and received a PhD from UiA in 2022. I have a background as a clinical psychologist specialising in clinical work with children, young people and families. I have more than 20 years of clinical experience, primarily from mental health care for children and young people and family counselling.
Areas of responsibility
Since autumn 2021, I have been the coordinator for the psychology academic group at UiA.
Teaching
I have the overall responsibility for designing the curriculum for professional education in psychology. I have also been responsible for courses in continuing education, including mental health, substance abuse and addiction, family therapy, and at PhD level.
In terms of teaching, I have been involved in continuing education in family therapy and mental health, substance abuse and addiction. I currently supervise students at master's level in psychosocial health, family therapy and child protection, and at PhD level in psychology and health science.
Research
My research revolves around three areas of focus: therapy as a socially shaped activity, parental conflicts as institutional complexes, and the development of mental health work rooted in people's lived experiences.
I defended my doctoral thesis at UiA in 2022 with a dissertation on parenting in high-conflict cases, in which I examined how parents' encounters with welfare institutions are influenced by legal, social and cultural frameworks. I have continued this interest in research projects that look at how institutional logics shape both professional practice and families' everyday lives.
I have also been interested in how the role of therapist is shaped and maintained through institutional practices, cultural expectations and social relations. I am particularly interested in how therapists work not only with individuals' stories, but also with societal norms and structures.
I am involved in several research projects. The Return to Reality project explores how language and thinking in the field of mental health can benefit from new concepts from the humanities and social sciences. The Elements of Expression in Human Relations project brings together researchers from psychosocial health, psychology, neuroscience and engineering to study the biological, psychological and social dimensions of human encounters. Furthermore, I am involved in several externally funded research projects as a researcher and/or PhD supervisor, as well as in several national and international research networks.
Projects
- Elements of Expression
- Makt-Trussel-Mening-Rammeverket i Norden
- Mini-RISK i Agder
- Return to Reality
- Vill Vekst
- Where Wild Things Grow