Ottar Ness

• Heimburg, Dina von; Szulevicz, Thomas; Ness, Sigrid & Ness, Ottar (2027). Schools and kindergartens as anchor institutions for social justice and community wellbeing. In Roffey, Sue & Kitching, Ansie (Ed.), Handbook on Wellbeing in Education: Research transforming practice. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISSN 9781035345281. Full text in Research Archive
• Sundqvist, Amanda Jasmin Emilia; Ness, Ottar; Nyman-Kurkiala, Pia & Hemberg, Jessica (2026). Professionals’ perspectives on loneliness and mental health among adolescents and emerging adults during educational transitions. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. ISSN 1748-2623. doi: 10.1080/17482631.2026.2743338. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Educational transitions alter academic demands, social relationships, and access to support. Yet less is known about how professionals interpret the conditions that shape loneliness and mental health across these transitions. This study explored professionals’ accounts of factors that may intensify or mitigate loneliness and mental health challenges among adolescents and emerging adults during transitions to upper-secondary and higher education. Four focus groups were conducted with 11 school psychologists, school counselors, special education teachers, study supervisors, well-being coaches, project workers, and youth workers in Swedish-speaking regions of Finland. The interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Professionals described how individual circumstances and past adversity intersected with disrupted relationships and institutional arrangements. Transitions could offer autonomy and a fresh start, but fragmented peer groups, performance demands, weak continuity of support, and limited communication between institutions could heighten vulnerability. Participants emphasized early preparation, supportive teachers and peers, structured opportunities for social connection, and stronger collaboration between sending and receiving institutions. The findings position transition-related loneliness as arising through interactions between young people and the educational environments through which they move.

• Sanna, Hilde Karlsen; Hem, Marit Helene; Ness, Ottar & Grimholt, Tine Kristin (2026). “Unfortunately, we can’t avoid everything”: A qualitative study of municipal mental health workers’ experiences with workplace violence. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. ISSN 1748-2623. doi: 10.1080/17482631.2026.2741483. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: The experiences of municipal mental health workers involving workplace violence remain underexplored. This study aimed to obtain an in-depth understanding of how mental health workers perceive and manage challenging encounters with service users. Methods: We conducted six focus group interviews with 38 participants from urban and rural municipalities and private, nonprofit organizations in Norway. The interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Workplace violence is a complex and multifaceted challenge within municipal mental health services. We identified four main themes (1) Unpredictable situations perceived as precarious and distressing, (2) Unclear and uncertain collaboration and responsibility distribution, (3) Risk reduction through a dynamic approach based on relationships and knowledge, and (4) Confidence to cope with challenges developed within the workplace. Conclusions: Workplace violence needs to be addressed in municipal mental health services. Mental health workers perceive unpredictability over time as equally stressful as being exposed to violence. To ensure safe workplaces providing high-quality mental health services, systematic collaboration and clearer distribution of responsibilities across various agencies and healthcare levels are required. Knowledge development about consequences and strategies for preventing and managing workplace violence in the context of municipal mental health services is vital.

• Heimburg, Dina von; Friesinger, Jan Georg; Prilleltensky, Isaac; Ness, Ottar; Strømland, Monica & Vederhus, John-Kåre (2026). The Relational and Structural Dimensions of Wellbeing: A Population-Based Latent Model of Social Conditions, Mattering, Perceived Discrimination, and Quality of Life. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology. ISSN 1052-9284. 36(6). doi: 10.1002/casp.70339. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mattering, the experience of feeling valued and able to contribute, is a recognised determinant of wellbeing. Perceived discrimination (PD), or unfair treatment, is socially patterned and may communicate devaluation. Anti-mattering, the subjective experience of insignificance and disregard, serves as a theoretical lens on PD, not a measured construct. Population-level studies rarely examine mattering and PD together, their socio-demographic patterning or associations with quality of life (QoL). In the 2024 Norwegian Quality of Life Survey (N = 16,396), mattering, PD, and QoL were modelled as latent constructs in a structural equation model estimating direct and indirect associations with socio-demographic predictors. Sociodemographic factors explained 11% of the variance in mattering and 31% in PD, with the largest contributions to PD observed among younger adults and those with financial difficulties, health limitations, or immigrant backgrounds. Mattering was positively associated with QoL (β = 0.55, βstd = 0.59) and PD negatively (β = −0.81, βstd = −0.29), both p < 0.001; the model explained 61% of QoL variance. The difference in explained variance suggests that PD was more strongly patterned by the socio-demographic factors included in the model than mattering. Welfare policy and practice therefore need to address mattering and discrimination relationally and structurally.

• Hay, Audun Formo; Vink, Josina; Thøgersen, Dagfinn Mørkrid; Ness, Ottar; Heimburg, Dina von & Sangiorgi, Daniela (2026). Connected Friction - Collectively Designing Service Ecosystems Through Reflexive Relations. Journal of Service Research. ISSN 1094-6705. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Designing service ecosystems is a collective endeavour in which interdependent actors intentionally reconfigure the social structures coordinating their value cocreation. Because actors experience structures differently, however, they often disagree about how to reconfigure them. Although reflexivity has been identified as a key enabler for service ecosystem design, research has primarily treated it as an individual capacity. Yet transformation guided only by reflexive individuals risks unintended consequences for others and rupturing the relations on which value cocreation depends. In response, we examine how reflexive relations can be stewarded to support service ecosystem design in pursuit of desirable collective outcomes. We define reflexive relations as a form of interaction in which differently positioned actors jointly render the institutionalized social structures coordinating their value cocreation observable, contestable, and open to reconfiguration. Through a twoyear cooperative inquiry in Norwegian child welfare, we identify connected friction as the core dialectic dynamic through which reflexive relations emerge, with uniformity and rupture as hindering dynamics. We also identify four situated conditions—practical distance, actor perspectives, emotional effort, and institutional legitimacy—that require continual attunement to steward reflexive relations in practice. This research reconceptualizes reflexivity as emerging through actors’ relations and shows how ongoing stewardship can leverage conflicting interdependencies as a generative resource for designing service ecosystems.

• Haugjord, Kenneth; Vederhus, John-Kåre; Ness, Ottar & Sørensen, Kristine Dahl (2026). Next of kin’s experiences of healthcare encounters in the context of severe self-harm: “We know them best”. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. ISSN 1748-2623. 21(1). doi: 10.1080/17482631.2026.2712680. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: Policies in Norway and similar countries emphasize the inclusion of next of kin in healthcare. However, research shows that many experience limited involvement and recognition. This study explores how next of kin to individuals with severe self-harm experience and make sense of healthcare encounters in a Norwegian context. Methods: The study draws on in-depth interviews with 15 parents, partners, and siblings of individuals engaging in severe self-harm. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed, guided by a phenomenological sensibility. Results: Three interconnected themes illuminated different aspects of participants’ encounters with healthcare services. “In the hands of the system” captures experiences of navigating the healthcare system while concerned for a loved one’s wellbeing. “Who do I become when excluded” highlights participants` experiences of their experiential knowledge being marginalized and how emotional involvement appeared to undermine their credibility. “The ones who stand by” reflects concerns about their own wellbeing and that of the wider family alongside a desire for greater recognition and support. Conclusions: The results suggest that healthcare encounters involve not only support and participation but also recognition of next of kin’s experiential knowledge and needs, which appears to shape their sense of legitimacy and ability to remain involved in care.

• Ness, Ottar & Oute, Jeppe (2026). Epilog: Stigmatisering – og hvad så? In Oute, Jeppe & Ness, Ottar (Ed.), Stigmatiseringens former. Aalborg Universitetsforlag. ISSN 9788775730629. p. 176–188. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne bog har vist, at stigmatisering ikke er ét enkelt fænomen, men et sæt af sammenvævede processer, som virker på tværs af mikro-, institutions- og samfundsniveau. Når stigma reduceres til »holdninger«, »sprog« eller mangel på viden om individuelle sårbarheder, risikerer vi at overse, hvordan velfærdsinstitutioner, professionelle praksisser og politiske styringslogikker aktivt kan producere statustab, skam, eksklusion og ulige adgang til rettigheder og ressourcer. I denne epilog spørger vi derfor: og hvad så? Hvad følger af bogens analyser, hvis ambitionen ikke blot er at beskrive stigmatiseringens former, men også at gøre noget ved dem – i hverdagspraksis, i organisationsudvikling og i politik? For at tydeliggøre, hvad der står på spil i disse processer, kan stigmatisering forstås i lyset af følgende tre grundlæggende betingelser: retfærdighed (fairness), oplevelsen af at betyde noget og kunne bidrage (mattering) samt livskvalitet (wellbeing) (Prilleltensky m.fl., 2023). Når mennesker mødes med stigma, kan de miste adgang til vigtige ressourcer og få færre muligheder for at deltage og bidrage i fællesskabet. Dette underminerer både retfærdighed, oplevelsen af at betyde noget for andre og menneskers livskvalitet (Prilleltensky m.fl., 2023). Vi argumenterer for tre forskydninger: (1) fra individforklaringer til vilkårs- og relationsforklaringer, (2) fra »anti-stigma« som kommunikationstiltag til »anti-ulighed« som institutionel og politisk opgave, og (3) fra kompensation og særordninger til universelle, tilgængelige og værdige systemer. Med udgangspunkt i bogens kapitler skitserer vi en handlingsramme i fire spor: (1) stigma-sensitiv praksis i mødet, (2) organisations- og institutionsdesign, (3) politiske reformgreb samt (4) krav til vidensgrundlag og evaluering. Epilogen afsluttes med en kort værktøjskasse: en stigma-tjekliste til brug ved udvikling af nye tiltag og politik.

• Oute, Jeppe & Ness, Ottar (2026). Indledning: Stigmatiseringens relevans og problematik. In Oute, Jeppe & Ness, Ottar (Ed.), Stigmatiseringens former. Aalborg Universitetsforlag. ISSN 9788775730629. p. 7–16. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kapitlet introducerer stigmatisering som en aktuel teoretisk, empirisk og samfundsmæssig problematik og begrunder behovet for et nordisk oversigtsværk om stigmatiseringens former. Selvom beslægtede fænomener som medikalisering, othering, ableisme, eksklusion og social ulighed er omfattende belyst, anvendes stigmatiseringsbegrebet ofte bredt og upræcist. Kapitlet følger begrebets udvikling fra Goffmans mikrosociologiske perspektiv til nyere forståelser af institutionel og strukturel stigmatisering, hvor magt, statustab, rettigheder og ulige adgang til velfærd og sundhed står centralt. Med afsæt i Althussers og Dorothy Smiths forskellige forståelser af en problematik præsenteres bogens dobbelte analytiske blik: en kritisk undersøgelse af stigmabegrebets videnskabelige forudsætninger og en erfaringsnær analyse af de relationer, institutioner og magtstrukturer, der producerer stigmatisering. Kapitlet skitserer bogens teoretiske og empiriske bidrag og fremhæver behovet for at flytte opmærksomheden fra individuelle forklaringer og kompensation til relationelle vilkår, social ulighed og universelle, tilgængelige velfærdssystemer. Dermed søger bogen at genaktualisere stigma som et selvstændigt, kritisk og handlingsorienteret begreb i Norden.

• Hope, Øyvind Johannes; Ness, Ottar; Friesinger, Jan Georg; Topor, Alain Pierre & Bøe, Tore Dag (2026). Wellbeing takes place: Situated recovery in mental health and substance abuse. Wellbeing, Space and Society. 11. doi: 10.1016/j.wss.2026.100445. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Despite growing recognition that wellbeing and recovery are entangled with everyday environments, research in mental health and/or substance use has largely focused on individual experiences or decontextualized indicators, offering limited insights into how social-material conditions of place may enable or constrain recovery processes. This gap calls for empirical studies that explore how wellbeing and recovery are enacted within the contexts of everyday life. This study explores how people with mental health and/or substance use problems engage with everyday places in ways that affect their wellbeing and recovery. Drawing on walking interviews and multi-sited field work conducted in Southern Norway, we analyse how wellbeing and recovery may emerge through situated interactions between people, materials and environments. The analysis identified three key dynamics: 1) in-place attentive responsiveness; where wellbeing and recovery emerge when participants attune and respond to socio-material conditions that a place affords; 2) in-place doing and making, where wellbeing and recovery emerge through tangible engagement in shared practices in a place; and 3) out-of-place disruption by external forces, where imposed agendas undermine place based processes of wellbeing and recovery. Together, these dynamics show how wellbeing and recovery are enacted through ongoing socio-material relations rather than located within individuals. We propose the concept of performative wellbeing to capture this place-based, relational, and materially grounded unfolding of recovery. The findings contribute to the importance of place-sensitive, relationally attuned, and materially enabling service and policy designs.

• Ørjasæter, Kristin Berre; Rennick-Egglestone, Stefan; Børresen, Kristin Øksendal; Moe, Cathrine Fredriksen; Leiler, Anna & Sigurdardottir, Helga Dis Isfold [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2026). Governing Ethical Tensions in Youth Digital Mental Health Research. JMIR Mental health. 13. doi: https:/mental.jmir.org/2026/1/e88622. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  As mental health research increasingly aims to generate societal impact, researchers operate at the intersection of innovation and ethical responsibility. Drawing on experiences from the cocreated NEON Young Norway Study on youth recovery narratives, this viewpoint identifies four ethical tensions that arise from the existing governance frameworks in youth digital mental health research: (1) balancing safeguarding against harm with youth participation, (2) protecting privacy without undermining authentic storytelling, (3) governing unpredictable outcomes of cocreated research, and (4) meeting ethical and legal standards while ensuring youth-friendly communication. These tensions highlight limitations in mental health research that adopts participatory and digital approaches, as this often struggles to accommodate iterative designs, narrative data, and cross-sector collaboration. We argue that responsible youth mental health research requires ethics to be understood as a dynamic, participatory practice that supports safe and equitable inclusion, rather than having a focus on risk prevention. Ethical governance, therefore, needs to evolve toward proportionate, context-sensitive approaches that can enable innovation while protecting young people’s rights, agency, and voices.

• Hersted, Lone & Ness, Ottar (2026). Reflekterende team og prosessledelse i organisasjoner : Dialogisk utvikling i relasjonelle praksiser. In Ness, Ottar; Fikse, Camilla & Firing, Kristian (Ed.), Relasjonell prosessledelse: Å bygge kapasitet for lærings- og endringsprosesser. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245046632. p. 177–197. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Dette kapittelet fokuserer på prosessledelse med bruk av reflekterende team i ulike varianter. Vi bygger på anerkjent litteratur og vår mangeårige erfaring med å tilrettelegge dialogiske prosesser med blant annet ledere, sosialarbeidere, sosialpedagoger, terapeuter, sykepleiere, økologiske landbrukskonsulenter, masterstudenter ved universitetet osv. Tilnærmingene som presenteres, kan brukes i forbindelse med organisasjonsutvikling, kompetanseutvikling, konfliktløsning, dialogtrening, samskaping, tverrprofesjonelt samarbeid, aksjonslæring og aksjonsforskning. Kapittelet er skrevet ut fra et overordnet relasjonelt perspektiv og en grunnleggende interesse for å skape dialogiske rom for gjensidig inspirasjon, refleksjon og læring. Det er vårt håp at leseren vil finne de beskrevne tilnærmingene interessante og anvendelige i egen praksis, enten det handler om å skape utvikling i grupper og team eller om å arbeide med større organisasjonsendringer eller utvikling i lokalsamfunn.

• Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar; Svensson, Helene Berntsen & Mordal, Siri (2026). Samskaping av fellesskapsverdier : Prosessledelse i velferds- og samfunnsutvikling. In Ness, Ottar; Fikse, Camilla & Firing, Kristian (Ed.), Relasjonell prosessledelse: Å bygge kapasitet for lærings- og endringsprosesser. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245046632. p. 59–79. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kapitlet utforsker hvordan prosessledelse kan bidra til en samfunnsutvikling som fremmer livskvalitet for alle, forstått som en samskapt fellesskapsverdi. Med utgangspunkt i komplekse samfunnsutfordringer argumenteres det for et perspektivskifte der velferd forstås som noe som skapes i relasjoner mellom mennesker, institusjoner og lokalsamfunn. Kapitlet utvikler et normativt rammeverk basert på fellesskapsverdier, livskvalitet og betydningsfullhet (mattering), og viser hvordan disse kan operasjonaliseres gjennom relasjonell velferd og samskaping. Videre diskuteres hvordan ulike styringslogikker skaper spenninger og handlingsrom for prosessledelse, og hvilken kompetanse som kreves for å navigere i dette landskapet. Gjennom eksempler fra lokalt, kommunalt og nasjonalt nivå illustreres hvordan prosessledere kan fasilitere deltakelse, mobilisere ressurser og skape konkrete samfunnsendringer. Kapitlet introduserer også styrkebaserte tilnærminger (ABCD) som et praktisk rammeverk for å koble verdier, kompetanser og handling. Samlet viser kapitlet hvordan prosessledelse kan styrke viktige betingelser for god livskvalitet, som demokrati, inkludering og bærekraftig utvikling.

• Ness, Ottar; Fikse, Camilla & Firing, Kristian (2026). Prosessledelse som relasjonell kapasitetsbygging. In Ness, Ottar; Fikse, Camilla & Firing, Kristian (Ed.), Relasjonell prosessledelse: Å bygge kapasitet for lærings- og endringsprosesser. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245046632. p. 21–39. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kapittelet presenterer prosessledelse som relasjonell kapasitetsbygging i møte med komplekse samfunns- og organisasjonsutfordringer. Det vektlegges kapasitet til å utforske, forstå og skape retning sammen, fremfor lineær problemløsning. Prosessledelse forstås som fasilitering av lærings- og endringsprosesser, der mening skapes i samspill mellom deltakere. Kapittelet introduserer seks sammenvevde kapasiteter: relasjonell, kognitiv og metakognitiv, emosjonell, oppmerksomhetskapasitet, etisk, samt design- og strukturkapasitet. Disse danner grunnlag for å håndtere kompleksitet, fremme dialog og støtte felles læring. Prosessledelse beskrives som en praksis som opererer på flere nivåer, fra individ til samfunn, og som også krever evne til å koble disse nivåene. Kapittelet argumenterer for at prosessledelse ikke primært handler om metode, men om å utvikle kapasitet til å skape rom for samskaping, læring og bærekraftig endring.

• Wormdahl, Irene; Ness, Ottar; Asmussen, Trond Vegart; Orrem, Kjetil & Hem, Marit Helene (2026). Facilitating Prompt Mental Health Care adoption in primary care: a qualitative study of experiences with external implementation support. Advances in mental health. ISSN 1838-7357. doi: 10.1080/18387357.2026.2661084. Full text in Research Archive
• Barckmann, Christian Bonde; Szulevicz, Thomas; Ness, Ottar; Nissen, Maria Appel & Prilleltensky, Isaac (2026). Mattering in Danish Out-of-Home Care. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. ISSN 0267-3843. 31(1). doi: 10.1080/02673843.2026.2660779. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study aims (1) to deepen understanding of the concept of mattering through the experiences of youth in out-of-home care (OOH), and (2) to illuminate youths’ experiences of OOH through mattering. Drawing on qualitative semi-structured interviews with young people in Denmark recently placed in OOH and using reflexive thematic analysis, the study examines how feeling valued and adding value are lived across arenas central to participants’ lives. Four themes highlight the pragmatic nature of mattering in OOH. First, mattering was linked to being listened to, with participants describing hierarchical patterns of voice in which professionals’ perspectives carried the greatest weight. Second, feeling valued often emerged when adults acted beyond standardized procedures. Third, adding value was frequently prioritized as a pathway to becoming and feeling valuable, but translated into mattering only when met with recognition and emotional responsiveness. Finally, constrained contexts sometimes fostered self-surrendering mattering strategies that proved unsustainable over time.

• Stotesbury, Kristin; Danielsen, Hilde; Thorsen, Anders Lillevik; Ness, Ottar & Veseth, Marius (2026). Confronting trauma as a team: therapists’ experience with providing intensive trauma focused treatment, within a framework of therapist rotation. BMC Health Services Research. 26. doi: 10.1186/s12913-026-14497-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Therapists report that working in a framework of therapist rotation decreases their fear of providing trauma-focused treatment, lessens avoidance behaviour and reduces therapists` drift from treatment protocol. In the present study we ask: How do therapists experience providing intensive, trauma-focused treatment within a framework of therapist rotation at Prompt Mental Health Care? Methods: Two focus group interviews were conducted with the team of therapists. Seven therapist meetings were observed, and field notes were made. Data was analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results: The analysis yielded three themes: 1) It can be uncomfortable, but we stick to it, 2) Knowing that your team supports you, and 3) We need to treat people with trauma closer to home. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that teamwork can reduce barriers associated with providing trauma focused treatment (TFT). It also shows that working in a functional team, within a framework of therapist rotation, has the potential to minimize therapist drift. The shared responsibility and support within the team makes it more feasible for therapists to provide TFTs. Consequently, a collaborative approach can enhance access to evidence-based treatments.

• Snellingen, Jan Frode; Carlin, Pål Erik & Ness, Ottar (2026). Exploring Research Ethics Through Clients’ and Therapists’ Experiences in a Multiperspective Study on Couple Therapy and Violence. Contemporary family therapy. ISSN 0892-2764. 48, p. 461–477. doi: https:/link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10591-026-09780-4. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Researching participants’ experiences through a qualitative, multiperspective design presents distinct ethical challenges, particularly when including both partners and their therapist during ongoing couple therapy where violence is a central concern. Situated within a publicly mandated therapeutic context, this study examines these challenges through interviews with eight clients and five therapists, which were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four key themes emerged: (1) When Knowledge Accumulates: Confidentiality and Safety as Emerging Ethical Tensions, (2) Motivation, Recruitment, and Power in Interconnected Relationships, (3) Consent in Motion: An Iterative and Ongoing Processand (4) Research Ripples: Reflexive Spillovers into Ongoing TherapyThe findings indicate that ethical dilemmas often emerge as situated “branching points”, decision-making junctures in which relational and systemic interconnections continually reshape researchers’ responsibilities and participants’ vulnerability. These branching points cannot be adequately addressed and managed through procedural safeguards alone. To navigate such dilemmas, the study describes a triadic process involving: (1) cultivating ethical sensitivity and attentiveness to emerging branching points; (2) interpreting these situations through reflection and dialogue to form provisional ethical impressions; and (3) mobilizing resources to respond with context-aware action. Overall, the study highlights that ethical research in sensitive, multiperspective contexts involves ongoing ethical judgment rather than the identification of a single “right” course of action. Ethical practice is shown to require sustained reflexivity, responsiveness, and care as research unfolds alongside complex relational and systemic processes.

• Johansen, Marthe; Ness, Ottar; Stuen, Hanne Kilen; Brekke, Eva & Landheim, Anne Signe (2026). 'They really want to find some kind of box they can put you in': How young people with severe mental health problems and complex needs talk about their past treatment in traditional Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services - A critical discourse analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 17. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1759231. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Challenges in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), including complex and fragmented services, are well documented, particularly to young people with severe mental health problems and complex needs. Research on young people's experiences of CAMHS is scarce. Especially studies on young people who have dropped out of CAMHS and/or transitioned to alternative services are lacking. This article addresses the following research question: Which discourses can be identified when young people with severe mental health problems and complex needs enrolled in Youth Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (Youth Flexible ACT) articulate their past treatment in CAMHS, and contrast it with their current treatment? We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with 12 participants aged 15 to 19, recruited via convenience sampling from three Youth Flexible ACT teams in Norway. The interview data were analysed using a Fairclough-inspired critical discourse analysis (CDA), where discourse is understood as a particular way of understanding and talking about the world, and language is seen as a social practice rather than an individual activity. We identified three dominant discourses when the young people talked about conventional services/CAMHS in Norway: a biomedical, a paternalistic and a neoliberal. The findings suggest that treatment in CAMHS is shaped by a market-oriented understanding of mental health (neoliberal discourse), a medical model that reduces complex problems to medical terms (biomedical discourse), and a lack of user participation (paternalistic discourse). The findings indicate a gap between what young people see as helpful, the aims outlined in guidelines and the young participants' descriptions of CAMHS. The lack of user involvement and the unequal power balance need to be actively addressed with concrete practices that support more equal participation. The findings highlight the need for more differentiated treatment pathways for this group of young people, enabling timely, tailored support and reducing the risk of ineffective initial interventions. Our findings indicate that the framework in CAMHS is poorly suited to the needs of this group. In contrast, differently organised services, such as Youth Flexible ACT, may offer an alternative by providing a coherent framework for holistic, integrated and person-centred care.

• Bøe, Tore Dag; Topor, Alain Pierre & Ness, Ottar (2026). Taking Mental Health Practices into Social Realities. A Trialogue between the Power Threat Meaning Framework, Recovery Capital and Open Dialogue. Journal of constructivist psychology. ISSN 1072-0537. doi: 10.1080/10720537.2026.2643336. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper explores three socially oriented approaches to mental health recovery: Open Dialogue (OD), Recovery Capital (RC) and the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF). Each approach challenges individualistic and medicalized models by emphasizing social, relational, and material contexts. We argue that these approaches, while distinct, can complement each other in practice. PTMF provides a socio-material understanding of distress as a response to power and threat, RC identifies resources necessary for sustainable recovery, and OD offers a dialogical practice that mobilizes these resources together with the person’s social network. By initiating a “trialogue” between these approaches, we propose a processual model: understanding origins (PTMF), identifying resources (RC), and enacting change through dialogue (OD). We conclude by suggesting directions for integrating these approaches into mental health services and call for further research on their combined potential to foster socially just and contextually grounded practices.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar; Haugland, Siri Håvås & Vederhus, John-Kåre (2026). Discrimination experiences and their associations with sociodemographic factors, health and quality of life—a latent class analysis. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 24, p. 1–11. doi: 10.1186/s12955-026-02502-2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Discrimination has adverse effects on people’s health and quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to identify distinct intersecting patterns of discrimination experiences, examine their associations with social categories and health factors, and assess the impact of perceived discrimination (PD) on health and QoL outcomes beyond specific self-reported reasons for PD. Methods We utilized data from the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey (NCPHS) conducted in Agder County in 2023 and employed latent class analysis (LCA) to explore how patterns of discrimination reasons cluster. The selected classes were then further examined to determine how they differed by comparing each class to the reference class with no PD. Lastly, we assessed the estimated marginal means of each class on health and overall QoL using ANCOVA. Results The study identified six classes of PD: Massive PD, Gender/Age PD, No PD, Function/Illness PD, Ethnicity/Skin PD, and Political PD. ANCOVA analyses revealed significant differences across self-rated health, mental distress, and QoL. Notably, the Massive PD, Gender/Age PD, and Function/Illness PD groups reported significantly poorer self-rated health and QoL compared to the No PD group. All PD classes scored significantly higher in mental distress than the No PD group, with the Massive PD class exceeding the clinical cut-off, indicating elevated psychological distress. Conclusions Our findings reveal persistent health and QoL disparities between individuals experiencing PD and those who do not, despite a robust welfare system. Service providers must consider the interplay of factors such as age, gender, income, and health conditions with PD to ensure fair service delivery.

• Ness, Ottar (2026). Etterord: rådgivning i komplekse velferdskontekster. In Saur, Ellen; Isaksen, Veronica & Ramirez, Carla (Ed.), Rådgivning i komplekse kontekster. Scandinavian University Press (SCUP). ISSN 9788215070582. p. 231–242. doi: 10.18261/9788215070575-26-10. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Dette kapittelet utforsker skolens rådgivning som en kompleks praksis der rådgiveren må navigere mellom institusjonelle rammer, elevenes unike behov og egen profesjonell dømmekraft. Rådgivning beskrives som økologisk og samskapende, med vekt på elevenes opplevelse av å ha verdi (mattering), livskvalitet (wellbeing) og sosial rettferdighet (fairness) som grunnleggende for psykososial inkludering og bærekraftig utvikling. Rådgiveren er en «kaleidoskoparbeider» som håndterer paradokser mellom individlogikk og systemlogikk, og møter såkalte «wicked problems» preget av verdikonflikter og ressursknapphet. Mangfold krever skreddersydd tilnærming og anerkjennelse av alle elevers erfaringer for å unngå urett og fremme motivasjon og mestringstro. Relasjonell velferd vektlegger samarbeid, medvirkning og maktbalansering, der rådgiveren fasiliterer likeverdig dialog og felles ansvar for læring og utvikling. Emosjonell sensitivitet og kollektive refleksjonsprosesser, som forumteater, skaper trygge rom for læring både for elever og rådgivere. Kapittelet beskriver skolene som ankerinstitusjoner der rådgivning bidrar til å bygge sosiale økosystemer, med elever som aktive medskapere av løsninger. Fremtidens rådgivning blir dermed både individstøttende og samfunnsbyggende, forankret i relasjon, kritisk bevissthet og tverrsektorielt samarbeid.

• Nord-Baade, Silje; Ness, Ottar; Rowe, Michael; Jensen, Camilla Bergsve & Landheim, Anne Signe (2026). Social inclusion among young adults with mental illness and complex needs in Flexible Assertive Community Treatment: A qualitative study on team staff’s understanding and experiences. PLOS ONE. 21(1). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0341358. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Social inclusion is increasingly highlighted through policies, practices, research, and broader societal awareness. Young adults with mental illness and complex needs are among the most marginalized in society and face significant challenges. Public health and welfare services play a critical role in either facilitating or hindering social inclusion through adequate or inadequate service provision. The services are often critiqued for treating individuals in isolation from their social contexts. Methods In this qualitative study semi-structural individual interviews and thematic analysis were used to explore: How do service providers in FACT teams understand and promote social inclusion among young adults with mental illness and complex needs?. Results The results showed that staff employed efforts to promote social inclusion and acknowledged this as important. However, they had limited conceptual understanding and revealed a lack of systematic promotion in the teams. Several barriers for social inclusion were evident in the material, from individual and structural to societal. Conclusions There is a need to develop and operationalize the concept to enable systematic and holistic approaches to promote social inclusion, moving beyond employing single interventions. Policies must be developed, and training and education provided to create context sensitive mental health services.

• Kristensen, Klaudia; Skov, Anna; Kristensen, Solvejg; Ness, Ottar; Johnsen, Søren Paaske & Mainz, Jan [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Initial co-design development of a questionnaire to measure patient preferences in a Danish mental healthcare setting. Health Expectations. ISSN 1369-6513. 29(1). doi: 10.1111/hex.70561. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Despite decades of quality improvement efforts in mental healthcare, patient preferences remain insufficiently integrated into care planning and system design. Although person-centered care strives to align services with patients' most valued preferences, current tools for measuring those preferences often fall short. Embedding co-design approaches—where patients and other stakeholders collaborate as equal partners in tool development—is essential to ensure that measurement instruments are both relevant and resonant with lived experience. This study aimed to develop a questionnaire that captures patient preferences in mental healthcare through a co-design process that actively integrates lived experience, thereby enhancing face and content validity. Methods The development of the questionnaire followed four key phases: identification of domain, item generation, content validity, and pre-testing of questions. A co-design approach was integral to the entire process, with active collaboration with the co-researcher or co-designers at every phase. Results Nine themes were identified in the literature, and two novel themes, “the person as a whole” and “meaningful community connections” emerged through co-design and extend beyond prior studies. From 242 preliminary items, workshops refined the questionnaire to 58, and content validation further reduced it to 54 items with recommendations for clarity, simplicity, and anonymous responses. Pre-testing of questions confirmed the questionnaire's usability and face validity. Conclusions This study demonstrates how traditional questionnaire development can be supported by co-design to effectively develop a patient preference questionnaire that is both valid and meaningful within the Danish mental healthcare context. While limitations exist, particularly regarding group dynamics and representation, the process sets a strong foundation for future work. Patient or Public Contribution This study was co-designed in collaboration with individuals with lived experience of mental illness. A co-researcher with lived experience was involved throughout several stages of the research process, including the design and facilitation of workshops, recruitment of participants, and interpretation of findings. Additional 15 co-designers with lived experience were engaged in two workshops, contributing actively to the generation, refinement, and validation of questionnaire items. Their insights ensured that the tool reflects the values and preferences of those it aims to serve. Peer workers, clinicians, and researchers also supported the co-design process, helping facilitate workshops and integrate experiential and academic perspectives.

• Moe, Fredrik Dreyer & Ness, Ottar (2026). Recovery vistas in mental health and addiction. Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health. ISSN 2198-9834. doi: 10.1007/s40737-025-00515-6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recovery is a widely used and generally favorable term within mental health services, denoting positive and progressive developments in care and outcomes. Despite extensive research on recovery in the fields of serious mental health challenges and addiction, there remains no consensus regarding its conceptualization. In this article, we provide a historical account of the recovery concept as applied to mental health and addiction, followed by a discussion of recent research and conceptual developments. Recovery encompasses both the reduction of pathology and the enhancement of overall functioning and well-being. Accordingly, ethical considerations are pivotal, as the study of recovery inherently involves value judgments regarding what constitutes ‘good’ or ‘poor’ outcomes. Given the complexity of the concept, we propose the integration of different recovery paradigms—including clinical, personal, social, relational, and natural recovery. We examine the need to reconcile researcher-derived criteria with the perspectives of individuals who have lived experience of recovery. This discussion is framed in relation to the provision of evidence-based treatment, the delivery of tailored and individualized care, and the implementation of scientific findings in clinical practice.

• Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar; Storch, Jacob & Strong, Tom (2025). Co-creating public values. In Smoliak, Olga; Tseliou, Eleftheria; Strong, Tom; Bava, Saliha & Muntigl, Peter (Ed.), The Routledge International Handbook of Postmodern Therapies. Routledge. ISSN 9781032452661. p. 583–598. doi: 10.4324/9781003376231-50. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ensuring inclusive participation in daily life, public services, and democratic processes is fundamental for fostering active citizenship and overall well-being for all individuals. The United Nations advocates for the adoption of co-creation and co-production as essential strategies to realize public values such as citizenship, social justice, and well-being. However, it is imperative that co-creation and co-production initiatives consider the inclusivity of participation, the methods through which individuals engage, and the impact of participation on outcomes. This chapter delves into the necessity of incorporating and acknowledging the voices of individuals in marginalized and vulnerable circumstances in decision-making processes that influence democracy and the practices of the public sector. Furthermore, we propose strategies through which public sector entities can advance active citizenship, promote valued social roles, and enhance well-being by collaboratively creating public values that address the well-being and social justice of all members of society.

• Ruysscher, Clara De; Moeyaert, Oona; Maeyer, Jessica De; Meyer, Florian De; Ness, Ottar & Veseth, Marius (2025). The Billie project: A story completion study of young people’s views on citizenship for persons in mental health recovery. Health. ISSN 1363-4593. 30(3), p. 430–452. doi: https:/journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13634593251382932. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores young people’s perceptions of citizenship and recovery for individuals with severe mental health challenges using the story completion method. In this qualitative approach, participants were invited to complete an open-ended story stem about a fictional character, Billie, whose journey of recovery unfolds through their narratives. We analyzed 47 stories, with lengths ranging from 65 to 598 words (M = 253 words), applying both horizontal (thematic) and vertical (narrative progression) analyses. The findings reveal that participants often framed Billie’s recovery in terms of social roles—such as student, friend, or worker—emphasizing the fluctuating and relational nature of recovery. At the same time, the narratives also reflect societal expectations and implicit biases surrounding mental health and citizenship. Broader systemic factors, such as rights, resources, and societal responsibilities, were less frequently addressed. The results suggest that young people’s perspectives on mental health recovery are largely shaped by relational contexts but may lack a critical awareness of structural barriers to inclusive citizenship. This study underscores the potential of the story completion method as both a research tool and an educational intervention, fostering dialog on stigma, inclusion, and mental health recovery.

• Ørjasæter, Kristin Berre; Winnem, Tone; Heiervang, Kristin Sverdvik; Ness, Ottar & Mueser, Kim T. (2025). The illness management and recovery program: a contribution to recovery-oriented secondary mental health services. BMC Health Services Research. 25(1). doi: 10.1186/s12913-025-12907-2. Full text in Research Archive
• Senneseth, Trude & Ness, Ottar (2025). From ‘Master and Servants’ to ‘Equal Partners’ in a Health Community: Transforming local mental health services by action research and social innovation. Action research. ISSN 1476-7503. 23(3), p. 306–323. doi: 10.1177/14767503251338632. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Complex health and welfare organisations struggle to align resources and integrate services for mental health patients. In Western Norway, 16 leaders across four local public organisations participated in this action research study. Providing services for joint service users, they were mandated to make necessary changes towards resource alignment and service integration. The purpose of this study was to learn how these leader experienced the process and outcomes of participating in the four year action research project aiming at transforming practices by implementing a portfolio of social innovation initiatives. More than 300 people, including service users, frontline workers and leaders were involved in the social innovation initiatives, including two service design projects and a network for leaders for collective governance across organisations. Data for this study were co-created in reflexive dialogues in a focus group interview and a whole-day evaluation workshop for leaders in the network. Through reflexive thematic analysis this study found that participants experienced transformations in services, power relations, relational awareness of interdependency, organisational culture, and capability for self-steering in a `systemic whole`. We conclude that combining social innovation and action research enabled local contextualising of problems and solutions, contributing to co-creation of integrated, safer services and resource alignment in the Health Community.

• O, Olga V Lehmann; Ansar, Nadia; Markova, Valeria; Ness, Ottar & Kårstad, Silja Berg (2025). Facilitating Emotion Focused Skills Training for parents online (EFST-O): Insights about self-disclosure, group dynamics and culture. European Journal for Qualitative Research in Psychotherapy (EJQRP). 15(1), p. 21–40. doi: 10.24377/EJQRP.article3111. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Emotion Focused Skills Training (EFST) is a program for parents who want to promote the mental health of their children, and their own. EFST builds primarily on the experiential learning principles of humanistic therapies, such as emotion-focused therapy. There is a raising interest on the potentials of implementing this program in Norway and other European countries, yet there are few qualitative studies addressing the learning experiences that parents have when enrolling the program, or the possibilities and challenges of implementing EFST in different mental health services, and with families with diverse cultural backgrounds. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the cross sectorial experiences of adapting and piloting theEFST program to an online and culturally inclusive format (EFST-O). EFST-O consisted of four live sessions in Zoom and EFST video lectures as complementary material. We ensured user involvement with expat and Norwegian families, and diverse public mental health organizations. Participants filled out qualitative questionnaires after the sessions (n=13; n=15; n=11; n=18). Participants (n=9) and collaboration partners from different mental health services (n=6) provided written feedback on the video lectures. We used reflexive thematic analysis and contrastedthe data with the fieldnotes of the principal investigator, and anonymous feedback from two psychotherapists who observed the program. Participants described increased awareness and knowledge about emotions and relationships, appreciated the pedagogical tools, and the expertise of the facilitators. They also wished for more interaction with other peers and expressed a need to learn more about parenting and receive additional support. Most participants found the program helpful and inclusive. For some families, culture and couple relationships could have been more emphasized. Perceptions about peer self-disclosure and therapists’ self-disclosure affect group dynamics online and/or onsite, and this is further discussed addressing implications for practice.

• Topor, Alain Pierre; Bøe, Tore Dag; Hope, Øyvind Johannes; Ness, Ottar & Friesinger, Jan Georg (2025). The New Institutional Landscape for People with Mental Health Problems. In Boyd, Candice P.; Boyle, Candice P.; Bell, Sarah L.; Högström, Ebba; Evans, Joshua; Paul, Alak & Foley, Ronan (Ed.), Routledge Handbook on Spaces of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Routledge. ISSN 9781032385761. p. 430–445. doi: 10.4324/9781003345725. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  De-institutionalisation can be analysed as the closing of total institutions and the creation of new landscapes at the disposition of persons with mental health problems. These landscapes are everybody's landscape, the cities' cultural, social and commercial offerings, and natural places. It is also a new institutional landscape constituted of social and treatment places. Much attention has been given to the ‘landscape of despair' created in neo-liberal societies, characterised by diverse forms of abandonment. Studies have also focused on specific enabling places. However, a place's role in a person's life depends on the presence of other places. In this chapter we describe and analyse the total institutional landscape in a region of Norway, a welfare society. We found a tight network of places, including the reminiscences of total institutions, and of new social and cultural places. Together they build a rich network of potentially enabling places, but also of tight control.

• Friesinger, Jan Georg; Haugland, Siri Håvås; Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar & Vederhus, John-Kåre (2025). Associations between perceived discrimination and health: a cross-sectional public health study. BMC Public Health. 25. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23888-6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background Many people experience discrimination based on factors such as age, gender, illness, disability, ethnicity, skin color, religion, beliefs or sexuality. Discrimination can lead to marginalization and be linked to poor health. As a result, there is a growing interest in exploring the underlying causes of discrimination and its cumulative consequences. The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence of perceived discrimination (PD) in a large cross-sectional public health study and its association with self-rated health and mental distress. Methods The study was based on data from 18,517 participants in the 2023 Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey (NCPHS) in Agder County. The participants were asked if they had experienced discrimination in the past 12 months and could specify different reasons. Furthermore, they were asked about their self-rated health, mental distress, and sociodemographic factors. In the analysis of the responses, PD was categorized based on the number of reasons, ranging from no PD to one, two, or three or more reasons. Results Among the participants, 17.8% reported experiencing discrimination for at least one reason. Compared with those who experienced no discrimination, participants reporting discrimination for one reason were twice as likely to report poor self-rated health or mental distress. The odds increased to a range between two and a half to three times for those facing discrimination on two grounds. For individuals experiencing discrimination for three or more reasons, the likelihood rose substantially: Four times higher for poor self-rated health and approximately three times higher for mental distress. Conclusions There is a clear association between multiple reasons for PD and low scores in mental and/or physical health, suggesting a cumulative influence. To address this issue effectively, prevention efforts should be implemented at both the national level and within local public health strategies.

• Scarpa, Michael P.; Martino, Salvatore Di; Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar & Prilleltensky, Isaac (2025). Mattering as Citizens: Correlates and Consequences. In Kruglanski,, Arie W.; Prilleltensky, Isaac & Raviv, Amiram (Ed.), The Routledge International Handbook of Human Significance and Mattering. Routledge. ISSN 9781032543444. p. 219–232. doi: 10.4324/9781003424437-21. Full text in Research Archive
• Prilleltensky, Isaac; Scarpa, Michael P.; Martino, Salvatore Di; Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2025). Mattering as citizens: Conditions. In Kruglanski,, Arie W.; Prilleltensky, Isaac & Raviv, Amiram (Ed.), The Routledge International Handbook of Human Significance and Mattering. Routledge. ISSN 9781032543444. p. 202–218. doi: 10.4324/9781003424437-20. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this chapter, we concern ourselves with the feeling of mattering as citizens. Since we are constantly interacting with the state – through taxation offices, health and welfare services, social security, educational institutions, transportation systems, the courts, and the like – it stands to reason that these interactions would have an impact on how we feel as citizens of a particular city, region, state, or nation. Do we feel valued and respected by the governing authorities and their representatives, or do we feel devalued and diminished by them? Do we feel that we can add value to society? Do we have opportunities to feel significant through meaningful contributions to the community? Based on supporting empirical evidence, we offer a theoretical framework to explain the phenomenon of mattering as citizens. We postulate that conditions of progress and justice in a country lead to experiences of mattering, which, in turn, lead to health and happiness among the population.

• Nord-Baade, Silje; Ness, Ottar; Rowe, Michael; Jensen, Camilla Bergsve & Landheim, Anne Signe (2025). The mattering citizen: young adults with mental illness and complex needs’ experiences and perceived opportunities of social inclusion. Frontiers in Psychology. 16, p. 1–12. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1504767. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The negative effects of social exclusion are well known, as are the effects of social inclusion on quality of life and well-being. Young adults with mental illness and complex needs are among the most marginalized people in the community. There is a pressing need to better define and promote social inclusion in mental health and substance use services, addressing both objective and subjective factors. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences and perceived opportunities of social inclusion among young adults with mental illness and complex needs. This was done to develop a comprehensive understanding of social inclusion that can be applied by providers in the fields of welfare, mental health, and substance use. Seven young adults (three males/four females, aged 22–29) were recruited through Flexible Assertive Community Treatment teams and participated in the study through qualitative semi-structured interviews. The material was analyzed employing an abductive thematic analysis. The findings show the interconnection between the elements of Citizenship and Mattering and underline the need for a framework including both the psychological and sociological perspectives. Developing the Citizenship framework and incorporating the Mattering approach is suggested as a multifaceted approach to promote social inclusion in practice, calling for further research on this.

• Aune, Tore & Ness, Ottar (2025). Building resilience in teachers and students: A qualitative study. Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening (Psykologtidsskriftet). ISSN 0332-6470. doi: 10.52734/ZTTY6413. Full text in Research Archive
• Frimann, Søren; Hersted, Lone & Ness, Ottar (2025). Action Research for the Development of Welfare. International Journal of Action Research. ISSN 1861-1303. 21(1), p. 59–75. doi: 10.3224/ijar.v21i1.05. Full text in Research Archive
• Kvamme, Euryph Line Solheim; Waaler, Pamela Marie; Helland, Siri Saugestad; Mellblom, Anneli & Ness, Ottar (2025). ‘Devoted Despite It All’: Norwegian Child Welfare Workers' Experiences of Implementing a Therapeutic Model for Adolescents With Co-Occurring Problems. Child & Family Social Work. ISSN 1356-7500. doi: 10.1111/cfs.13227. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In Norway, child welfare responsibilities are divided between state-run (SCW) and municipal (MCW) agencies. This study explores MCW practitioners' experiences of implementing a therapeutic model tailored by SCW for MCW to aid adolescents with severe and co-occurring problems and their families. In this qualitative study, 12 MCW practitioners participated in semistructured interviews about the implementability of the therapeutic model. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The codebook approach Framework Analysis was used to develop codes, initial themes and final themes through several iterations. Each theme was reviewed for convergence and divergence, across interviews. Practitioners' responses to the Intervention Usability Scale were used to supplement our analysis. Five themes emerged as follows: (1) Internal Motivation: practitioners were driven by the desire to do good; (2) Finally, We Have Something to Offer: highlighting the importance of methods that meet diverse needs; (3) Expectations and Entanglements: describing challenging incongruencies between implementors, practitioners and agencies; (4) Working Methodically: the significance of rigorous CW practices; and (5) Lost in Translation: implementation challenges language, culture and profession. Tailoring practices to resource-limited communities is commendable but requires strengthening inter- and intra-agency collaboration. Adopting novel practices in MCW settings requires professional implementors.

• Lilja, Johan; Zimic, Sheila; Ness, Ottar & Heimburg, Dina von (2025). Being in ‘Right Relationships’ when Co-Creating Youth Wellbeing and Social Justice: Exploring and sparking a relational shift. In Olsvik, Bodil Severinsen; Sørly, Rita; Karlsson, Bengt Eirik & Ghaye, Tony (Ed.), Nye perspektiver på menneskerettigheter, sosial ulikhet og sosial rettferdighet. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245045819. p. 239–257. doi: 10.55669/oa520111. Full text in Research Archive
• Veseth, Marius; Salbu, Maja Østevold; Ness, Ottar; Maeyer, Jessica De & Ruysscher, Clara De (2025). "Billie is ready for a new chapter in life”: Exploring constructions of schizophrenia recovery from the perspectives of Norwegian youth using story completion. Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health. ISSN 2198-9834. doi: 10.1007/s40737-025-00477-9. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study employs the story completion method to explore how Norwegian youth describe and understand recovery processes and life following treatment for schizophrenia. Data was collected from 131 participants aged 17–27 years who were students in upper secondary schools and a university. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified five key themes: (1) The ongoing battle with a severe mental illness; (2) the double-edged sword of treatment; (3) rebuilding a life in the community; (4) claiming identity and purpose; and (5) resilience and hope in recovery. Our findings highlight the complex and multifaceted nature of recovery, emphasizing both ongoing challenges and the potential for growth and positive change. The study reveals a tendency towards problem-saturated narratives, even when prompted with recovery-oriented cues, suggesting a need for more diverse and nuanced representations of recovery experiences. These insights have significant implications for mental health education, stigma reduction efforts, and the development of recovery-oriented services. The study contributes to the growing body of literature advocating for a more holistic, socially-embedded conceptualization of recovery, aligning with citizenship models and emphasizing the importance of community integration.

• Møgster, Birthe; Ness, Ottar & Reime, Monika Alvestad (2024). Research circles as a method for implementing new services in the public health and welfare system. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. ISSN 1748-2623. 19(1). doi: 10.1080/17482631.2024.2366087. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Co-creation has become a guiding principle in public service innovation, but more knowledge is still needed on overcoming barriers and increasing the effectiveness of co-creation processes. This study explores the research circle method as a concrete methodology for co-creation, and its application within two cases involving the implementation of new services for drug death-bereaved persons in Norway based on new research-based knowledge. Method: The study followed an action research design. The field notes and audio recordings were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: The analysis identified two key dimensions experienced as important for the implementation of the new services when research circles were used as a method for co-creation: 1) the inclusion of participants from different contexts and 2) support structures for service interventions. Discussion: Research circles are discussed as an important support structure for promoting public value co-creation that can contribute to increasing stakeholders’ capacity for implementing services in the public system, especially when the focus is on the perspectives and interests of stakeholders, such as practitioners and management in public health and welfare services. However, the discussion also points to barriers relating to the co-creation process that need to be considered when planning research circle-based interventions.

• Nielsen, Brita Fladvad; Reed, Nina Petersen; Ness, Ottar; Bjerck, Mari Eyde; Pinto, Arnfrid Farbu & Memet, Ipar Ehet [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). StudyWell: a co-design project for enhancing student mental health and wellbeing through service design and relational welfare. Proceedings of the Design Society. 4, p. 1647–1656. doi: 10.1017/pds.2024.167. Full text in Research Archive
• Russell, Cormac; Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2024). Relasjonelt arbeid i lokalsamfunnsutvikling. In Lindeman, Sari Kaarina & Lorås, Lennart (Ed.), Håndbok i relasjonelt arbeid. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245041057. p. 119–135. Full text in Research Archive
• Sundqvist, Amanda; Hemberg, Jessica; Pia, Nyman-Kurkiala & Ness, Ottar (2024). Are educational transitions related to young people’s loneliness and mental health: a systematic review. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. ISSN 0267-3843. 29(1). doi: 10.1080/02673843.2024.2373278. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Transitions can be described as passage/movement from one life phase, condition, or status to another, where people learn to adapt to the change through inner reorientation, adaptation, and/or transformation. The aim was to explore whether educational transitions during adolescence and emerging adulthood relate to loneliness and mental health. A systematic review was conducted. A total of 32 articles were included. Educational transitions were associated with both positive and negative outcomes. Individual variables might impact how a transition is experienced. To alleviate negative outcomes for young people, social support and targeted interventions should be developed, and support made available and accessible. Interventions should focus on preventing disruptions in social networks and increasing connections and collaborations between support networks across each educational stage. Future research should examine how interventions can support individuals who are negatively affected by educational transitions.

• Bahl, Nina Kavita Heggen; Nafstad, Hilde Eileen; Blakar, Rolv Mikkel; Tømmervik, Kristin; Brodahl, Morten & Ness, Ottar [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2024). Psychological Sense of Community in Recovery Processes of Emerging and Older Adults: Ideological Antecedents and Implications for Public Health. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology. ISSN 1052-9284. 35(1). doi: 10.1002/casp.70029. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Across the world, governments are struggling to help people recover from substance use problems. Due to their particular risk factors, two age groups are of special interest to public health: emerging adults and older adults. Psychological sense of community (PSOC) is a key dimension in their recovery. Yet, to develop context-sensitive and effective strategies tailored for these groups, there is a need to understand their discourses of PSOC as situated within their context. This study offers a multi-level and comparative analysis of discourses of PSOC for 21 emerging adults and 23 older adults recovering within the same context. Using a discourse analytic tool and a comparative approach ideological impacts on the two groups' discourses of PSOC were identified. Both groups' discourses suggest that achieving and maintaining PSOC in recovery is challenging within a developing neo-liberal context. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate differences between the two groups' with respect to (a) the particular impact of ideologies, (b) sources for PSOC in recovery and (c) challenges in community participation. The article builds on the findings to suggest strategies targeting the two groups. Please refer to the Supporting Information section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

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• Oute, Jeppe & Ness, Ottar (2026). Stigmatiseringens former. Aalborg Universitetsforlag. ISBN 9788775730629. 192 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar; Fikse, Camilla & Firing, Kristian (2026). Relasjonell prosessledelse: Å bygge kapasitet for lærings- og endringsprosesser. Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 9788245046632. 292 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Saur, Ellen & Ness, Ottar (2025). Grensesprenging: Utviklingshemming, autisme og teater. Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 9788245060119. 157 p. doi: 10.55669/oa6208. Full text in Research Archive
• Lorås, Lennart & Ness, Ottar (2025). Håndbok i familieterapi (2. utgave). Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 9788245058642. 520 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Ness, Ottar; Heimburg, Dina von & Ahmadi, Arwin (2026). Ti prinsipper for forebygging der ungdom får bety noe. doi: https:/www.psykologisk.no/ytringer/ti-prinsipper-for-forebygging-der-ungdom-far-bety-noe/164331. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  «Dersom forebygging av skjevutvikling, rus og kriminalitet først begynner når politiet, barnevernet eller spesialisthelsetjenesten kobles inn, har vi mistet verdifull tid», skriver Ottar Ness, Dina von Heimburg og Arwin Ahmadi.

• Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2026). Beyond Growth, Towards Mattering. Full text in Research Archive
• Steinkopf, Heine; Bøe, Tore Dag; Ekeland, Tor Johan; Lauveng, Arnhild; Ulvedal, Ane Bergset & Ness, Ottar [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2026). Vi trenger en grunnlov for psykisk helsehjelp. doi: https:/www.dagensmedisin.no/jan-christian-vestre-psykisk-helse/vi-trenger-en-grunnlov-for-psykisk-helsehjelp/762706. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Vi vet mye om hva som virker for psykisk helse. Likevel styres hjelpen fortsatt av diagnoser, produksjon og kontroll. Det trenger ikke være sånn.

• Ness, Ottar (2026). Mattering, Wellness and Fairness: Reimagining Participation and Citizenship. Full text in Research Archive
• Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2026). Creating a World Where Everyone Matters: Relational Practices for Fairness, Wellbeing and Future Generations. doi: https:/www.taosinstitutecommons.com/posts/104717662. Full text in Research Archive
• Bahl, Nina Kavita Heggen & Ness, Ottar (2026). Hva skjer når vi slutter å bety noe, og ikke hører til? doi: https:/blogg.forskning.no/psykisk-helse-og-rus/hva-skjer-nar-vi-slutter-a-bety-noe-og-ikke-horer-til/2662601?fbclid=IwY2xjawR5o65leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEea5Qn3oDCu7h19uES05NNqfZokrA79mK7kpjZZL064GNuKeAkKa_scILy_KY_aem_ualxcSNrvJ_1CqmLEAc3Uw. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Når mennesker mister opplevelsen av å være betydningsfulle, sin sosiale verdi, mister de også grunnlaget for å ha det bra, for god helse, for varig bedring.

• Ness, Ottar (2026). Vi vurderer både oss selv og hverandre konstant. doi: https:/www.adressa.no/debatt/i/Ar7vMz/vi-vurderer-baade-oss-selv-og-hverandre-konstant?fbclid=IwY2xjawR1Q-NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe-MNknGDcjkGKaYYRINxTxZO_rOtdK-sjBWkb-gVHMSpt_awaBREAavc-zKU_aem_HFjL9DWJuVFzyI-UWNtOBA. Full text in Research Archive
• Brix, Jacob; Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar & Friis, Ole (2026). New Nordic Noir or Bright Future Ahead? An Empirical Bricolage of a New Management Model. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2026). Ungt innenforskap: Hvordan styrkebaserte praksiser skaper gjennombrudd. doi: https:/bfk.no/unginvest/aktuelt/laringsfestival-2026-sundvollen-hotel-27-28-april.213314.aspx. Full text in Research Archive
• Jónsdóttir, Elva Rakel; Óskarsson, Pétur Þ.; Magnússon, Valgeir; Pellikka, Riikka; Lindencrona, Fredrik & Falkenfleth, Mads [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2026). Branding the Nordic Wellbeing Model. doi: https:/www.wellbeingeconomyforum.com/. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2026). Mattering, Wellness and Fairness: Reimagining Participation and Citizenship with Children and Youth. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This keynote presents a framework for well-being that connects mattering (feeling valued and adding value), wellness and fairness in the lives of children and youth. I will show how nuanced concepts of well-being and (anti-)mattering can guide research, practice and measurement. Together, we explore how a shared language of well-being can support collaborative projects, democratic participation and social innovation.

• Ness, Ottar (2025). Mattering, Wellness, and Fairness: Advancing Mental Health and Recovery. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Event: Seminar 'Meet the expert': Mattering, Wellness, and Fairness: Advancing Mental Health and Recovery

• Hay, Audun Formo; Ness, Ottar & Heimburg, Dina von (2025). Ølhunden som endelig fikk bety noe. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ølhunden Berit minner oss om at mennesker trenger å bety noe for andre. Det er selve grunnmuren i et samfunn der folk skal leve meningsfulle liv.

• Ness, Ottar (2025). Well-Being, Participation and Co-Creation in Sustainable Welfare Development. Nordisk tidsskrift for livskvalitet og bærekraftig velferdsutvikling. 4(2), p. 1–1. doi: https:/www.scup.com/doi/10.18261/njwel.4.2.1. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar & Heimburg, Dina von (2025). Ungdomskriminalitet: Ungdom trenger å få lov til å være viktige - adressa.no. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  – Nøkkelen er noe helt annet

• Ness, Ottar (2025). Mattering: verdighet, anerkjennelse og betydningsfullhet. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Innlegg på konferanse

• Ness, Ottar (2025). Relasjonell velferd og relasjonell ledelse. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2025). Honoring Dr. Larry Davidson: A Global Legacy - “Advancing Recovery-Oriented, Rights-Based Care, Systems Transformation, Peer Support, and Community Inclusion Worldwide”. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2025). Relasjonell velferd og samskaping- hva er det egentlig? Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2025). Relasjonell velferd og samskaping- hva er det egentlig? Full text in Research Archive
• Heimburg, Dina von; Herheim, Åste & Ness, Ottar (2025). Lovende praksiser for å redusere sosial ulikhet i helse og livskvalitet. Full text in Research Archive
• Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2025). Livskvalitet og sosial bærekraft: Hvilket samfunn vil dere skape, og hvilken framtid vil dere gi videre til kommende generasjoner? Full text in Research Archive
• Bank, Rose-Marie; Sælør, Knut Tore & Ness, Ottar (2025). Brukermedvirkning i psykisk helsearbeid. In Gonzalez, Marianne Thorsen (Eds.), Psykiske lidelser - faglig forståelse og terapeutisk tilnærming. Sykepleiefaglige og flerfaglige perspektiver.. Gyldendal Norsk Forlag A/S. ISSN 9788205590106. p. 499–504. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2025). I TAKT MED UNGDOMMEN? Alle er betydningsfulle – hvordan møter helsetjenestene unge og hva er viktig for ungdommen selv? Full text in Research Archive
• Sundqvist, Amanda J.; Hemberg, Jessica; Ness, Ottar & Nyman-Kurkiala, Pia (2025). Professionellas synpunkter på ensamhet och den psykiska hälsan bland unga i skolkontexten och dess relation till övergångar. Full text in Research Archive
• Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar & Martins, Pedro (2025). How People Thrive: Promoting the Synergy of Wellness, Fairness and Worthiness​ - Thriving Families and Friendships Across the Lifespan. Full text in Research Archive
• Frimann, Søren; Hersted, Lone & Ness, Ottar (2025). Editorial: Special Issue: Working with Action Research for Sustainable and Regenerative Environments, Communities, and Organizations: Wicked Problems Demand Action. International Journal of Action Research. ISSN 1861-1303. 21(1), p. 3–5. doi: 10.3224/ijar.v21i1.01. Full text in Research Archive
• Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2025). From public health to public good: Toward universal wellbeing. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar; Heimburg, Dina von & Prilleltensky, Isaac (2025). Nordic well-being in an era of global challenges. Nordic Journal of Wellbeing and Sustainable Welfare Development. 4(1), p. 1–2. doi: 10.18261/njwel.4.1.1. Full text in Research Archive
• Lorås, Lennart & Ness, Ottar (2025). Forord til 2. utgave Håndbok i familieterapi. In Lorås, Lennart & Ness, Ottar (Ed.), Håndbok i familieterapi (2. utgave). Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245058642. Full text in Research Archive
• Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2025). relasjonell velferd. Full text in Research Archive
• Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2025). Ungt utenforskap. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar & VanMeter, Abigail (2024). On Mattering, Wellness & Social Sustainability with Ottar Ness. [Internet]. https://cmminstitute.substack.com/p/on-mattering-and-social-. Full text in Research Archive
• Sundqvist, Amanda; Hemberg, Jessica; Ness, Ottar & Nyman-Kurkiala, Pia (2024). Transitions among young people and relations to loneliness and mental health: young peoples’ lived experiences. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2024). Mattering - meningsbærende liv. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar; Andersson, Sara; Guribye, Eugene & Nilsen, Erik Bøylestad (2024). Om innbyggere som bestemmer i Innbyggernes modell. [Internet]. https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/18-om-innbyggere-som-b. Full text in Research Archive
• Appiah, Richard; Ness, Ottar & Boakye, Kofi (2024). Editorial: Breaking the mental health stigma for people with substance use disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 15. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1481215. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2024). Å gjøre en forskjell - miljøterapeut i recovery arbeid. Full text in Research Archive
• Aasen, Tone Merethe; Halvorsen, Laila Helene; Brix, Jacob; Heimburg, Dina von; Ness, Ottar & Hofstad, Hege [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). Hva vet vi om ledelse som samskaper? Full text in Research Archive
• Brix, Jacob; Friis, Ole U.; Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2024). Analyzing a Decade of Management and Leadership Research Related to Co-creation and Co-production: A semi-structured literature review. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2024). How People Thrive: Promoting the Synergy of Wellness, Fairness, and Worthiness. Full text in Research Archive
• Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2024). Relasjonell velferd og sosial bærekraft. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar (2024). Likeverdige muligheter til livskvalitet og samfunnsdeltakelse. Full text in Research Archive
• Ness, Ottar & Heimburg, Dina von (2024). Relasjonell velferd: livskvalitet, medborgerskap og deltakelse. In Frahm-Jensen, Målfrid J. & Johansen, Karl Johan (Ed.), Erfaringskonsulent : med mål om endring. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215071411. p. 226–235. Full text in Research Archive
• Karlsson, Bengt Eirik; Borg, Marit; Ness, Ottar; Nesse, Linda & Oterholt, Frank (2026). Sammendragsrapport fra forskningsprosjektet: Samfunnsinklusjon, medborgerskap og livskvalitet gjennom deltakelse i gatelagsfotball. Institutt for pedagogikk og livslang læring, NTNU. doi: https:/www.ntnu.no/documents/1266706089/1352542349/IPLs+rapport+21+2026+Sammendragsrapport+Gatelagsfotball.pdf/07bd2030-2bfe-b90d-f0c2-f0daa893858c?t=1790773072361. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sammendragsrapporten handler om hva gatelagsfotball betyr for mennesker som har eller har ha< uiordringer knyttet :l rus. Studien undersøker hvordan deltakelse i gatelag kan bidra til tilhørighet, bedre livskvalitet og muligheter til å delta og bidra i samfunnet. Den ser også på samarbeidet mellom gatelagene, fotballklubbene og helse- og sosial- og velferdstjenestene. Studien omfang er 33 gatelag organisert under Fotballstiftelsen. Datainnsamlingen ble gjennomført fra august 2025 til januar 2026. Totalt 167 spillere deltok i en spørreundersøkelse. Det kvalita:ve materialet bygger på intervjuer med 159 spillere, 52 trenere, 31 personer innen administrasjon, samfunnsansvar og ledelse, 66 fagpersoner og 21 frivillige.

• Karlsson, Bengt Eirik; Borg, Marit; Ness, Ottar; Nesse, Linda & Oterholt, Frank (2026). Hovedrapport fra forskningsprosjektet: Samfunnsinklusjon, medborgerskap og livskvalitet gjennom deltakelse i gatelagsfotball. Institutt for pedagogikk og livslang læring, NTNU. doi: https:/www.ntnu.no/documents/1266706089/1352542349/IPLs+rapport+20+2026+Hovedrapport+Gatelagsfotball.pdf/277cf82b-4e63-bd55-d621-daa796a06d74?t=1790767458478. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Rapporten handler om hva gatelagsfotball betyr for mennesker som har eller har hatt utfordringer knyttet til rus. Studien undersøker hvordan deltakelse i gatelag kan bidra til tilhørighet, bedre livskvalitet og muligheter til å delta og bidra i samfunnet. Den ser også på samarbeidet mellom gatelagene, fotballklubbene og helse- og sosial- og velferdstjenestene. Studien omfatter 33 gatelag organisert under Fotballstiftelsen. Datainnsamlingen ble gjennomført fra august 2025 til januar 2026. Totalt 167 spillere deltok i en spørreundersøkelse. Det kvalitative materialet bygger på intervjuer med 159 spillere, 52 trenere, 31 personer innen administrasjon, samfunnsansvar og ledelse, 66 fagpersoner og 21 frivillige.

• Heimburg, Dina von; Næss, Kristin Solhaug; Svorkdal, Annika Scarth & Ness, Ottar (2026). Livskvalitet som et mål for samfunnsutviklingen: Handlingsrommet for en livskvalitetsøkonomi i Norge. NTNU Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. doi: https:/www.ntnu.no/documents/1266706089/1352542349/Livskvalitet+som+ma%CC%8Al+for+samfunnsutvikling+-+Rapport+NTNU+Wellfare.pdf/d31d650b-1f85-c391-f5de-3be6a2a561ea?t=1780565645052. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Norge trenger ikke å importere en ferdig modell for livskvalitetsøkonomi, men bør koble egne verdier, lovverk, kunnskapsgrunnlag, budsjetter og demokratiske mekanismer bedre sammen dersom livskvalitet, sosial rettferdighet og økologisk bærekraft faktisk skal bli styrende for samfunnsutviklingen.

• Krokstad, Morten Austheim; Ness, Ottar & Mæland, Ingebjørg (2026). Ungt Innenforskap. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. doi: https:/www.ntnu.no/documents/1266706089/1352542349/2026+Ungt+Innenforskap+NTNU+WellFare+og+UngInvestAIB_220426.pdf/0ba9eada-bd25-66cc-b0da-18ce9f1b71c8?t=1777014715250. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne rapporten undersøker fenomenet ungt innenforskap gjennom et forskningssamarbeid mellom UngInvest AIB og NTNU WellFare. Formålet er å utvikle kunnskap om hvilke relasjonelle, emosjonelle og strukturelle betingelser som fremmer eller hemmer ungdommers deltakelse i utdanning, arbeid og sosiale fellesskap. Bakgrunnen for studien er en økende bekymring knyttet til skolefravær, frafall og utenforskap blant ungdom. Forskning viser at slike utfordringer ikke kan forstås som isolerte individuelle problemer, men som komplekse og sammensatte fenomener som oppstår i samspill mellom individ, relasjoner og institusjonelle kontekster. Debatten om skolefravær illustrerer hvordan forklaringer ofte fordeles mellom individ, familie og skole, samtidig som nyere forskning i økende grad løfter frem skolens og systemets medvirkende rolle i utviklingen av fravær og marginalisering. Dette peker mot behovet for mer helhetlige og relasjonelle forståelser av ungdoms deltakelse. Studien bygger på kvalitative dybdeintervjuer med ungdom, foreldre og ansatte, analysert gjennom en refleksiv tematisk tilnærming. Analysen er forankret i et integrert teoretisk rammeverk som kombinerer perspektiver på betydningsfullhet, tilhørighet og motivasjon (herunder selvbestemmelsesteorien), Bronfenbrenners bioøkologiske utviklingsmodell, samt sosialkonstruksjonistiske og dialogiske tilnærminger til utvikling og deltakelse. Videre inngår styrkebaserte perspektiver og relasjonelle praksiser som sentrale analytiske innganger. Funnene viser at innenforskap først og fremst er et relasjonelt fenomen. Ungdommenes erfaringer peker på at emosjonell trygghet, anerkjennelse og muligheten til å erfare seg selv som betydningsfulle bidragsytere er avgjørende for deltakelse. Opplevelsen av betydningsfullhet, å bli sett, hørt og oppleve at man betyr noe, fremstår som en grunnleggende forutsetning for motivasjon, læring og tilhørighet. Fravær og tilbaketrekning kan i denne sammenheng forstås som meningsfulle responser på manglende tilhørighet og anerkjennelse, snarere enn som uttrykk for manglende vilje eller motivasjon. Videre viser funnene at gjenopprettet tilhørighet kan fungere som en katalysator for ny deltakelse og mestring. Fleksible læringsarenaer og relasjonelt orienterte tiltak bidrar til å styrke ungdommers opplevelse av kompetanse, autonomi og sosial tilhørighet, og kan dermed legge til rette for reintegrering i utdanning og samfunnsliv. Foreldreperspektivet understreker betydningen av tillit, samarbeid og gjensidig anerkjennelse mellom hjem og skole. Samtidig viser analysen at kvaliteten på skole–hjem-samarbeidet varierer, og at strukturelle og sosiale forskjeller påvirker hvilke foreldre som får gjennomslag og blir inkludert i samarbeidet. Dette synliggjør hvordan også relasjoner mellom system og familie er preget av ulikhet og makt. På systemnivå viser studien at innenforskap ikke kan forstås eller håndteres innenfor enkeltsektorer alene. Ungdom i sårbare situasjoner møter ofte fragmenterte tjenester, der ansvar er delt og koordinering mangelfull. Forskning på tverrsektoriell samhandling og kollektiv ledelse peker på behovet for nye former for samarbeid og styring for å håndtere slike komplekse samfunnsutfordringer. Tilsvarende viser forskning på forebyggende innsats og livsmestring at fellesskapsbaserte og helhetlige tilnærminger har potensial til å redusere utenforskap. Rapportens overordnede bidrag er å utvikle en helhetlig og relasjonell forståelse av innenforskap, der tilhørighet, anerkjennelse og deltakelse fremstår som grunnleggende betingelser for ungdommers utvikling og livsmuligheter. Studien peker mot behovet for en dreining fra standardiserte og individorienterte tilnærminger, til mer fleksible, relasjonelle og kontekst-sensitive praksiser i skole og velferdstjenester. Implikasjonene av studien er relevante for praksis, ledelse og politikk, og understreker betydningen av å utvikle en mer relasjonell og inkluderende velferdsstat, der målet ikke bare er deltakelse, men opplevelsen av å høre til og bety noe.

• Mordal, Siri; Ness, Ottar; Fikse, Camilla & Paulsen, Veronika (2026). Når systemene møtes - Tverrsektorielt samarbeid om skolegangen til elever med tiltak fra barnevernet. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. ISSN 9788232697496. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne avhandlingen undersøker hvordan tverrsektorielt samarbeid mellom barnevern, skole og tilknyttede støttetjenester forstås, erfares og praktiseres i oppfølgingen av skolegangen til elever som mottar tiltak fra barnevernet. Utgangspunktet er den vedvarende utfordringen med frafall i videregående opplæring og den systematisk dokumenterte risikoen for lavt skolefaglig utbytte i denne elevgruppen. Selv om politiske føringer fremhever samarbeid som et virkemiddel for å sikre helhetlig støtte, viser tidligere forskning at samarbeidet mellom barnevern og skole ofte fremstår fragmentert og utydelig. Avhandlingen tar sikte på å frembringe ny kunnskap om hvilke betingelser og praksiser som kan bidra til å skape mer stabile og inkluderende skoleløp for ungdom med barneverns-erfaring.

• Åkerblom, Kristina Bakke; Ness, Ottar; Solhaug, Solvor; Bertheussen, Lene Elisabeth; Jensen, Magnus Rom & Heimburg, Dina von (2026). Oppsøkende tjenester for barn og unge - en kunnskapsoppsummering. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. doi: https:/www.ntnu.no/documents/1266706089/1352542349/Rapport+-+Korus+v.5+03.02.pdf/3219e80b-582c-be19-9ca7-933aad94e29a?t=1770801463130. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Rapporten ”Oppsøkende tjenester for barn og unge: en kunnskapsoppsummering” sammenstiller og analyserer kunnskap om oppsøkende arbeid rettet mot barn og unge (10–25 år) i utsatte livssituasjoner i norsk, nordisk og internasjonal sammenheng. Utgangspunktet er at oppsøkende arbeid er et etablert, men samtidig fragmentert og variert praksisfelt, der mange ulike tjenester, prosjekter og modeller eksisterer uten en helhetlig og systematisk oversikt over forståelser, organisering, metodikk og virkninger. Rapporten er utviklet som del av oppdraget om å styrke kunnskapsgrunnlaget for et nasjonalt kompetansemiljø for oppsøkende metodikk, med mål om mer likeverdige og ungdomsvennlige tjenester. Formålet er å oppsummere og analysere forskning og erfaringskunnskap om (1) typer oppsøkende tjenester og metodikker, (2) organisering og lokalisering, (3) begreper og definisjoner (inkludert outreach work og detached youth work), (4) rapporterte resultater/erfaringer på ulike nivå, samt (5) kunnskapshull og implikasjoner for norsk kontekst. Metodisk bygger prosjektet på en flerkomponent tilnærming: en systematisk litteraturgjennomgang (scoping review) kombinert med målrettede ekspertintervjuer og valideringsworkshoper med ungdom og fagpersoner. Funnene viser at oppsøkende arbeid omfatter mange praksiser (fra gatenært arbeid til digitale former), men at en metodisk kjerne går igjen: relasjonsbasert arbeid er fundamentet for mandatet om å etablere kontakt, initiere sosial endring og tilby sosial støtte. Rapporten beskriver hvordan dette ofte skjer som «randarbeid» i gråsoner utenfor formelle strukturer for å bygge og vedlikeholde kontinuerlig tillit og trygghet. Samtidig peker både ekspert - og litteraturfunn på betydelig begrepsmessig uklarhet og behov for avgrensning. Særlig gjelder dette praksiser der «oppsøkende» reduseres til oppfølging/behandling av ungdom som allerede er inne i tjenester, noe som kan svekke metodikkens integritet. Når det gjelder virkninger, beskrives gjennomgående positive erfaringer knyttet til økt trygghet, mestring og tilgang til støtte. Effektene framstår særlig tydelige på individnivå - som endringer i den enkeltes opplevelse av håp, mestring og handlingsrom (f.eks. å klare skole, jobb, førerkort, eller å søke hjelp) - og på relasjonsnivå, der den tillitsbaserte kontakten mellom ungdom og oppsøker (og ofte brobyggingen videre til andre voksne/tjenester) ser ut til å være en nøkkelmekanisme for endring. I noen studier og erfaringskilder spores også virkninger på lokalsamfunnsnivå, gjennom økt tilhørighet og forebyggende effekter. Dokumentasjonen av systemnivåeffekter og langtidsutfall er derimot svakere, blant annet fordi mange tiltak har korte tidshorisonter og fordi måle- og styringslogikker i begrenset grad fanger relasjonelle prosesser. Et tilleggspoeng er at feltet fremstår preget av stor variasjon i kartlegging og rapportering, og at egenevaluering ofte er lite systematisert, noe som gjør det vanskelig å sammenligne erfaringer og bygge opp kumulativ kunnskap om hva som virker - for hvem, og under hvilke betingelser. I diskusjonen løfter rapporten et sentralt spenningsfelt mellom relasjonell metodikk og strukturelle betingelser som fragmentering, silotenking og målstyring, og bruker et rammeverk som tydeliggjør hvordan betingelser, erfaringer (inkludert betydningsfullhet/mattering) og virkninger henger sammen. I syntesen argumenteres det for at videre utvikling i Norge først og fremst handler om å beskytte og forankre den relasjonelle kjernen - ikke om å «finne opp» nye metoder. Rapporten foreslår også en presisering av definisjonen av oppsøkende arbeid, der en genuin og tillitsbasert relasjon forstås som selve fundamentet for all metodisk praksis, og som nøkkelen til å fremme ungdommens livskvalitet og samfunnsdeltakelse. Anbefalingene vektlegger blant annet å prioritere den relasjonelle grunnmuren som et systemisk beskyttet metodisk valg, styrke tjenestens troverdighet, representativitet og legitimitet, og styrke nasjonal/ strukturell forankring (bl.a. inspirert av finske modeller for lovforankring og standardisering). Videre foreslås et tydeligere mandat for brobygging mellom tjenester, samt å utvikle robuste, langsiktige tjenester med både fysisk og digital tilstedeværelse.

• Krokstad, Morten Austheim; Heimburg, Dina von & Ness, Ottar (2025). Collective Impact i Norden: Kunnskapsoppsummering. Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne rapporten presenterer en kunnskapsoppsummering om Collective Impact initiativ (CI) i en nordisk kontekst, med særlig relevans for Norge. Rapporten er bestilt av Ferd Sosiale Entreprenører og OBOS Samfunnsarena. Ferds Oslo-satsing søker å redusere sosiale forskjeller i Oslo som påvirker barn og unges livsmuligheter og framtidshåp. OBOS Samfunnsarena har parallelt engasjert seg i relaterte initiativer i Oslo. Disse aktørene har etablert et samarbeid, og søker kunnskap om hvordan samarbeidet kan forsterkes og utvides. Formålet med rapporten er å belyse lærdom fra etablerte CI-initiativer i Norden, og utforske muligheter og utfordringer for å lykkes med CI- inspirerte initiativer i Norge. CI beskrives som en spesifikk måte å organisere utviklingsprosesser på hvor ulike aktører sam- arbeider for å løse komplekse samfunnsutfordringer og nå felles mål gjennom forpliktende partnerskap, samskapelse og systemforandring. Gjennomgangen av CI-initiativer i en nordisk kontekst viser at: • Et robust kunnskapsgrunnlag og et bredt aktørnettverk er avgjørende for å finne en felles visjon og agenda, og for å lykkes med å nå konkrete målsetninger. • Å etablere en felles visjon, og åpen og konti- nuerlig dialog er essensielt for å bygge tillit og sikre samordnet innsats, og kan gjøres best gjennom å tilrettelegge for regelmessige møteplasser og sikre et felles narrativ som kan styrke samhold og felles mål • En sentral kjerneorganisasjon med komplementære kompetanser kan koordinere innsatser og tilrettelegge for systemisk endring. Lokal forankring er også viktig for kjerneorganisasjonens legitimitet og evne til å svare på lokale behov, og strategisk finansiering er nødvendig for langsiktig bærekraft • Colletive impact-initiativer lykkes best når de er datadrevne tilnærminger som inkluderer både kvantitative og kvalitative data, og systemisk tenkning Rapporten argumenterer for at Collective impact har et godt grunnlag for å lykkes i Norge, på bakgrunn av en sterk velferdsstat, enighet om kollektive løsninger og avanserte systemer for datainnsamling og analyser. Anbefalinger for veien videre, og hvordan Norge kan lykkes med å implementere CI-inspirerte initiativ, inkluderer å bygge på eksisterende strukturer, sikre systemisk tenkning fra starten, fremme åpen dialog og skape en lærende kultur for kontinuerlig tilpasning. Kommunenes ressurser, kompetanser og posisjon i samfunnet kan spille en sentral rolle i å lykkes med å forankre, koordinere og samskape CI-initiativer i Norge.

• Ness, Ottar & Heimburg, Dina von (2024). Spredning av styrkebaserte tilnærminger i Hallingdal: Evaluering av prosjektet «styrkebasert tilnærming - kompetanseheving og spredning av kunnskap». NTNU WellFare. Full text in Research Archive

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