Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Disorders

A correct understanding of your difficulties forms the very foundation for assessing what kind of help and measures you need. In order to create a good plan for safe, up-to-date, and evidence-based treatment, we always start with a thorough assessment.

I follow current national guidelines from the Norwegian Directorate of Health, as well as international professional guidelines. Diagnosis is made in accordance with the official diagnostic manuals (in Norway, ICD-10 is used).

Collaboration with other professionals

Sometimes it is appropriate or necessary to collaborate with other actors in both primary and specialist health services to ensure you receive comprehensive help. We always do this in consultation with you.

My private practice operates strictly on a scheduled, daytime outpatient basis and lacks the comprehensive multidisciplinary support network and round-the-clock emergency infrastructure found within a hospital setting. To prevent inappropriate referrals and ensure realistic expectations, it is crucial to clarify which conditions fall outside the clinical scope of my private services.

Regrettably, I am unable to accept patients presenting with the following challenges:

• Active Moderate to Severe Substance Use Disorders (Addiction): These conditions require specialized multidisciplinary addiction treatment (TSB). However, patients with a historical background of substance abuse who are currently stable and sober, and who require treatment for underlying psychiatric conditions such as ADHD or affective disorders, are warmly welcome in my practice.

• Acute Psychosis and Unmanaged Schizophrenic States: These clinical presentations require immediate emergency intervention, continuous monitoring by mobile crisis teams (AAT/FACT), or acute admission to an inpatient psychiatric ward to guarantee the safety of the patient and their surroundings. A private outpatient clinic relies on scheduled sessions and lacks the emergency infrastructure needed to manage a severe break from reality. I can, however, provide continuing care for patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders who are already established on medical treatment and are in a stable, maintenance phase.

• Acute Crises, Severe Suicidal Ideation, or Intense Self-Harm Impulses: These presentations require 24-hour clinical observation and a highly dense safety network. Such individuals must be managed within public acute psychiatric services. In the event of immediate suicidal danger, emergency medical services (Legevakt: 116 117) or your local acute psychiatric unit must be contacted immediately.

• Severe Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa: Conditions involving critical somatic complications and medical instability, such as an exceptionally low BMI, cardiac arrhythmias, or severe electrolyte imbalances, require integrated multidisciplinary care involving clinical nutritionists, internists, and frequently inpatient hospitalization. As a solo private practitioner, I do not possess the infrastructure to bear this medical and somatic responsibility alone.

• Profound Intellectual Disabilities (F70–F79) with Severe Behavioral Disturbances: These patients generally require heavily coordinated services from the municipality, social services (NAV), specialized housing, and institutional habilitation services. Private outpatient practice is best suited for individuals who possess the cognitive capacity necessary to actively participate in and benefit from outpatient psychotherapy and standard medication monitoring.

• Coercive Care and Forensic Psychiatry: All forms of involuntary treatment (compulsory mental health care) and the clinical follow-up of legally sentenced patients require formal statutory frameworks and institutional settings that belong exclusively to the public healthcare system.

Emergency Services:

This clinic does not provide emergency psychiatric assistance, offering only scheduled diagnostic evaluations and treatment during standard daytime hours.

If you require immediate, acute assistance, please contact:

• Acute Mobile Crisis Team (AAT): Contact the mobile team under the DPS or outpatient clinic at your local hospital during daytime hours.
• Emergency Medical Services (Legevakt): Call the national emergency medical number at 📞 116 117 (available 24/7).
• National Emergency Hotline: In the event of immediate danger to life, call the ambulance service at 📞 113.

It is completely natural to feel somewhat anxious or apprehensive before your first meeting with a psychiatrist. My primary objective is to ensure you feel supported, heard, and secure from the very first moment.

The first session is an initial intake and evaluation consultation. Below is an overview of what we will cover together:

1. 1

   Introduction and Situational Assessment: We begin with an informal clinical dialogue where you can describe, in your own words, what has prompted you to seek help at this time. We will explore your current everyday symptoms, how long these challenges have persisted, whether specific events triggered them, and how they disrupt your daily life, including employment, education, sleep, and relationships.

1. 2

   Clinical History (Anamnese): To understand you as a whole person rather than just a set of symptoms, we dedicate time to exploring your background history. As a specialist in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry, I consider your entire lifespan. We will briefly touch upon your historical physical and mental health, any family history of psychiatric conditions, and your early childhood development.

1. 3

   Clarification of Expectations and Boundaries: We review the logistical and practical aspects of your care. During this time, we clarify the functional boundaries of my private practice, such as the fact that I do not treat active substance dependencies or issue official sick-leave certificates (sykmeldinger). You will also have ample opportunity to ask any questions regarding the therapeutic process moving forward.

1. 4

   Establishing the Path Forward: Toward the conclusion of the session, we summarize our initial findings. Frequently, completing a comprehensive assessment of your unique situation and clinical history requires one to three sessions. We will then formulate a preliminary plan, deciding whether to proceed with an extensive diagnostic evaluation (such as for ADHD or a mood disorder), initiate targeted psychotherapy directly, or consider supportive pharmacological management. You will be actively involved in every decision, as the most effective treatment plan is one we mutually agree upon and within which you feel entirely secure.