Assessment and Evaluation

It is completely normal to feel a little nervous or excited before your first meeting with a psychiatrist. My goal is for you to feel cared for, heard, and safe from the very first moment.

The first session is usually called an assessment or intake consultation. Here is an overview of what we go through together:

1. 1

   Getting to know each other and mapping the situation We start with an informal conversation where you tell us in your own words what has led you to seek help right now. We discuss, among other things:

   • What symptoms or difficulties you are experiencing in daily life.
   • How long the challenges have lasted, and whether specific events triggered them.
   • How the difficulties affect your daily life, such as work, school, sleep, and relationships.

1. 2

   Your background history (Anamnesis) To see the whole person and not just the diagnosis, we spend some time understanding your background. As a specialist in both child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry, I am interested in your entire life journey. We briefly touch on your previous physical and mental health, whether there are similar issues in the family, and how your upbringing has been.

1. 3

   Clarification of expectations and framework We go through the practical aspects of the treatment. Here we also clarify the framework for my private practice, such as the fact that I do not treat ongoing substance abuse or issue sick leave certificates. You will of course also have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

1. 4

   The way forward Towards the end of the session, we summarise what we have found. Often we will need 1–3 sessions to fully complete a thorough assessment of your situation and history. We make a preliminary plan for whether to proceed with a more comprehensive assessment (e.g. for ADHD or a mood disorder), start directly with targeted talk therapy, or consider medication support. You will be consulted throughout — the best treatment is one we agree on and that you feel comfortable with.

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 is based on planned daytime consultations and lacks the multidisciplinary support system and emergency preparedness found in hospitals. To avoid misdirected referrals and unrealistic expectations, it is important to be transparent about whom I am unable to help in my practice.

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

• Active, moderate to severe substance use disorders (addiction): These conditions often require multidisciplinary specialised substance abuse treatment (TSB). Note: Patients who have had substance use challenges in the past but are now stable and substance-free and need treatment for underlying mental disorders (e.g. ADHD or affective disorders) are warmly welcome.

• Acute psychoses and unresolved schizophrenic conditions: These conditions require immediate help, close follow-up by ambulatory teams (AAT/FACT) or admission to a closed ward. A private practice does not have the emergency preparedness required for severe loss of reality. However, I can follow up patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorders who are already under medical treatment and are in a stable phase.

• Acute crises, serious suicidal thoughts, or pronounced self-harm impulses: This requires round-the-clock follow-up and a closer safety net around the patient. These patients belong in public acute psychiatry. In case of acute suicidal danger, the emergency clinic or local acute ward must be contacted immediately.

• Severe anorexia or bulimia: Conditions with critical somatic complications and medical instability require close multidisciplinary follow-up by a nutritionist, internist, and often hospitalisation.

• Deeper intellectual disability (F70–F79) with major behavioural disorders: These patients often need coordinated services from the municipality, NAV, housing, and the specialised habilitation service.

• Coercion and forensic psychiatry: All forms of coercion (compulsory mental health care) and follow-up of convicted patients require formal legal frameworks that lie exclusively within the public health system.