Sverre Urnes Johnson is an Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology and the leader of COPE research team at the University of Oslo. He received is Ph.D. from the University of Oslo in a dual position as a clinical psychologist at Modum Bad Psychiatric Center. Sverre is also the leader of the Norwegian branch of Metacognitive therapy institute, and is a certified clinical supervisor in CBT. Sverre's research seeks to investigate the outcome and mechanisms in psychotherapy and general mental health using a complex system approach and he is particularly interested in the treatment of anxiety disorders. When Sverre is not in the office, he is with his family, running, swimming, or bicycling.
Asle Hoffart is a senior researcher at Modum Bad and a Professor at the University of Oslo. Hoffart has published more then 130 scientific papers and has worked with research at Modum Bad since 1980. His research has centered around cognitive behavior therapy for anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He has supervised over 10 Ph.D. candidates and has during his career always emphasized bridging the gap between clinical practice and research. Asle is an approved Schema-therapist and supervisor in Cognitive Therapy, in addition to cognitive therapy for PTSD in particular. In his spare time, he is an eager cross-country skier.
Marieke A. Helmich is a postdoctoral researcher with the COPE team at the University of Oslo. She conducted her doctoral studies at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, during which she examined the process of depressive symptom improvement in individuals receiving psychological treatment. Her research focused on testing hypotheses derived from dynamical systems theory – destabilization prior to symptom transitions in particular – by applying idiographic methods to intensive longitudinal data of symptoms and emotions, and this remains one of her keen interests. When not working, Marieke enjoys climbing, cooking (and eating!), spending time with friends, or getting caught up by one of her many creative endeavours.
Omid V. Ebrahimi is a final-year graduate student at the University of Oslo, parallelly engaged in a clinical specialization in the treatment of adult psychopathology at Modum Bad Psychiatric Hospital. He holds a degree in clinical psychology and clinical science from the University of Bergen, partially undertaken at UC Berkeley and The University of Hong Kong. Omid investigates the temporal dynamics of psychopathology and how clinical processes unfolding across time during treatment. Particularly, Omid is interested in understanding the concept of rigidity and transitions from non-diagnostic to diagnostic states, in addition to changes between states experienced as detrimental versus nondetrimental for the individual in particular (i.e., idiographic psychopathological assessment). Omid also works with the epidemiological modeling of preventive health behavior during pandemics. In his spare time, Omid enjoys bouldering, reading physics and philosophy, checking out new bars with friends, and traveling.
Xinkai Du is a first-year PhD student at the Modum bad Psychiatric Hospital and University of Oslo. Before entering the field of clinical psychology, he studied social psychology at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and completed his research master in psychological methods at the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. He uses psychological networks (for cross-sectional, panel, and longitudinal data) to explore the complexity underlying psychopathology and its relations with personality, emotions, and attitudes. When not working, Xinkai enjoys cooking, playing guitar, reading novels, bouldering, swimming, and hiking.
Marianne Skogbrott Birkeland is Researcher I at the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress (NKVTS) and Associate Professor II in Developmental Psychology at the University of Oslo. After taking a doctorate in self-esteem among adolescents at the University of Bergen, she continued her work as a researcher at NKVTS from 2013. She is particularly interested in mechanisms of change for psychopathology in connection with traumatic events, including how psychopathology develops, but also how improvement can take place, with or without psychotherapeutic treatment. Leisure time is spent with family, watching TV shows, and reading novels.
KariAnne Vrabel is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Oslo and a director at the Research Institute of Modum Bad. She received her Ph.D. from The University of Tromsø in 2010 and has been a part of the research and clinical group at Modum Bad for 20 years. Vrabel’s research seeks to improve psychotherapy by investigating treatment effects of different therapies, identify characteristics of non-completers and those non-response to therapy, in addition to investigations of the mechanisms of change associated with eating disorders.
Miriam Johnson is a psychologist and associate professor of psychology at OsloMet, where she leads the research group CARE at the Faculty of Health Sciences. Johnson completed her doctorate in psychology at the University of Oslo in 2015 and has since then focused on research concerning forensic psychology with the main focus on questioning children who are offended in cases of violence and abuse. She is particularly interested in developmental psychology, memory development in children, and forensic psychology. She leads a national research project on quality in the interrogation of children on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, and also works as an expert in criminal cases where children are offended. In her spare time, she enjoys relaxing with her family and grows lemon and olive trees.
Nora Skjerdingstad is an undergraduate student in clinical psychology at the University of Oslo, also engaged in a minor in applied statistics. From the beginning of her studies, she has been involved in research activities parallel to her degree. Her research interests are mainly situated in developmental psychology and specifically the development of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Nora seeks to employ complex longitudinal methods and network analysis to better understand the developmental pathways and risk factors associated with psychosis. She is also interested in the dissemination of science to the public and enjoys literature and writing.
Therese Snuggerud is a psychologist at the Department of Anxiety Disorders at Modum Bad and has previously been team leader for the team conducting Metacognitive Therapy at the Modum Bad Psychiatric Hospital. She is the leader of a research project that deals with the effects of metacognitive therapy in groups. Therese is particularly interested in the effects of attention training. She has completed MCT Masterclass level 1 and will start at level 2. She has a specific interest in anxiety disorders and is interested in research on metacognitive therapy. In her spare time, she enjoys exercising and going for walks.
Øyvind Halsøy is trained as a clinical psychologist. Øyvind is particularly interested in sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, and exposure therapy. He is especially interested in the mechanisms of change in psychotherapy. He is interested in statistical programming including R, and in quantitative methodologies, such as network analysis, time-series analysis, and machine learning. He is passionate about trying to bridge the gap from research to practice –particularly concerning the dissemination of research findings to make them useful for practitioners and ensure high quality of treatment. Another field of interest for Øyvind is creativity. Øyvind will rant non-stop about music and creative collaboration to anyone who will listen.
Kenneth Mani Pålerud is a student in the Professional Studies of Clinical Psychology program at the University of Oslo. He his currently on a junior research fellowship, taking a hiatus from his studies, and being a part of the first class of the novel Psychology Student Research Program ("Forskerlinjen") at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo. During his junior research fellowship year, Kenneth is working to acquiring the necessary skills to become an independent researcher, where he is working with a project investigating the differential trajectories of anxiety during psychological treatment. When not at the COPE office, Kenneth enjoys being outside, engaged in sport activities, and spending time with his friends and family.
Margrete Soya Heimvik is a dedicated master's student specializing in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oslo. She earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Maastricht. Currently, engaged in a junior research fellowship with the COPE research group, her academic journey has veered toward a clinical direction. Her ongoing project involves predicting treatment outcomes in complex anxiety patients, revealing her commitment to advancing mental health research. Margrete's keen interest in methodology, coupled with a specific curiosity for machine learning techniques, underscores her passion for exploring innovative approaches in her field. During her downtime when she's not with friends or her darling hamster, Mochi, she's expressing herself through watercolor paintings and hip-hop dancing.