– We have received information that the person in question has practiced as a psychologist from his home office in Norway, and has reported it to the police so that they can take a position on the circumstances in question, says Sjur Lehmann, who is director of the National Health Inspectorate. Director Sjur Lehmann in the National Health Inspectorate has followed up the case against the police psychologist. Photo: Morten Andersen / news Nidaros and news wrote in connection with revelations in “Child psychologist’s secrets” that the man was in Norway for several months in 2024. During this period, his American employer stated that he was still available for remote consultations with patients: According to the Norwegian Health Authority, it is required the Norwegian authorization to have patients from Norway. This is the case: The child psychologist’s secrets is an editorial collaboration between the Trondheim newspaper Nidaros and news: The Norwegian psychologist was arrested at work at St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim in June 2020. He admitted three sexual assaults against dogs and accepted a fine of NOK 20,000. While the investigation was ongoing, his authorization was suspended by the Norwegian Health Authority, so that he could no longer work as a psychologist. The man complained about this. The man nevertheless applied for a psychologist job in Nav at the beginning of 2021. After two rounds of interviews, he got the job, without telling him that he did not have authorization. He started the Nav job in January 2022. After four months, the Norwegian Health Personnel Board rejected his appeal. Nav discovered that he did not have authorization as a psychologist. The man quit for the day. In 2024, the man was listed as a child psychologist at the Washington Anxiety Center clinic in the US capital. The psychologist then worked with patients, without the clinic or the American authorities being aware of the cases from Norway. When the man was confronted by the clinic’s management after questions from Nidaros and news, he resigned from his position on the day. The psychologist has been without authorization in Norway since 2020 when he was punished for three sexual assaults against dogs. The psychologist’s lawyer, Marit Lomundal Sæther, has not answered questions about the online therapy or the new police report. Contacted psychologist not reported The first time the Norwegian Health Authority reported the psychologist was in 2023. The psychologist was called and questioned. The man in his 50s admitted to having taken a psychologist job at Nav in Oslo without authorization and was fined for it. The new report was sent to the police in Trondheim in September this year. It says: “The state’s health inspectorate takes a very serious view of persons who no longer have authorization continuing to carry out activities as health personnel.” Police prosecutor Nils Kristian Grønvik has dropped the report from the Norwegian Health Authority. Photo: Bent Lindsetmo / news Police prosecutor Nils Kristian Grønvik confirms that the report was received and investigated. Grønvik states that the case has been dropped due to a lack of evidence. – The police have been in contact with the Norwegian Health Authority, who state that they have not been able to obtain information that supports the allegations of illegal health services. Nidaros and news have asked the police for access to the investigation in order to examine the work. This shows that neither the reported psychologist, his lawyer nor any employers have been contacted by the police with questions. Police attorney Grønvik confirms that no other investigative steps have been taken other than calling the case manager who made the complaint on behalf of the National Health Inspectorate. “Couldn’t have been more impressed” Investigations carried out by Nidaros and news show that the psychologist has been listed with two employers in the USA during the year. One is a fully digital psychology center that offers patients across the US treatment via the internet. The psychologist is presented on the website. There, at the beginning of August, a patient wrote feedback after what is stated to be a remote consultation with the psychologist: “Dr. NN was absolutely wonderful and easy to talk to. I couldn’t be more impressed with the service from start to finish. Highly recommended to everyone.” When the message was published, the psychologist was in Norway, show timetables from the 3T training chain where the man was a regular instructor in August. This feedback on online therapy with the Norwegian psychologist was published by a patient or customer at the beginning of August 2024. Photo: Screen dump Nidaros and news have asked the head of the psychological center to state how many more patients the psychologist has had from his home office, without having received an answer. Marit Lomundal Sæther is the psychologist’s Norwegian lawyer. Here she is pictured in court in another case in September 2024. Photo: Oliver Ivanowitz / news His Norwegian lawyer Marit Lomundal Sæther has not answered specific questions about the job at the all-digital centre. Completely unaware The psychologist has also been employed at the Washington Anxiety Center clinic in the US capital Washington DC through 2024. This clinic has stated that the psychologist was exclusively available to patients via remote consultations between January and April and this summer. Work schedules from the training chain 3T show that he was in Trondheim for large parts of these five or six months. The Washington Anxiety Center’s management has not responded to questions about how many patients he had from Norway. The psychologist resigned the position on the day when the management confronted him with the fact that he had pleaded guilty in two Norwegian criminal cases and that he had been without authorization since 2020. The clinic has “been completely unaware of the circumstances”, the management wrote to Nidaros and news. Assessing the complaint The National Health Service has not previously been aware of cases where psychologists have offered online therapy from Norway after being separated. According to prosecutor Nils Kristian Grønvik, the police have chosen not to pursue the case because it will be difficult to prove, and at the same time the circumstances are not serious enough. – The police have chosen not to prioritize investigation in this case because case law shows that similar cases have not resulted in significant punishment, compared to how extensive an investigation is required to clarify whether criminal offenses have been committed, he says. The Norwegian Health Authority has not taken a decision on whether the closure should be appealed, says director Sjur Lehmann. According to police attorney Nils Kristian Grønvik, American police have now been notified of the conditions from the report so that they can assess the case on their side of the Atlantic. Published 11.10.2024, at 13.24
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Unlicensed psychologist reported by the Norwegian Health Authority – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
