Frequently asked questions.

No, you do not need a referral from a general practitioner or other healthcare professional — you can contact us directly. After the first session, the therapist may request relevant documentation, such as previous discharge summaries or reports, if you have these available.

The duration depends on the type of appointment you have booked:

• First consultation in-person / video (60 min)
• Standard consultation in-person / video (50 min)
• Medication review in-person / video (up to 30 min)

You can book by clicking the "Book appointment" button on this page, emailing info@maresante-mentalhelse.com or maresante.mental@gmail.com, or using the WhatsApp chat button. We respond with available times and practical information.

Yes, you can freely cancel or reschedule your appointment via SMS or email no later than two business days (48 hours) before the scheduled appointment. Appointments not cancelled within this deadline will be invoiced in full, regardless of the reason.

Yes. You will receive a reminder via SMS and/or email when the appointment is scheduled and 2 days before the appointment.

You can find a complete and up-to-date overview of all our prices and terms on our pricing page. Click here to see our prices↗

Payment is made on the same day as the treatment, via a payment link sent to you by SMS through MediPay/Payex. If the link is not paid within 48 hours, an invoice will be sent automatically. We ask that payment deadlines be observed to avoid any collection fees.

The best gift you can give to someone you love and care about is a journey to good mental health! You can read more about our gift cards or send a request via our pricing page. Click here to read more about or purchase gift cards↗

We are located on the 4th floor at Meltzersgate 4 in Frogner, right behind the Royal Palace. We also offer online services via a secure link.

Address: Meltzersgate 4, 0257 Oslo

Email: maresante.mental@gmail.com / info@maresante-mentalhelse.com

Phone: +47 91531871

Digipost: Maresante Mental Helse AS

A rule of thumb:

If you spend a lot of energy dreading your day, or you feel like you are "acting" as if everything is fine around others, it is a clear sign from your body that you are carrying too heavy a burden alone. There is no shame in asking for help.

You should seek help when mental distress starts affecting your daily life, sleep, or relationships, and you notice you cannot turn the negative trend around on your own. It is a common myth that you need to be "seriously ill" or hit rock bottom before contacting a psychiatrist or psychologist. The truth is that the earlier you address the challenges, the faster and easier it usually is to find your way back to a good everyday life.

Here are some concrete signs that it may be wise to book an assessment appointment:

1. 1

   Decline in functioning: When mental struggles make it challenging to carry out completely ordinary tasks. This may involve struggling to get to work or school, isolating yourself from friends and family, or no longer being able to pursue hobbies and activities you usually enjoy.

1. 2

   Prolonged change in mood, energy, or sleep: Everyone has bad days or tough weeks. But if you experience the following symptoms for more than 2–3 weeks, you should consider seeking help:

   • You feel continuously dejected, empty, or hopeless.
   • You experience paralyzing anxiety, constant worry, or panic attacks.
   • Your sleep pattern is completely disrupted — either you cannot fall asleep, you wake up in the middle of the night with racing thoughts, or you sleep excessively.
   • Your mood swings so dramatically that it creates conflicts or challenges for you and those around you.

1. 3

   You are experiencing an acute life crisis or overload: Sometimes life events overwhelm our coping ability. This could be a relationship breakup, loss of close family members, serious illness, or prolonged extreme stress at work or in your studies. Talk therapy in such a phase can prevent an acute crisis from developing into a long-term depression or anxiety disorder.

1. 4

   Destructive coping strategies: If you notice you are resorting to unhealthy methods to numb the mental pain — such as developing a strained relationship with food (overeating or starving), or that you are increasingly using alcohol or substances to silence racing thoughts (note that with ongoing, active substance abuse, specialist treatment in TSB is required before private practice therapy).

1. 5

   Concerns about children or adolescents: As a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry, I would also highlight the parental role: If you as a parent experience persistent concern about your child's or adolescent's emotional development, isolation, abnormally high stress levels, or changed behaviour, it is better to seek an early assessment rather than "wait and see" for too long.

Do you feel the time has come to talk to someone? Click here to read about how the first session works↗ or Go directly to the contact form to book an appointment↗.

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.

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.

Which treatment method is best suited for you is something we figure out together during the first conversations. The choice depends on your challenges, your personality, your life situation, and what scientific research shows has the best effect on your difficulties.

As a specialist, I have training in and experience with several different treatment approaches. This allows me to adapt the method to your unique needs, rather than forcing you into one specific framework. I do not rely on a single method for everyone but often combine different treatment approaches to create change and promote the best possible improvement.

Psychoeducation (Knowledge sharing)

I use psychoeducation as an integrated part of treatment for all patients. This is a systematic and educational approach where we teach you and possibly your family about the relevant mental health challenge or diagnosis. Understanding your own condition and your own reaction patterns is often half the battle. The goal is not just to provide dry information but to equip you with knowledge that makes it easier to cope with everyday life.

Medication

As a psychiatrist (physician), I can assess whether medication can be a useful support for you during the treatment process. If medication is relevant, it is almost always used in combination with talk therapy and close medical follow-up.

How long you should attend therapy depends entirely on what kind of challenges you want help with and what your goal is. A treatment plan is always tailored to the individual.

You have full control over your own treatment course and can stop whenever you wish. My recommendation as a psychiatrist: Even though you can stop at any time, I always recommend that we have a joint closing session when you feel ready to finish. Ending a therapy process in a planned and proper way is in itself an important part of the treatment. This ensures you have the tools you need for the road ahead on your own.

The goal of therapy is to create a safe space where we work together to help you feel better about yourself and in your daily life. We take as our starting point where you are today. The goals below serve as a compass, and we adapt the treatment to suit your specific life situation and your wishes for the future.

Based on your needs, we will focus on achieving positive change and improvement in these areas:

1. 1

   Personal growth and coping

   • Increase self-awareness: Get to know yourself better, your values, and your patterns.
   • Mobilise your own resources: Rediscover and strengthen your own inherent strengths and tools.
   • Promote joy and increase well-being in everyday life: Work purposefully towards more life satisfaction and a more meaningful daily life.

1. 2

   Managing thoughts and habits

   • Establish better functioning coping mechanisms: Replace strategies that no longer serve you with healthier tools.
   • Regulate difficult emotions and intrusive thoughts: Learn to handle emotional turmoil and anxiety in a safe way.
   • Change unhealthy habits and rigid behaviours: Break out of cycles that hold you back.

1. 3

   Relationships and inner peace

   • Handle internal and interpersonal conflicts: Find strategies for standing in and resolving conflicts, both with yourself and others.
   • Engage in healthy interpersonal relationships: Build safe, good, and balanced bonds with the people around you.

Psychiatrists and psychologists have overlapping tasks and work in similar ways. When needed, they collaborate and draw on each other's expertise.

A psychiatrist is a trained physician who has then specialised in mental disorders (psychiatry). The psychiatrist looks at the interplay between physical (biological) illness and mental symptoms. They have deep insight into how brain chemistry, hormones, organ systems, and physical illness affect the psyche (and vice versa), and take into account the psychosocial and cultural aspects for a holistic approach. A psychiatrist can assess, diagnose, and treat all forms of mental disorders, especially complex conditions. They offer both psychotherapeutic conversations and can prescribe medication when needed. Since they are doctors, psychiatrists can also issue sick leave certificates, although this task is typically handled by the general practitioner.

A psychologist has a university education in psychology (professional degree). They focus on human normal development and how thoughts, emotions, and behavioural patterns are shaped. The psychologist focuses on psychological processes, relationships, life history, and environmental factors. They work to understand why we react as we do and how we can change unhelpful patterns. They offer assessment and talk therapy for a wide range of mental health challenges. A psychologist cannot prescribe medication or issue sick leave certificates.

A neuropsychologist is a psychologist who has completed further education (specialisation) in the relationship between the brain's physical structure and our behaviour, thinking, and emotions. The neuropsychologist examines how injuries, diseases, or congenital conditions in the brain affect cognitive functions such as memory, attention, language, and logical thinking. They engage less in traditional talk therapy. Instead, they perform comprehensive and specialised tests (a neuropsychological examination) to map exactly which parts of the brain's function are impaired or intact.

As a psychiatrist, I am a medical doctor specialising in mental health. This means I have specialist expertise in assessing whether, when, and how medication — often called psychopharmaca — can be a safe and useful part of your recovery process. Medication is rarely a complete solution on its own, but it can function as an important support in daily life. Medication works best when combined with conversations, reflection, and tools for coping. The goal is often for medication to give you the necessary surplus to make changes in your life.

Here are the most common situations where medication may be relevant:

1. 1

   For moderate to severe mental disorders: When mental difficulties become so intense that they paralyse your daily functioning, medication can help dampen the most severe symptoms. This applies especially to:

   • Severe depression: To restore chemical balance in the brain, give you back your sleep, and lift your energy enough that you can benefit from talk therapy.
   • Bipolar disorder: Mood-stabilising medication is often essential to prevent and dampen the large swings between deep depressions and manic episodes.
   • Severe anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): When anxiety is so paralysing that you cannot expose yourself to what you fear (exposure therapy), medication can take the edge off the panic.
   • Psychoses and schizophrenia: Antipsychotic medication is crucial for dampening hallucinations, thought chaos, and delusions.
   • Major and persistent sleep difficulties.

1. 2

   For neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD: With ADHD, the brain's ability to regulate attention and impulses is biologically impaired. Central stimulants or other targeted ADHD medications can help the brain gather thoughts, increase concentration, and dampen inner and outer restlessness.

1. 3

   When other measures have not been sufficient: If you have tried talk therapy, lifestyle changes, or other measures over time without noticing sufficient improvement, it may be relevant to add medication support to break the negative pattern.

Starting psychopharmaca is a decision we make together. You will never be pressured to take medication.

Download the consent form as PDF here↗

A psychiatrist has the right to issue sick leave certificates. However, I do not issue sick leave certificates in my private practice. This must be handled by your general practitioner.

Yes, absolutely. Everything we discuss in my practice is strictly confidential. As a psychiatrist and physician, I have a statutory professional duty of confidentiality under the Health Personnel Act. This means that nothing you share with me regarding personal information, medical history, or life situation will be disclosed to others without your explicit consent. This also applies to family members, partners, employers, or schools.

Our relationship is built on trust. Should a situation unexpectedly arise where an exception to the duty of confidentiality becomes relevant, my goal will always be to discuss this openly with you first, as long as it is practically possible and responsible. Safety is the backbone of the treatment.

For you to feel completely safe in the treatment, it is crucial that you know exactly how your personal data and medical history are handled. Privacy in my practice is governed by strict legislation that ensures your confidentiality.

The three most important pillars of your privacy:

1. 1

   Statutory duty of confidentiality As a physician and psychiatrist, I am subject to one of the strictest confidentiality obligations in Norwegian society under the Health Personnel Act. This means nothing you share in the therapy room — whether it concerns symptoms, past, relationships, or substance use — can be shared with others without your written or verbal consent. The duty of confidentiality also applies to your closest family members, partners, employers, or schools.

1. 2

   Secure electronic medical records All healthcare professionals have a duty to document treatment in a patient record. In my practice, I use a modern record system that meets the strictest security requirements of the Norwegian Data Protection Authority and the Norm for Information Security in the Health and Care Services.

   • No outsiders have access to these systems.
   • You have full right to request access to your own records at any time.

1. 3

   Communication and digital platforms Regular email and SMS are not secure enough channels for sensitive health information. To protect your privacy, I ask that you use my contact form when booking appointments, or raise sensitive questions directly in consultation with me. Documentation can be sent via Digipost or via email if sent encrypted.

Like all healthcare professionals, I am legally required to keep patient records. This is done in a closed and secure record system that meets the strictest data security requirements. The records exist to ensure that you receive safe and responsible treatment, and you naturally have the right to access your own records at any time you wish.

Healthcare personnel are subject to a number of statutory duties, primarily regulated through the Health Personnel Act, to ensure patient safety and quality of services. The Health Personnel Act applies to all personnel who provide healthcare in public or private health and care services, regardless of whether they have formal authorisation.

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In my practice, I place great importance on patient care, safety, and mutual trust. However, should you experience that the treatment, your rights, or the way you are met does not meet expectations, as a patient in the Norwegian health system you have a statutory right to complain.

Here is an overview of how you can proceed if you wish to file a complaint or raise something you are dissatisfied with:

1. 1

   Raise it directly with me (Recommended first): If you experience misunderstandings, disagree with a professional assessment, or feel poorly cared for, I encourage you to raise this with me during a session. Often an open conversation can clear up misunderstandings, and together we can adjust the treatment plan so you feel safe.

1. 2

   The Patient and User Ombudsman: If you find it difficult to raise the matter directly with me, or if you want independent advice and guidance about your rights, you can contact the Patient and User Ombudsman.

   • This is a free and confidential service.
   • The ombudsman can help you formulate a potential written complaint and guide you through the system.

1. 3

   Formal complaint to the County Governor: If you believe there has been a serious failure in treatment, or that health legislation has been breached, you can send a formal complaint to the County Governor in the county where the clinic is located.

   • The County Governor is the supervisory authority for healthcare personnel and will assess whether the treatment provided has been professionally responsible.
   • Such a complaint can today be sent simply and securely via the digital portal on the County Governor's website.

1. 4

   Norwegian System of Patient Injury Compensation (NPE): If you believe you have suffered physical or psychological harm as a result of treatment, and that this has led to financial loss or permanent injury, you can apply for compensation from NPE.

   • All private practitioners and psychiatrists in Norway are legally required to be registered with and pay fees to NPE to ensure patients' financial protection in case of malpractice.

Would you like to read more about your general rights as a patient in Norway? You can find comprehensive information at Helsenorge.no.

I offer planned psychiatric assessment and treatment for conditions such as mild to moderate depression, stable bipolar disorder, anxiety and stress-related difficulties, ADHD and developmental difficulties, stable psychotic disorders under medical treatment, relational challenges, binge eating/BED, and persistent sleep difficulties. The first step is always a clinical assessment of whether private practice is the right setting.

I can assess anxiety, stress, obsessive-compulsive, and trauma-related reactions as part of a psychiatric overall assessment. However, I do not offer EMDR therapy or intensive specialised OCD/PTSD programmes. If that is the right treatment, I can recommend an appropriate specialist or public service.

I can provide a clinical assessment, psychoeducation, and help with secondary mental health difficulties such as depression, anxiety, or obsessive symptoms. Some autism-spectrum assessments, especially in children or complex needs, require multidisciplinary public evaluation with services such as BUP, PPT, or a neuropsychologist.

For persistent sleep difficulties, we map sleep pattern, stress, racing thoughts, habits, mental health symptoms, and medication use. Treatment is based on principles from cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and medication support or safe tapering of sleep medication can be considered when needed. Sleep apnoea, narcolepsy, and other physiological sleep disorders require medical sleep assessment outside my services.

The clinic does not offer emergency help, only planned assessment and treatment during daytime hours.