Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress | |
Abbreviation | NKVTS |
---|---|
Formation | 2004 |
Type | Government-owned research institute |
Location | |
Fields | Violence and sexual abuse; disaster management, terrorism, armed conflicts and traumatic stress; and forced migration and refugee health |
Director | Inger Elise Birkeland |
Affiliations |
|
Staff (2019) | 101 [1] |
Website | nkvts |
The Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (Norwegian : Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress, NKVTS) is a research centre in Oslo, Norway, and Norway's national research institution in violence and sexual abuse; disaster management, terrorism, armed conflicts and traumatic stress; and forced migration and refugee health research. It is interdisciplinary and employs experts mainly in psychology, psychiatry, and the social sciences. In addition to carrying out research and related activities, the institute advises the Government of Norway in its areas of expertise and has some official emergency management functions at the national level. NKVTS has 101 employees.
NKVTS was established by the Government of Norway in 2004 through the merger of four research institutions, mainly at the University of Oslo, and was wholly owned by the University of Oslo until 2019 when ownership was transferred to the Norwegian Research Centre, itself owned by four universities. While organised as an independent limited company, it remains an affiliated institute of the University of Oslo [2] and cooperates closely with the Department of Psychology and the Faculty of Medicine, where several of its research professors also hold professorial chairs. The centre was located at Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål 2004–2013, and is now located in Nydalen, Oslo.
NKVTS has its roots in the military and disaster psychiatry research of the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services from the 1950s. Its oldest predecessor institution was the Division of Disaster Psychiatry, a joint unit of the University of Oslo Faculty of Medicine and the Norwegian Armed Forces, that was established by the chief psychiatrist of the Norwegian Armed Forces, Arne Sund, a pioneer in military psychiatry and the founder of the field of disaster psychiatry. Through Sund's efforts Norway became "an international pioneer in the research on mass killings, war, catastrophes, accidents and all forms of violence." [3] NKVTS has extensive international cooperation and has been represented in various UN bodies, such as the United Nations Committee against Torture.
NKVTS was established by the Government in 2004 through the merger of four institutions: [4]
The oldest predecessor institution, the Division of Disaster Psychiatry, has its roots in Leo Eitinger's research on psychological trauma among soldiers, refugees and concentration camp survivors at the University of Oslo from the 1950s. [5] [6] Eitinger's research had a foundational impact on the psychological-psychiatric service of the Norwegian military. From the 1960s military psychiatry research was carried out in cooperation between the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services, and chief military psychiatrist Arne Sund established Norwegian military psychiatry as leading within NATO; Sund is also regarded as the founder of the newer field of disaster psychiatry. In 1978 the Division of Disaster Psychiatry was established as a formal unit within both the university and the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services, with Sund as its director. Through Sund's efforts Norway became "an international pioneer in the research on mass killings, war, catastrophes, accidents and all forms of violence." [3] In 1984 Sund was succeeded by military psychiatrist Lars Weisæth who led the institution until it became part of NKVTS. The Norwegian military's Stress Management Team for International Operations, established in 1996, was part of the Division of Disaster Psychiatry. The Psychosocial Team for Refugees was established by the government as part of the Directorate of Health in 1986, and became a centre at the University of Oslo in 1990. The two other institutions were established by the government in 1995 and 1996. The four institutions were merged to form NKVTS as a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs.
NKVTS is funded directly by the government. The institute was part of the University of Oslo from its establishment in 2004 until 2019, and remains an affiliated institute of the University of Oslo from 2019. The institute was located at Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål 2004–2013, and is now located in Nydalen, Oslo, in the immediate vicinity of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. In 2018 the government proposed to integrate NKVTS into the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. [7] In 2019 the government proposed that NKVTS continues as an independent state-owned research institute, and that the government's shares are administered by the Norwegian Research Centre, a research organisation owned by four universities; NKVTS maintains its close academic links with the University of Oslo as an affiliated institute.
The centre has 101 employees (2019). It employs experts in psychology, psychiatry, law, sociology, criminology, social anthropology and other disciplines, with the main emphasis on psychology and psychiatry. Its academic staff include research professors (equivalent to full professors), senior researchers (associate professors), researchers (assistant professors) and a number of postdoctoral fellows, doctoral candidates and research assistants. NKVTS cooperates closely with the Department of Psychology, the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo, where several of its research professors also hold professorial chairs. [1]
Nora Sveaass, then research director for refugee health and forced migration at NKVTS, was elected as a member of the United Nations Committee against Torture in 2005. [8]
NKVTS has major research projects on the psychological and social impact of terrorism, including the 2011 Norway attacks. NKVTS also has several research projects on the psychological impact of natural catastrophes such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and on child soldiers in Africa, torture, traumatised refugees, war victims and soldiers, child sexual abuse and sexual violence, and violence in close relations.
In addition to carrying out research the centre advises the Government of Norway in its areas of expertise. NKVTS has certain official functions related to emergency management at the national level.
The current director of the institute is Inger Elise Birkeland, a former political adviser to Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.
B.E. Saunders of the Medical University of South Carolina has described the institute as "one of the most highly respected research organizations in the world dedicated to research on violence and traumatic stress. Since its inception, it has conducted a series of highly sophisticated studies focusing on a wide array of topics, including the prevalence and impact of different forms of violence and abuse among children and adults, mental health treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related problems, and how best to implement and incorporate evidence-based interventions practices into community service agencies. These studies have had enormous impact not only in Norway, but internationally." [9]
The list includes researchers at NKVTS' four predecessor institutions.
The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences is a medical institution in Bengaluru, India. NIMHANS is the apex centre for mental health and neuroscience education in the country. It is an Institute of National Importance operating autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. NIMHANS is ranked 4th best medical institute in India, in the current National Institutional Ranking Framework.
Are Holen is a Norwegian psychiatrist and psychologist, and professor of psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He specializes on stress psychiatry, and has done scientific research on meditation.
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Dr. Neil Boothby is a psychologist and former US Government special advisor and senior coordinator to the USAID administrator on Children in Adversity, and former director of the Program on Forced Migration and Health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Currently, he is the founding Director of the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child at the University of Notre Dame. His research focuses on the psychosocial consequences of organized violence on children. As a senior representative of UNICEF, UNHCR, and Save the Children, he has worked for more than 25 years with children in crises in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe and is an internationally recognized expert and advocate for children affected by war and displacement. He has received numerous awards for his work on behalf of war-affected children, including the Red Cross International Humanitarian of the Year Award, the Mickey Leland Award, the United Nation's Golden Achievement Award for Social Services, and Duke University's Humanitarian Service Award.
Kevin Joseph Michael Gournay CBE FMedSci FRCN FRSM FRCPsych (Hon) PhD RN CSci Cert CBT is a registered psychologist, chartered scientist and a registered nurse by background. He is an emeritus professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience; King's College London. He was a consultant psychologist at the Priory Hospital North London; retiring in December 2018. He then returned to clinical work as part of the national response to COVID19; retiring once more in 2023. He is currently an Honorary Professor at the Matilda Centre; University of Sydney. His work in Australia spans 30 years to the present and focusses on the combination of mental health problems and substance use. During the COVID19 pandemic he contributed to research on the impacts of COVID19 on mental health. He has been responsible over many years for a very wide range of research, policy and practice development in mental health care. He also works as an Expert Witness; he has provided reports on more than 300 suicides; 20 homicides and hundreds of reports on people who have suffered the consequences of traumatic events, including accidents, terrorist related incidents, natural disasters, war related events and stillbirth and perinatal death. He has also provided numerous reports on patients receiving care and treatment in high secure and Medium secure settings, including Broadmoor, Rampton and Ashworth hospitals
Nora Louise Ahlberg is a Norwegian psychologist. She was Professor of Psychology at the University of Oslo and Director of the Psychosocial Centre for Refugees and later Director of the Norwegian Centre for Migration and Minority Health, a government agency that is now part of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
Margunn Bjørnholt is a Norwegian sociologist and economist. She is a research professor at the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS) and a professor of sociology at the University of Bergen. Her research has focused on financial institutions, management and working life and later on gender equality, migration and violence. She has also worked as a consultant, a civil servant, served as an expert to the European Commission and been president of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights.
Lars Weisæth is a Norwegian military psychiatrist. He is Research Professor Emeritus at the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Professor Emeritus of Disaster Psychiatry at the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo and a lieutenant-colonel and former chief psychiatrist of the Norwegian Armed Forces Medical Service.
Trond Heir is a Norwegian psychiatrist and military physician. He is a Research Professor at the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies and Professor II of Psychiatry at the University of Oslo Institute of Clinical Medicine. He is an expert on psychotraumatology, epidemiology and public health. He was a member of the crisis team in the aftermath of the 2011 Norway attacks against a youth camp at Utøya and against the central government departments, and has carried out research on psychological trauma in the aftermath of the attacks.
Odd Arne Tjersland is a Norwegian psychologist. He is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oslo and a Research Professor at the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies. He is an expert on psychological treatment of children, youth and families, and has published many books and articles on child abuse and violence in close relationships.
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Stefan Priebe is a German-British psychologist and psychiatrist.
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