Harald Bækkelund, Ph.D.

• Psychological treatment of trauma-related disorders
• PTSD, Complex PTSD, and dissociative disorders
• Implementation of of evidence-based treatments
• Psychosocial response to crises and disasters
• Clinical research and trial design

Harald Bækkelund has a clinical degree in Psychology (cand. psychol.) from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2004), and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Oslo (2021). He is a licensed specialist in clinical psychology for adults from the Norwegian Psychological Association (2010).

Bækkelund is a leading expert in the assessment and treatment of PTSD, Complex PTSD, and trauma-related dissociative disorders, with extensive experience in project coordination, supervision, and teaching in these fields. He was initiator and primary investigator for the project “Stabilizing group treatment for complex trauma” at Modum Bad psychiatric hospital. In this project he conducted two randomized clinical trials: one for the treatment of patients with PTSD related to childhood trauma, and the world’s first randomized trial for the treatment of complex dissociative disorders.

Bækkelund is widely consulted by government agencies, health services, municipalities, and mass media on topics related to violence, traumatic stress, and psychosocial support after trauma. From 2016 he was leader for a pilot study on the implementation of evidence-based treatment for PTSD. The results from this project led to a nationwide implementation of evidence-based treatments and practices for PTSD in Norwegian mental health services for adults, initiated by the National Directorate for Health. In 2020 he supervised the psychosocial support delivered by Gjerdrum municipality, after a devastating landslide disaster that killed 10 persons and affected more than 1500 residents. From 2023 he is the Primary Investigator of the project “Early Support after Exposure to Trauma (EASE)”, funded by the Norwegian Research Council. The objective of EASE is to determine the effectiveness, cost-benefits, and implementability of a preventive internet-based intervention after crises and disasters, delivered in municipal crisis services.

Bækkelund sits on the editorial board of the Journal of the Norwegian Psychological Association, and reviews for several top-tier journals in the field of traumatic stress. He also sits on the board of research and implementation of the Children and War Foundation, a highly respected non-profit organization dedicated to improving children’s lives after wars and disasters.

https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=no&user=EyGDZwgAAAAJ

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9510-7713

More publications:

List of all publications from Modum Bad