The vision is “Modum Bad – a source of life”. Our goal for the institution is to promote mental health and quality of life through treatment, research, dissemination and prevention.
The institution’s work is both fixed and steady on the one side, and concerned with change and development for dynamic adaptation to society’s needs and the prerequisites Modum Bad has for meeting these on the other side. In this sense, we live in a continuous strategic process.
Modum Bad treats mental disorders. The clinic has around 100 patient spots and treats different anxiety disorders, trauma disorders, depression, eating disorders and serious marital problems. Modum Bad has two outpatient clinics – one in Vikersund and a trauma outpatient clinic in Oslo.
We have our own institutes for research and pastoral care. Our course and competence centre runs dissemination and preventive activities. We also have a section for occupational health and for reducing burnouts in work-life, Villa Sana.
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24-hour service at the hospital
Anxiety disorders
In the treatment of anxiety, we use cognitive and metacognitive therapy. Training to overcome unreasonable fears is key. The treatment takes place without medication.
Depression
At the department of depressive disorders, we work according to the intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP). This model emphasizes an increased degree of emotional awareness, the challenge of established defences and the awareness of patterns that have developed over time. This is a well-documented research and experience-based therapy model. The treatment approach is both individual and group-based.
Couple and family therapy
The couple and family therapy unit treat people with various mental disorders and additional strains, where the problems are considered to be related to locked and destructive processes in the couple and family interaction.
Eating disorder
At the eating disorder unit patients with a serious eating disorder – either anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or atypical cases – are treated with either cognitive behavioural or compassion focused therapy.
Trauma
The Department of Traumatic Disorders treats complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of serious relationship trauma in adolescence.
Outpatient day care services
The outpatient clinic in Vikersund
Modum Bad’s adult psychiatric outpatient clinic in Vikersund accepts patients over the age of 18 with all types of mental disorders for diagnostic assessment, and treatment. We accept patients from the local community nearby the hospital.
The trauma outpatient clinic in Oslo
The Trauma Outpatient Clinic is a specialized outpatient clinic that offers assessment and treatment of complex trauma-related disorders.
Research at Modum Bad
The research institute’s overall objective is psychotherapy research. The goal is to develop and improve the institution’s treatment service, increase the competence of the staff, and to inform the psychotherapy field, nationally and internationally, with innovative, and scientific knowledge. The research at Modum Bad focuses on mental disorders and their treatment, as well as on the relationship between mental health care and psychiatry.
About the Research Institute
The Research Institute at Modum Bad, Gordon Johnsen’s foundation, was established in 1985. Modum Bad’s unique context of offering intensive treatment in a clinic over approximately three months, gives us the opportunity to carry out research projects that can follow therapy development closely during their stay, as well as by follow-up investigations.
Feedback systems
Increased use of feedback systems during the course of treatment gives us the opportunity to use collected data in the treatment as clinical feedback on treatment progression and progress. The same data is aggregated at group level for research purposes that enable us to gain more knowledge about effective mechanisms in the treatment.
Modum Bad has, over time used several types of feedback systems (for example OQ-45 and STIC). We have also developed a separate electronic system called Modum Process Outcome Questionnaire – MPOQ) which is now implemented in all clinical departments for both clinical and research purposes.
MPOQ will probably also be suitable in other treatment contexts, and we aim for collaboration and experience from different treatment sites to make the necessary adjustments to the system. CheckWare is our partner for electronic collection and processing/ reporting of data.
Close cooperation
The close collaboration between research and clinic that we have established at Modum Bad means that research is increasingly integrated as a natural part of the treatment. Our unique context, as well as production of publications and doctoral degrees at a high international level over several years, gives the Research Institute recognition from leading psychotherapy environments nationally and internationally.
25 doctoral dissertations
Since its inception in 1985, 25 doctoral dissertations have been published by the Research Institute on the topics of anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, trauma disorders, physical activity and mental disorders, couple and family therapy, doctors’ health, and existential themes / religion psychology. Within these areas, Modum Bad has developed solid academic competence.
Employees
Seven senior researchers (PhD). Of these, two are professors.
Nine PhD candidates
One administrative consultant
We complete an average of one doctoral degree per year.
Funding
External funding is continuously applied for from available sources. Part of the research is also internally funded by Modum Bad.
We have an active research environment, which works closely with the clinical units. Here you can read in more detail about academic affiliation, academic interests, partners and publications by each of our researchers.
Our researchers:
Click here for more information about each of our researches.
Research Projects and publications
Current projects in progress:
- Ebrahimi, Omid: A network approach towards mental disorders.
- Eielsen, Punsvik Hanna: Longstanding eating disorders and personality disorders, mediators for 17-year long-term outcome.
- Eielsen, Mikkel: Chronic depression: Effect and Therapy process.
- Eielsen, Mikkel: The development and validation of the ISTDP psychodiagnostic questionnaire.
- Finsrud, Ingvild: Examining change mechanisms in psychotherapy: Relationship between specific ingredients and common factors in promoting change.
- Halstensen, Kari: Relational processes. Addressing depressive conditions and the God relation in psychotherapy.
- Holbæk, Ingunn: How are dissociative ailments experienced from the inside? What inhibits and what promotes a good treatment process? What do health workers in the municipality need to contribute to this?
- Kopland, Maren: Mechanism of change in Compassion-focused therapy and Cognitive-behavioural therapy in the treatment of eating disorders with and without childhood trauma.
- Melsom, Linne: Persistent depressive disorder: Emotional mechanism of change in short-term dynamic psychotherapy.
- Olofsson, Malin E.: Eating disorders and childhood trauma: patients’ conceptualization of their illness and experiences of therapeutic change in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy.
- Sele, Peter: Comparison of treatments for Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder – a randomized controlled trial.
- Snuggerud, Therese: The feasibility and efficacy of a two-week MCT treatment of anxiety disorders in a group setting.
- Taxt Horne, Ingrid: Good help for doctors – good help for patients. Do we have adequate counselling resources for doctors?
- Tilden, Terje: Health-economic evaluation of the inpatient psychiatric treatment at Modum Bad from 2013 to 2021.
- Vrabel, KariAnne: Comparing compassion-focused therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy for patients with eating disorder and childhood trauma.
- Whittaker, Kristoffer: Tailored couple and family therapy: Do couples and families with trauma experiences require a specific treatment approach?
Click here for more information
Here we have made an overview of publications our researchers have published.
Course and conversation
Modum Bad promotes mental health and quality of life through prevention and professional communication. We have a rich range of courses and conversations for individuals, couples, families and professionals. The offers are disseminated through Modum Bad’s course and competence centre, the Department of Mental Health and the Trauma Outpatient Clinic.
Occupational Health – Villa Sana
Villa Sana, Modum Bad’s section for preventive occupational health. Villa Sana currently has an agreement with the Norwegian Medical Association, the Norwegian Dental Association, the Norwegian Nurses’ Association, the Joint Organization and the Norwegian Bar Association. The goal is to prevent burnout and to provide some help in time in order to pave the way forward in work, private life or cohabitation.
Family and cohabitation
We offer courses and individual sessions for couples who want to strengthen their relationships, courses for teenage families and stepparents, and training courses for professionals. PREP is probably our most well-known concept, where for example the military has an agreement with us on courses for its employees. We also arrange family gatherings in collaboration with relatives’ organizations.
Vocational course
Professionals who want to improve their competence in different areas within Modum Bad’s area of expertise, can attend courses provided here. We offer a number of individual courses, continuing and further education programs – especially in the fields of relational trauma, relationship-strengthening work with couples and families, and pastoral care.
Institute for pastoral care/counseling
The Institute for pastoral care & counselling is a good place to visit, whether you want to participate in recreational stays, retreats, courses or study. You can get guidance or conversations, take further education in mental health care.
Contact us
Contact hospital:
Phone: +47 32 74 97 00 (Front desk)
E-mail: post@modum-bad.no
Contact Research Institute:
Postadress:
Modum Bad, Research Institute
Postbox 33
N-3371 Vikersund, Norway
Visit us:
Badeveien 287, 3370 Vikersund
Phone: +47 32 74 97 00
KariAnne Vrabel, PhD.
head of the research institute
karianne.vrabel@modum-bad.no
Phone: +47 979 56 040
The whole Human being
Culture – part of the whole
The cultural offer is an important part of the overall idea at Modum Bad. Our flagships are public concerts and our rich art and book library.
The concerts are held in the venerable Festival Hall from the 19th century or in the atmospheric church room in Olavskirken, and are open to patients, staff and others who want to visit. Skilled artists and musicians from home and abroad come to us to hold concerts.
Physical activity in treatment
The weekly training sessions are mandatory, but everyone participates based on their own abilities. Good mastery of experiences is the goal.
The sessions are led by health sports educators with a college education and we have no performance requirements to be able to participate.
Church and pastoral care
Modum Bad is a diaconal institution that emphasizes the spiritual and existential dimension of life. Olavskirken is Modum Bad’s own church which is always open. The hospital also has a “quiet room” for mediation and contemplation.
The hospital’s two priests offer pastoral care / conversations with a focus on existential and spiritual care and are responsible for the worship life in Olavskirken.