Here, if you are trying to find a psychologist in Oslo, you will get help to orientate yourself, make decisions and find the right offer. We provide answers to all the most common questions in the process until you get started.
In short, you have the choice between a public and private offer, but we will see that there are a total of 9 different ways to get in touch with a psychologist in Oslo.
We will consider the question of whether one should contact a psychologist in Oslo at all, what expectations one can have when going to a psychologist, which psychologist to choose, how to find the right psychologist, the choice between a public and private psychologist, price for psychologist in Oslo, whether you can go for recommended psychologists and how to find a free psychologist in Oslo.
First we will look at some of the emotional issues before we move on to look at the practical ones.
Seeking out another person for help is undoubtedly a healthy and constructive impulse. All people need help at times and seeing a psychologist is a rational attempt at coping.
At the same time, we can quickly be met by opposing forces on the inside, which will turn it into something else. Here it is important not to choose based on the fear that tends to drive internal repressive forces. Examples of such forces can be self-doubt, belittling, shame, self-criticism and constant downgrading.
Rather, try to gather the courage needed to listen to the healthy desire inside to live better.
Everyone can benefit from seeing a psychologist, but that is not the same as saying that everyone needs it. Whether it will be something for you is strictly speaking only one way to find out. I have never experienced that anyone has regrets, although not everyone gets the same amount in return for it. The yield varies, among other things, with how well the psychologist and the client manage to establish cooperation.
The surest sign that you can benefit is if you think you should not take the place of someone else, or thoughts that you want to waste time with the therapist.
It is also a good idea if you are one of the many who are afraid of what you will find out about yourself! Most of us are on one level or another. The little trolls we may have in us have a wonderful tendency to burst in the light and life becomes easier when you no longer fear and avoid something in yourself. You can run – but you can't hide.
When apparently small problems are able to grow big inside, it is in the middle of the core business of psychologists and one of the things we can best help with.
You can read more about what you can expect from therapy with a psychologist by click on this link.
We will eventually show a total of 9 ways to get in touch with a psychologist in Oslo. Simply put, we can say that you are faced with two options.
The first thing is to make direct contact with a private psychologist in Oslo and get an appointment within a few days. You must then pay yourself or have expenses covered by health insurance or your employer. Here, of course, you are free to choose who you want to go to.
Option two is to contact the GP and discuss which of the public offers you can qualify for and get a referral there. Then you only pay deductibles, but you are not guaranteed admission and a 1-3 month waiting period should be expected.
There are three factors that determine this choice: How long you can afford to wait, what you can afford to pay and whether you will be granted a public offer at all. There are also some advantages and disadvantages linked to the framework of the various public offers, which we will explain a little later in the article.
With a public psychologist, you only pay deductibles up to the free card limit, which for 2024 is NOK 3,165. Everything above this is covered by the public sector. The price for a single hour up to this maximum limit is NOK 403 and the price is NOK 604 for a double hour.
You can read more about the participants in the free card scheme in these links:
An analysis of the top 10 organic hits when searching for a psychologist Oslo on Google shows an average price with a private psychologist in Oslo of approx. An appointment with a private psychologist in the evening usually costs a couple of hundred kroner more.
Many private psychologists in Oslo also offer double lessons, which basically give even better value for money. Psychologists who offer intensive short-term psychodynamic therapy (ISTDP) also offer block lessons of 3 clock hours for those who have a long journey or want to get started faster.
The price for a private psychologist depends mostly on how many hours you need, which is very individual, but something you can ask your psychologist to consider during the very first meetings.
Now we will look in more detail at the 9 different ways to get in touch with a psychologist in Oslo. This way you can find out which alternatives you qualify for and which of the relevant offers will suit you best.
A private psychologist without an appointment has many advantages. Perhaps the most important are high availability and short or no waiting time. Here, you usually get an appointment within a few days, or even on the day. It is also easy to get in touch with a private psychologist by searching on Google, using the online booking function, email or phone. You can expect to receive a response immediately or within a few hours. You do not need to go through your GP to get a referral.
With a private psychologist, you choose a psychologist yourself, you are free to arrange double sessions, the treatment has no upper time frame and there is great flexibility in terms of frequency. The disadvantage for most people is of course that with a private psychologist you basically have to pay yourself.
However, many regular health insurances (either private or through work) also cover psychologist sessions. Some employers may also be willing to cover treatment even without health insurance. If you choose to go for this option, you can quickly and easily book an appointment with us.
In addition to private psychologists without an appointment, there is another main group that also organizes itself privately. The difference is that they have an agreement with the public sector which means that you only pay deductibles up to the free card limit. The agreement these psychologists have with the public sector is often called a reimbursement scheme, operating subsidy or operating agreement, and the psychologists are often called contract specialists.
In addition to the advantage of a lower price, all the contract specialists have extensive experience. The disadvantage is that it can be difficult for many to make contact and that the waiting time is often long.
Book an appointment with the GP and ask for a referral. Ask the GP if the so-called "cluster arrangement" works. This is a system where appointment specialists are linked to specific GP offices. This is done precisely to increase accessibility, but it is unfortunately different how well this arrangement works.
If the cluster scheme does not work where you are affiliated, you can call «free choice of hospital» on telephone 800 41 004. Say that you are looking for a psychologist and want information about which contract specialists currently have a short waiting time. You can also get some information about the methods that the various psychologists work with. This means that you can start with a shorter list of psychologists in Oslo with a relatively shorter waiting time.
Know that most people have limited phone time. Many people want you to write a few words about what you want help with. Feel free to send a standard letter of maximum one page to several psychologists at the same time. Then you don't have to waste time waiting for one after another if you don't get admission anyway.
Also remember that many do not get answers at all. Unfortunately, this is common and you should not be led astray into believing that it is about the content of your particular letter.
For a complete list of psychologists in Oslo with an operating agreement, click here this link.
The contract specialists otherwise have the same advantages as other private psychologists with fairly free limits in terms of duration and frequency.
DPS stands for district psychiatric center and each district in Oslo is affiliated with a DPS. You need a referral from your GP who sends this to an admissions office at DPS. Based on given criteria, they decide whether you are entitled to health care within given deadlines. More serious cases are given priority, but where the list is is difficult to determine and is also city-dependent.
Just tell the GP how you feel and then it is up to him to assess whether a referral here might be appropriate. You have the right to be informed whether you have been admitted, and how long the waiting period is, within 30 days. The waiting time is anywhere between 4 - 20 weeks, with a waiting time of around 12 weeks being the most common.
You can see waiting times at the various DPS in and around Oslo in this link: https://tjenester.helsenorge.no/velg-behandlingssted
At DPS, there is interdisciplinary collaboration between a psychologist / psychologist specialist, a doctor in specialization, a psychiatrist, a psychiatric nurse and a (clinical) sociologist. This is a potentially great advantage compared to the private offers. Especially if you need more complex services.
It may also be worth noting that at DPS you do not necessarily get a psychologist as your primary care provider. The most important thing for the benefit you get from talk therapy is regardless of the quality of the collaboration you and your therapist are able to establish.
"Faster back" is a public psychological service in Oslo that comes under DPS, but where it is easier to get admission. If you are on sick leave or your GP assesses that there is a risk of this, you can qualify for this offer. If you have been on sick leave for over a year, you are no longer in the target group.
The waiting time is somewhat variable, but usually a couple of months. The therapists are mainly experienced psychologists. It is a time-limited offer where you work purposefully based on the difficulties that prevent or threaten work participation - but not exclusively this.
Center for job mastering is an offer under the auspices of NAV, for people with mild to moderate anxiety and/or depression problems that prevent participation in work. The goal is to master the ailments, get back to work as quickly as possible and master the job over time. The offer applies to both those who are without employment and those who have an employment relationship to which they are unable or do not wish to return.
Here, work-oriented cognitive therapy is provided by psychologists and other personnel with health / social work education, who have further education in cognitive therapy. In addition, individual job support is provided by so-called job specialists. These are personnel in NAV with good knowledge of career guidance and the local labor market. The offer is free.
#6 - Third line services
If you have tried psychological help before without sufficient help, we point out that there are even more specialized units, so-called 3rd line services. There are, for example, separate treatment options for trauma disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders and relationship difficulties.
If, after a round or two in the treatment unit, you have not received the help you need, you can discuss a referral to the third line with your GP.
Students in Oslo have access to a psychologist through the student association. Here you only pay deductibles. Many employees in larger companies will also have access to free psychological help through the company health service.
#8 - Family Welfare Office
The family protection offices constitute a free offer from the child, youth and family agency, where counseling, therapy and guidance are offered in the event of difficulties in the relationship or the family. Various professional groups, including psychologists, work at the family protection offices.
There are government offices through Bufetat, but there are also ecclesiastical family welfare offices. These are also part of the public offer. The waiting time varies, usually a few weeks up to a few months. You can make contact as an individual for family-related problems, but you cannot expect to receive regular individual follow-up.
An overview of the various family welfare offices with free psychologists in Oslo can be found here:
#9 - Urgent offers
If you are in urgent need of an appointment, contact the emergency unit at DPS in your district within normal working hours. Below is a list of contact information. Outside normal working hours, you can call or attend the emergency room at Storgaten 40, telephone 116 117. A referral is not necessary, you only pay a deductible and there is a short waiting time, for many under an hour. For further information about the psychiatric emergency room in Storgaten, you can click on this link.
Contact information for emergency teams sorted by district affiliation:
Research shows that some psychologists manage to help all their clients, while others only help a small proportion. The therapist is much more important to the outcome than the method. While we know that the choice of therapist is important, we know very little about who can be a good psychologist for the individual.
The result depends very much on the relationship and the collaboration that client and therapist manage to establish. You can read the websites to get a certain feeling, but ultimately you have to test out a collaboration.
Some processes take time and unfortunately it is rare that psychological help involves a quick-fix. At the same time, it is a bad sign for further progress if you do not feel you have gotten anything out of the contact within the first few hours. Then you should discuss it with the psychologist, go for a walk with yourself, and if nothing comes of it, consider switching.
If there are the same difficulties that you experience in other relationships that may block progress, such as trust issues, you may want to work through it. Sometimes it's as much about finding confidence in oneself as it is about finding someone you can trust.
If you're looking for a recommended psychologist in Oslo online, it's not entirely easy. From earlier, a number of recommendations by psychologists are available through the website legelisten.no.
Some psychology websites publish testimonials from former patients, but this will also have limited value as such publication will be selective. It is therefore perhaps best if you can get recommendations from someone you know or trust. You can also ask your GP about recommended psychologists. However, no such tips about recommended psychologists provide any guarantee. A psychologist may be very good for one person, but not so good for another. In the end, as I said, you just have to jump in and test out a collaboration to find out if the psychologist can be good for you.
All people deserve freedom, love, joy and good health. We wish you all the best with the wonderful project you have going on. If we can contribute, we will gladly do so. If you think others could benefit from this article, please share it by pressing the icons below or by copying the following link and sending it to someone you care about.
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We have two offices in the city centre:
- Øvre Slottsgate 7, 0157 Oslo
- Nedre Vollgate 1, 0158 Oslo
Email:
Clinic: post@psykologvirke.no
Your psychologist: "first name"@psykologvirke.no
Psykologvirke offers experienced and highly specialized psychologists to individuals, couples and companies in central Oslo.
We strive for targeted and evidence-based practice, continuous professional development and tailoring in the approach.
Book an appointment directly via our online booking.
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