Norwegian Health Authority revokes psychologist’s license amid U.S. concerns

Norway recently notified 30 countries about the revocation of a child psychologist’s professional authorization; however, the United States was not included in that notification. The Norwegian Health Authority has since communicated with the U.S. Embassy in Oslo regarding the matter.

The case revolves around a Norwegian psychologist who was arrested at St. Olav’s Hospital in Trondheim in June 2020. He confessed to three sexual offenses involving animals and accepted a fine of 20,000 Norwegian kroner. During the ongoing investigation, his authorization was suspended by the Health Authority, preventing him from practicing as a psychologist. Despite this, he applied for a psychologist position at Norway’s Labor and Welfare Administration (Nav) in early 2021, securing the job after two interviews without disclosing his lack of authorization. He began working in January 2022 but left abruptly after Nav discovered the situation and denied his appeal.

By 2024, the psychologist was listed as working at the Washington Anxiety Center in Washington, D.C., seeing patients without the clinic or U.S. authorities being aware of his history in Norway. After inquiries from Norwegian media, he resigned immediately when confronted by the clinic’s management.

The Health Authority’s letter to the U.S. Embassy referenced these developments and requested that American authorities be informed that the psychologist no longer holds valid Norwegian authorization. Meanwhile, the Trøndelag police have reported the case to Interpol, sharing concerns about the psychologist practicing in the U.S. without a valid license. Despite multiple outreach attempts, neither the D.C. health authorities nor the psychologist’s lawyer have responded to inquiries about his work and authorization status.