PhD Solfrid Raknes is a Norwegian Clinical Psychologist, Researcher and Innovator. She is the driving force behind prize winning cognitive behavioral based material which is widely used in school health services, schools and kindergartens, as well as in specialised mental health services for children and adolescents. Since 2004 she has lectured extensively both in universities and a variety of health- and school-systems in Norway and internationally. In doing so, she provides continuing education opportunities for psychologists, GPs, social workers and teachers. Raknes is involved in a wide spectrum of humanitarian and research projects focused on improving mental health, and reducing poverty. After having spent the last 4 years mainly in Lebanon with Syrian refugees, she is now splits her time between Bergen, Beqaa, and Washington DC.
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WORK EXPERIENCES
2023 – present. Participant in the NOREC project Children with disabilities & UN rights convention; a collaboration between Molde University College Norway, Western Norway University of Applied Science, The Open University of Tanzania and Patandi Teachers’ College of special needs education, Tanzania
2023 – present. Consultant for Norwegian Church Aid and HEKS/EPER in implementing “The Helping Hand” in Ukraine and Romania
2022 – present. Developing and Evaluation “The Magic Mitten”, a psychosocial material for children 8 – 12 years in partnership with Dr. Hesna Al Ghaoui. Nagarro in USA has developed the app, and collaborators in Lebanon, Ukraine, Hungary, and Norway are testing it
2022 – 2023 Consultant for The Syrian American Medical Association (SAMS) implementing “The Helping Hand” in Jordan and Lebanon
2020 – 2022 Project leader in testing “The Happy Helping Hand App (HH)”, first financed by Innovation Norway through NORAD Innovation 2030, then by Great Canada Challenge
2018 – 2020 Project leader in developing “The Happy Helping Hand App”, financed by Innovation Norway
2018 – 2020 Project leader in developing and evaluating a school-based group program for anxious children in Bærum, financed by The Norwegian Health Directory
2017 – 2019 Project leader in developing and implementing The Helping Hand Program in Arabic. Collaborators: Dar El Fatwa Relief, Lebanon, SAMS Lebanon, and MultiAid Programs, Lebanon
2014 – 2017 Researcher II, Uni Research Health, Bergen
2011 – 2013 Project leader for The Psychological First Aid Kit in Children´s House in Oslo, and Spreading and Evaluation of the Psychological First Aid Kit, Uni Research Health, Bergen
2007 – 2010 Project leader Developing The Psychological First Aid Kit
2004 – 2020 Providing workshops and supervision for professionals in CBT training administered by NFKT Norway
2000 – 2013 Clinical Psychologist, Voss Hospital
1999 – 2000 Clinical Psychologist, Sør-Trøndelag Psychiatric Hospital
EDUCATION
2014 – 2018 PhD in Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway
2000 – 2004 Training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and CBT Supervision, The Norwegian Association for Cognitive Therapy (NFKT)
1992 – 1999 Clinical Psychologist, Clinical study of Psychology, University of Tromsø, UiT
HONORS AND GRANTS
2022 Winner of Youth Mental Health Challenge by Uplink - World Economic Forum
2020 – 2022 Grant from Great Canada Challenges for proof of concept study of The Helping Hand, SAMS Lebanon
2020 – 2022 Grant from Innovation Norway, The Helping Hand
2020 Today´s Everyday Hero. TV2, Norway
2019 Personal grant from Sparebanken Vest, Norway
2019 Nominated to "Citizen of the year, Bergen"
2018 – 2020 Grant from Innovation Norway through NORAD2030
2018 – 2019 Grant from The Norwegian Health Directory, Bærum
2018 – 2019 Grant from The Norwegian Health Directory
2016 – 2017 Overseas Scholarship, The Norwegian Research Council
2014 – 2017 PhD grant from The Norwegian Research Council
2014 – 2015 Personal grant from Extrastiftelsen
2014 Personal grant from Kavlifondet
2011 – 2013 Grant from The Norwegian Health Directory
2013 The Norwegian Psychology Association´ Aasa Gruda Skard´s honor
2012 Bergen University Hospital´s prize for Innovation
2010 Personal grant from The Norwegian Association for Cognitive Therapy
POSITIONS, REPRESENTATION AND VOLUNTARY WORK
2019 – ? Representing Norway in EFPA, Board of Prevention and Promotion
2020 – 2022 Member of the board of Reaching across borders
2019 – 2022 Founding and developing “The Crochet Community Collective” in collaboration with MAPS, Lebanon, fundraising for education, mental health support
2016 – 2017 Member of the board of Association for Intercultural Psychology, The Norwegian Psychology Association
2013 – 2018 Representing Norway in Low intensity CBT in EABCT
2004 – 2017 Member of the board of The Norwegian Association for Cognitive Therapy
2007 – 2010 Founder and member of the board of Lesehug
SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS
APPS AND DIGITALIZED LEARNING PROGRAMS
Magic Mitten, Ukrainian and English, app for children 8 – 12 years
Helping Hand, app for adolescents 12 – 19 years, Norwegian, English, French, Ukrainian
الید المسا ِعدة, for adolescents 12 - 19 years, Arabic
Grønne tanker i Salaby, Digitalized learning program for kids, for children 4 - 8 years, Norwegian
Glade Maur, app for children 4 - 8 years; Norwegian, Spanish, Sápmi, English and Arabic
POPULAR SCIENCE PUBLICATIONS
Raknes S (2023). Folkehelse og livsmestring for flyktningbarn. Forebygging.no
Raknes S & Rostami A (2022). Gir spill uante muligheter? Forebygging.no
Raknes S (2022). Kan elever spille seg til psykisk helse i skolen? Forebygging.no
Raknes S og Stensholt KW (2021). Spill fenger - erfaringer med spill app for sosial og emosjonell læring i klasserommet. Forebygging.no
Raknes, S. (2021). Tanker og følelser på timeplanen for ungdom i Namsos: Evaluering av implementering av psykologisk førstehjelp skoleåret 2020/2021. Rapport til Namsos Kommune, Program for folkehelse.
Raknes, S. (2020). Hjelpehånda - et spill for å trene på følelsesmessige utfordringer, derjournal.no, desember, s 26; og på arabisk, s 43
Albiad, I & Raknes, S. (2020). Korona forverrer situasjonen for syriske flyktninger i Libanon. derjournal.no, desember, s25-26; og på arabisk, s 43-44
Raknes, S. (2020). Mangan, miljø og mot.
Raknes, Hansen, Cederkvist & Nordgaard (2017). Psykologisk førstehjelp i skole og skolehelsetjeneste. I Kvarme (red). Sårbare skolebarn. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget.
Repål, A & Raknes, S (2015). Islamifisering av psykoterapi. Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening 52, 141-144
Raknes, S. (2015). Atferdseksperimenter og hjemmeoppgaver. I Berge og Repål (red). Håndbok i kognitiv terapi 2. utgave. s 71-81, Oslo: Gyldendal Akademisk.
Raknes, S (2014) Grønne tanker om helsesøsterarbeid. Tidsskrift for helsesøstre, 3, 54-56
Neumer, Raknes, Martinsen, Haugland, Matre, Dahl (2013). Tre KAT-baserte forskningsprosjekter for barn og unge. Tidsskrift for kognitiv terapi, 4, 6-19
Raknes, S & Haugland, B (2013): Psykologisk Førstehjelp. Veiledning for bruk i førstelinjen. Oslo: Gyldendal Akademisk.
Raknes, S (2014). Grønne tanker – glade barn. Oslo: Gyldendal Akademisk.
Raknes, S (2014). Sint og glad i barnehagen. Oslo: Gyldendal.
Raknes, S. (2010a). Psykologisk førstehjelp. Barn. Oslo: Gyldendal Akademisk.
Raknes, S. (2010b). Psykologisk førstehjelp. Ungdom. Oslo: Gyldendal Akademisk.
SELECTED LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS
See CV
MEDIA, SELECTED
Jan 25th 2023 World Economic Forum. The Helping Hand is at the top of the Tech for Good-list.
May 20th 2022 Winner of Youth Mental Health Challenge, UpLink - World Economic Forum
March 1st 2022 How Attensi is forging a new path to mental wellbeing with VR, gaming, and simulation. Mental Health Today
10.11.2018 Psykologisk førstehjelper BT Magasinet
13.09.2018 Doktergrad Solfrid Raknes. Bergens Tidende
10.08.2018 Generasjon prestasjon junior. Aftenposten, A-magasinet
16.07.2018 Flukt gir usynlege skadar. Vårt Land
23.05.2018 Solfrid Raknes er glad for at gründerjobben har blitt en livsstil. Psykologisk.no
9.032018 Stort frammøte på 8. mars. Avisa Hordaland
27.12.2017 Teiknar håp i flyktningeleiren Framtida Junior
20.12.2017 Jeg er kald. Ta meg tilbake til huset mitt. Bergens Tidende
15.09.2017 Læreren er viktig for å fange opp psykiske problemer. Forskning.no
2010 Trør til med Psykologisk førstehjelp. Tidsskrift for norsk psykologforening
2003 Skrekk og gru i heisen. Norge Rundt, NRK TV