Bjørn Lau

Bjørn Lau serves as Institute Director at the University of Oslo's Faculty of Psychology, where he leads academic and administrative operations within the Psychological Institute. His career spans clinical, organizational, and work psychology domains with significant contributions to mental health research in occupational settings.

His research focuses on the intersection of clinical psychology and organizational psychology, specifically klinisk arbeidspsykologi (clinical work psychology). Key areas include workplace stress, sick leave management, return-to-work interventions, leadership dynamics, and psychosocial work environments. He investigates symptom management, work ability assessment, diagnostic applications, and individual differences in motivation, coping styles, and personality within occupational contexts.

Current research trends reveal strong emphasis on

• Digital mental health interventions (e-wCBT for anxiety/depression)
• Police and emergency personnel stress assessment
• Multidisciplinary rehabilitation approaches (knee surgery + CBT)
• Depression treatment through cognitive remediation
• Workplace accommodations for mental health conditions
• Effort-reward imbalance models in clergy and industrial settings

Lau leads multiple funded projects including the EU/Royal Norwegian Council-supported e-Work Study (web-based CBT for return-to-work patients), Police College-funded research on operational demands in Norwegian police, and hospital-funded studies on psychotherapy's impact on sick leave reduction. He collaborates extensively with Lovisenberg DPS, Health South-East, and the Research Council on clinical trials involving cognitive behavioral therapy, goal management training, and multidisciplinary interventions.

His methodological expertise spans randomized controlled trials, psychometric validation of workplace assessment tools, longitudinal cohort studies, and mixed-methods approaches to organizational psychology challenges. He actively contributes to professional organizations including the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations and previously chaired the Norwegian Organizational Psychological Society (2003-2006).