Who am I

Most people know me for creating the PhD Compass Method — a simple, step-by-step framework that helps PhD students complete faster, avoid burnout, and publish with confidence. I built it so rigorous work becomes repeatable, humane, and ship-ready.

What I do in plain language

I teach researchers how to organize their work with practical systems: the PARA method adapted for academia and a “second brain” for researchers.
I share proven productivity and time-management strategies that turn chaos into clarity.
I help you move from scattered reading and stalled drafts to steady output and on-time submissions — often 4x faster than the “figure it out as you go” approach.

Why listen to me

I’m a PhD in Clinical Psychology who finished in four years while raising two daughters, publishing five peer‑reviewed articles outside my thesis, and co‑writing grant applications that secured $3.6M in research funding. I didn’t just survive my PhD — I thrived by building systems that protect energy and produce results. Today, I work 80% as a researcher on youth mental health treatments and 20% as a statistician supporting researchers at the Hospital of Southern Norway. My approach is pragmatic, evidence‑informed, and built for real constraints.

How I’m different

Jargon‑free, tool‑agnostic, and focused on what you’ll actually use
Systems you can adopt mid‑PhD without rebuilding your life
Clear templates, checklists, and weekly rhythms that make progress predictable

Mission

Help you secure funding, publish more, and finish your PhD without burnout — turning your doctorate from a source of stress into a journey of achievement and growth.

Career summary

Researcher since 2018, PhD on group CBT for youth with anxiety
PhD completed in 2022, now tenured researcher (80%) on youth mental health treatments
Statistician (20%) supporting all researchers at the Hospital of Southern Norway

Education

Bachelor of Psychology, Aalborg University, 2014
Master of Psychology, Aalborg University, 2016
PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, 2022
Master of Software Engineering, University of Agder, ongoing

Funding

Hospital of Southern Norway grant co‑author: $1M (2024–2028)
Public health fund grant co‑author: $3.6M (2025–2030)

Teaching

Social and Personality Psychology, Aalborg University, 2015
Statistical Forum, Hospital of Southern Norway, 2018–2019
WISC‑V courses, Hospital of Southern Norway, 2020 and 2022
Treatment of anxiety, Ansgar School and University of Agder, 2021–2025

Conference presentations

Symposium: EACBT Belgrade 2024
Open paper: EACBT Barcelona 2022
Posters: EACBT Bulgaria 2018, WCBT Berlin 2019, Inspirationskonferense 2019, Psykologikonferansen 2019

Non‑academic output

Co‑developer, e-risk.no — a self‑help and information resource for youth with anxiety
Co‑creator, “Intuitiv Statistikk” — a podcast introducing statistics for the social sciences

Selected publications

Bertelsen, T. B., & Håland, Å. T. (2025). A replication study to evaluate parental internalizing symptoms as predictors of anxiety symptoms. Cogent Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2025.2466935
Osland, I., Haaland, Å. T., Himle, J., & Bertelsen, T. B. (2025). School nurse–delivered anxiety interventions… Cogent Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2025.2519529
Håland, Å. T., & Bertelsen, T. B. (2025). Correction to: School anxiety accommodation in youth… Child Psychiatry & Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-025-01874-8
Håland, Å. T., & Bertelsen, T. B. (2025). School anxiety accommodation in youth… Child Psychiatry & Human Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-025-01853-z
Bertelsen, T. B., Haugland, B. S. M., Wergeland, G. J., & Håland, Å. T. (2023). Parental early life maltreatment… Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 55(6), 1644–1654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-023-01520-1
Zahl‑Olsen, R., Thuen, F., & Bertelsen, T. B. (2024). Gottman Seven Principles… JMFT, 50(4), 882–898. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12726
Stea, T. H., Bertelsen, T. B., … (2024). NEET interventions—systematic review. PLOS ONE, 19(6), e0306285. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306285
Reiråskag, M. A., Brokke, S. S., … Bertelsen, T. B. (2024). Decision‑making in suicidal acute psychiatric patients. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4257846/v1
Zahl‑Olsen, R., Severinsen, L., … Bertelsen, T. B. (2023). Emotion‑focused skills training… JMFT, 49(3), 581–594. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12643
Bertelsen, T. B., Himle, J. A., & Håland, Å. T. (2022). Family accommodation and youth anxiety… Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 54(3), 905–912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-021-01304-5
Rognli, E. W., … Bertelsen, T. B. (2022). Bayesian methods editorial. JCPP, 64(2), 339–342. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13662
Brokke, S. S., … Bertelsen, T. B. (2022). Sexual abuse, dissociation, and suicide attempt. BMC Psychiatry, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03662-9
Bertelsen, T. B., … Zahl‑Olsen, R. (2022). Bayes factor benefits… F1000Research, 11, 171. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.76842.2
Bertelsen, T. B., … Håland, Å. T. (2022). Family and school involvement in exposure therapy. Psychiatry Research, 313, 114632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114632
Ansar, N., … Bertelsen, T. B. (2022). Emotion‑focused parenting programs. JCCAP, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2022.2079130
Sunde, T., … Bertelsen, T. B. (2021). Metacognitions and obsessive beliefs… CTR, 45(6), 1105–1119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-021-10210-y
Lysberg, F., … Bertelsen, T. B. (2020). Life satisfaction over 20 years. Scand J Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494820957439
Zahl‑Olsen, R., … Bertelsen, T. B. (2019). Couple and family violence predictors. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02847

Work with me

Reach out if you want help with your PhD!

Subscribe to the my site and contact me and I am sure I can help you!

I’m here to help you finish well — with clarity, consistency, and confidence.