Anne H Berman

I am an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology, investigating digital interventions for addictive behaviors at Karolinska Institutet. I am also a full Professor of Psychology at the Division of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, where my research focus is on a broader spectrum of mental health problems and digital interventions among university students. From 2020 and onwards I have thus been teaching and doing research at Uppsala University, affiliated in parallel with Karolinska Institutet. I am currently also Scientific Counsel on psychological aspects of alcohol and drug use at the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen.se) and also participated as an expert in the government White Paper on Drugs (Narkotikautredningen). I conduct my research together with fellow researchers, post-doctoral and doctoral students.

Earlier, I served as Director of the National Telephone Support Line for Problem Gamblers (stodlinjen.se) 2015-2019. In 2018, in collaboration with local and national experts, I launched a free Swedish-langugage online course on problem gambling for staff in social and healthcare services who encounter persons with gambling problems. An important contribution I am responsible for is development of the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) and its in-depth correlate, the DUDIT-E. I have taught behavioral medicine and problematic substance use treatment research at advanced undergraduate and graduate levels. I worked clinically for 10 years as a psychotherapist at the Stockholm Center for Dependency Disorders and have been a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) since 2002. I have served two terms as President of the Swedish Behavioral Medicine Society, 2009-2015 and 2017-2021. I am currently Fellow of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine (ISBM) after serving as Chair of the Education and Training Committee 2010-2018, President-Elect 2018-2021, President 2021-2023 and Past President 2023-2025. I also currently serve as a board member of the Swedish Behavioral Medicine Society and of the Swedish Existential Psychotherapy Society (SEPT.nu).

PhD students and postdoctoral researchers

Prior

Ella Thiblin, PhD, Uppsala University, December 2025. Co-supervisor.

Danilo Romero, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, June 2025. Co-supervisor.

Elisabeth Petersén, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, June 2024. Main supervisor.

Karoline Kolaas, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, October 2023. Main supervisor.
Viktor Månsson, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, April 2023. Main supervisor.
Olof Molander, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, March 2022. Main supervisor.
Niels Eék, Gothenburg University, March 2022, Co-supervisor.
Magnus Johansson, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, September 2020. Co-supervisor.
Christopher Sundström, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, December 2017. Main supervisor.
Lena Bergdahl, PhD, Uppsala University, June 2017. Co-supervisor.
Mikael Gajecki, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, June 2016. Main supervisor.
Kristina Sinadinovic, PhD, Karolinska Institutet, June 2012. Main supervisor.

Postdoctoral supervision 

2022-2023 Naira Topooco, PhD, 50%, UU, researcher
2022-2023 Olga Perski, PhD, 20%, UU, researcher
2020-2022 Christopher Sundström, PhD, 20%, KI
2019-2020 Philip Lindner, PhD, 40%, KI
2016-2020 Mikael Gajecki, PhD, 20%, KI
2012-2016 Kristina Sinadinovic, PhD, 50%, KI
2009-2014 Claes Andersson, PhD, Associate Professor, Malmö högskola, Affiliated to Lund University and Uppsala University

Education
Advanced Psychotherapy Degree, 2007, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

PhD, 2004, Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

MSc, 1998, Clinical Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

Diploma in Law, 1995, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

B.A., 1980, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel

Academic honours, awards and prizes

2025 - ISBM Fellow; Outstanding Service Award as Past President

2023- ISBM Outstanding Service Award as President
2018 - ISBM Distinguished Career Contribution Award in Behavioral Medicine.
2015 - EiNAR (Excellence in Neuroscience Research) award for first KI MOOC, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, KI
2008 - Best abstract in Behavioral Medicine, ICBM 2008, Tokyo, Japan
2005 - Best PhD dissertation in Psychology 2004, Stockholm University, Department of Psychology

See https://tinyurl.com/ProfBerman for research at Uppsala University.

Research on digital interventions to mitigate problematic substance use

eScreen.se - a minimal intervention with screening and feedback for both alcohol and drug use
Alkoholhjalpen.se - internet-based self-help in Swedish via echange.rg1.se for help-seekers from the general population, a naturalistic study
Smartphone apps for reducing overconsumption of alcohol - studies among university students. App intervention available at https://telecoach.vercel.app/ in English, Swedish, Chinese and Arabic.
Internet-based treatment with and without counselor support for reducing problematic alcohol use in the general population.
Ongoing studies on digital interventions for problematic substance use among patients in psychiatry
Ongoing studies on digital interventions for healthy lifestyle promotion among patients in primary care
Gambling

Development of the Gambling Disorders Identification Test (completed PhD projects)
Development of novel treatment protocols on gambling and in primary care (completed PhD projects)
Children of prisoners

EU-project 2010-2012 where I was responsible for the Sweden arm; other countries were Romania, Germany and the UK (coordinator Professor Adele Jones, University of Huddersfield)
Population study on wellbeing and difficulties among Swedish children 11-17 years old, including self- and parental ratings; see publication list
Motivational Interviewing in Addiction care

A study in a drug detoxification unit
Analyses of patient and counselor utterances
Education in Behavioral Medicine

Completed inter-professional course in Applied Behavioral Medicine, KI, 2005-2024
International MOOC in Behavioral Medicine, KIBEHMEDx
LIVE INCITE

LIVE INCITE aimed to empower patients and support lifestyle changes in order to improve outcomes of surgical procedures as well as cost effectiveness of healthcare providers. The EU funded project was a collaboration between Sweden, Spain and Denmark. Through the use of pre-commercial procurement LIVE INCITE aimed to both challenge and stimulate the market to develop patient-centered interactive IT-solutions, promoting lifestyle changes. I was the lead for KI:s partnership in the LIVE INCITE project.

I taught Behavioral Medicine 2005-2024, in an inter-professional course for psychology, medicine and physiotherapy students and professionals running both fall and spring terms every year. The course ran in Swedish during the last five weeks of every term. My collaborator was Gabriele Biguet, Physiotherapy Division, Department of Neurobiology, Caring Sciences and Society. The course was given for the last time in the fall of 2024. 

Alongside the live course, the MOOC on Behavioral Medicine, KIBEHMEDx (enroll as external user), has been available since the fall of 2014. This course is open to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Att Uppsala University I teach existential psychology, addiction psychology, motivational interviewing, assessment and psychometrics and digital psychology, as well as supervising and examining theses at different levels.

Supervision to doctoral degree

• Elisabeth Petersén, IMPLEMENTING DIGITAL INTERVENTIONS FOR PROBLEMATIC ALCOHOL USE IN THE PSYCHIATRIC CONTEXT: VISIONS AND REALITY, 2024