One of her main goals is to work with colleagues to develop more comprehensive and specialised services for children and their families within their local communities.

Hrefna is originally from Akureyri but spent part of her childhood in Norway while her father was completing specialist training there. When the time came to choose a university programme, it therefore felt natural for her to look towards the Nordic countries. She was admitted to medical school in Copenhagen, and there life took its course. She met her Danish husband, settled in Denmark, and had two children. In total, she spent twelve years there.

In 2019, the family decided to move to Akureyri, where Hrefna worked at Akureyri Hospital until 2021. It quickly became clear that the family thrived in North Iceland. The children adjusted well to preschool, and being close to their extended family made a significant difference.

Finding Her Calling in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

After graduating, Hrefna worked in various fields of medicine before eventually finding her true professional home in child and adolescent psychiatry. She had been introduced to the specialty in Denmark, where the clinical approach differed in many ways from what she had previously experienced. The emphasis was on getting to know the children, observing them at play and in everyday situations, and understanding their interactions with parents and others in their environment.

The focus was not solely on symptoms or diagnoses, but on the child as a whole and on identifying what could help improve their wellbeing.

In 2021, Hrefna began her specialist training in child and adolescent psychiatry at Landspítali University Hospital. During her training, she worked in several departments, including three years in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Department. She completed her specialist training this summer, qualified as a child and adolescent psychiatrist, and subsequently returned to North Iceland.

The Child and Family at the Centre of Care

At HSN, Hrefna works within the psychosocial services division and serves as a physician with the Children’s Mental Health Team. There, professionals from a range of disciplines work together to assess children’s difficulties and determine appropriate forms of support and treatment.

Hrefna emphasises that teamwork is essential. Understanding a child’s wellbeing often requires viewing their situation from multiple perspectives and collaborating closely with parents, educational services, social services, and others involved in the child’s care.

A family-centred approach is therefore a key part of the work, as supporting the child and supporting the family often go hand in hand.

Reducing Waiting Times for ADHD Assessments

Hrefna’s position at HSN is a new one, and the role is still evolving. One initiative currently being prepared under the auspices of the Ministry of Health focuses on increasing the involvement of local healthcare services in ADHD assessments for children. The project is a pilot programme designed to reduce waiting times and bring services closer to children and their families. It is still in the planning and implementation phase.

Hrefna notes that long waiting times for services remain a significant challenge. Building strong multidisciplinary teams and fostering effective collaboration between service providers are therefore crucial. The recruitment of a child and adolescent psychiatrist creates new opportunities to strengthen services and to integrate medical assessment more closely with the broader work of the team.