Leif Braaten - Obituary

It's with sadness that I can inform you that our colleague Leif Braaten died 18 May 2018 after just having turned 90.  Leif was professor emeritus from University of Oslo, and began his career as a PhD student with Carl Rogers in the 1950's at University of Chicago. After Chicago he was at Cornell University before he returned to Norway where he worked at University of Oslo. His main areas of interest were person centred therapy, groups and student learning (in groups). He wrote books and papers on these topics. Later the started a private practice where he worked until last year.  In Denmark we had the fortune to invite Leif Braaten several times since 2004 to the Danish Carl Rogers Forum, where he gave lectures and workshops each year for a period. He was our Nordic connection to Carl Rogers and we loved his anecdotes from his time with Carl. He helped to strengthen the person centred tradition in Denmark, that Lisbeth Sommerbeck had energized after the millennium by starting  the Danish Carl Rogers Forum in 2002.  We will always love Leif’s warm and bright presence, humour and this willingness to dare offering him self (byde på sig selv) in the relation. There was all ways a new edge of development when you were with Leif but also support and understanding when it was needed. 

Niels Bagge