SMISO and NOK. Centres

The purpose of NOK centres and SMISO centres is to provide individuals who have been subjected to sexual abuse, as well as relatives of affected children and adults, with high-quality support and assistance that is easily accessible.

The centres are a supplement to regular public support services. They are primarily aimed at adult survivors, but some centres also offer services to children from the age of 12, in accordance with Bufdir’s professional guidelines for working with children.

Sometimes, individuals who have been subjected to abuse may themselves display problematic or harmful sexual behaviour toward others. This is a complex and sensitive issue and may have multiple underlying causes. In some cases, this may be revealed during the course of a therapeutic process at a NOK centre.


In such cases, the staff will first clarify whether the situation involves ongoing abuse and inform the person about the duty to prevent further harm. If ongoing abuse is identified, the police will be notified, and the process at the centre will be concluded.

Services and support

If the harmful sexual behaviour occurred in the past, it may be appropriate to continue the therapeutic process focused on processing the person’s own experiences of abuse, while also informing them about available support services and resources for individuals who have thoughts about—or are at risk of—engaging in problematic or harmful sexual behaviour.

Relatives of individuals who have displayed problematic or harmful sexual behaviour are often in a very difficult situation. They may need a place where they can receive support in dealing with the complex and sometimes conflicting emotions that arise when someone they care about is revealed to have committed abuse. In some cases, they may be related to both the victim and the person responsible in the same case.

At a NOK centre, relatives are offered individual counselling sessions as well as the opportunity to participate in group sessions with other relatives in similar situations.

Sist oppdatert 01.06.26