Accessibility
In-Person Therapy
I offer brief therapy in Sipoo at Söderkulla Manor. The address is Söderkullantie 701, second floor, room 208 (please note that in Finland the second floor is the floor immediately above the ground floor). The park of the Manor is also at our disposal, if you prefer. Constructed in 1908, this lovely Manor is relatively accessible for people with mobility disabilities. In addition to this, all the toilets are gender neutral.
Transport connections
The manor is accessible by public transport and by car. The address is Söderkullantie 701, second floor, room 208 (please note that in Finland the second floor is the floor immediately above the ground floor).
From Itäkeskus: bus 841 (HSL zones BCD), stop ‘Söderkullan kartano’.
From elsewhere in Helsinki: you can reach the centre of Söderkulla (stop ‘Kallbäck’) using buses 842, 843 and 844 from Itäkeskus or bus U848 from Kamppi (HSL zones ABCD or BCD required for all these routes) and change buses to bus number 841 or walk the approximately 1.2 km to Söderkulla Manor. There is a good walking and cycling path along the right-hand side of Söderkullantie, with an underpass allowing you to cross the street to the side Söderkulla Manor is located on.
From Tikkurila: bus 999 runs, although not frequently, to the centre of Söderkulla (stop ‘Kallbäck’, HSL zones CD), where you can change buses to bus number 841 or walk the approximately 1.2 km to Söderkulla Manor. There is a good walking and cycling path along the right-hand side of Söderkullantie, with an underpass allowing you to cross the street to the side Söderkulla Manor is located on.
From Nikkilä: bus 841 (HSL zone D), stop ‘Söderkullan kartano’.
From Porvoo: Bus 848 to the centre of Söderkulla (stop ‘Kallbäck’, tickets available from the Onnibus or Matkahuolto websites), where you can change buses to bus number 841 or walk the approximately 1.2 km to Söderkulla Manor. There is a good walking and cycling path along the right-hand side of Söderkullantie, with an underpass allowing you to cross the street to the side Söderkulla Manor is located on.
Please note that the Manor’s bus stops are typical rural road-side stops, and there are no shelters. When arriving in the centre of Söderkulla, from the bus stop you will have to cross Söderkullantie, which is a fairly busy road with no pedestrian crossings. There is an underpass tunnel approximately 300 metres from the stop, and from the underpass tunnel it is approximately 400 metres to the Manor. The most direct route from the bus stop to the Manor is approximately 200 metres. The path up to the Manor has a steep upwards slope.
If driving, you can park your car at the foot of the hill leading up to the Manor, in a large parking area. At the top by the Manor there are two disabled parking spaces. To access them, you can either turn right at the foot of the hill leading up to the Manor, by the row of green letter boxes, and then turn left after about 150 metres. Or you can drive up the hill to the main door of the Manor and continue a few dozen metres straight ahead to the other end of the building.
A bike rack can be found in front of the main door.
Spaces
The Manor’s main door is a double door. Each of the doors has a width of approximately 92 cm. The thresholds are approximately 1.5 cm, 4.5 cm and 1.5 cm high. The inner door is also a double door, with both halves opening approximately 95 cm wide. There is a floor grate between the main and inner doors, with a threshold of approximately 3 cm. The main door is open from 8am to 4pm on weekdays (except for national holidays), but I will happily come down to meet you at the entrance.
Straight after the doors, on the left-hand side of the lobby is an old-fashioned gated lift. The doorframe is approximately 85 cm wide. The first door is heavy and cannot be locked in place. The inner gate can be pushed to the side with one hand and locks into the frame. There are handrails around the inside of the lift itself. The lift’s internal measurements are approximately 140 x 95 cm.
The therapy room is located on the second floor (please note that in Finland, the second floor is the floor immediately above the ground floor), which can also be accessed by stairs. There are a total of 22 steps. In the hallway on the second floor, at the top of the stairs or in front of the lift, turn sharply to the right and go past the gender-neutral toilets to the end of the corridor. The room number, 208, is shown in the top left corner of the door. The room has a threshold of approximately 1.5 cm.
As a therapy client, you can sit on the sofa or in your own wheelchair, whichever you feel most comfortable with. You can also stand up and move around the room as you wish.
There are toilets on every floor of the Manor, and they are gender neutral. The toilet on the upper floor is accessible and is situated in the hallway. At the top of the stairs or in front of the lift, turn sharply to the right and go to the end of the corridor. The two toilets next to the therapy room have doorframe widths of approximately 60 cm and 50 cm. The rooms have a threshold of approximately 1.5 cm and there are no handrails inside. There is a slightly larger toilet just off the entrance lobby on the ground floor, immediately to the left: the doorframe width here is approximately 70 cm, but the width of the doorframes leading into the toilet cubicles is approximately 50 cm. The room has a threshold of approximately 1.5 cm and there are no handrails inside.
The Manor is decorated in calming colours and materials. The therapy room is quite sparsely furnished, and decorated in light, calming colours. The fabric of the sofa is cotton-like. In addition to the sofa, other seating arrangments can be made. The lighting is either bright or dim, but there is a lot of natural light. The therapy session may be carried out without eye contact if the client so wishes. The space is quiet, but not silent. Given the building is old, particularly in winter it is worthwhile being prepared for slightly cooler temperatures.
Safer space guidelines in place in sessions in Söderkulla:
- Discrimination in all forms, racism, ableism, and homo- and transphobia are strictly prohibited. I will intervene in this kind of speech and behaviour immediately. I am also committed to correcting my own speech and behaviour and apologising if I make mistakes.
- I am committed to the deconstruction of discriminatory and colonising practices in therapy. I offer my services in as inclusive and safe a way as possible. I educate myself on the subject regularly and follow scientific psychotherapy research.
- Therapy is client-centred, and the client is considered the best expert on their own life. I make sure that therapy proceeds toward the goals set by the client and in a manner suitable for the individual. I regularly collect feedback to monitor the effectiveness of my client-focused approach.
- The language used in the space is inclusive and assumptions are avoided. Words and descriptions used by people in the space to describe themselves and things important to them are respected.
- All discussions in brief therapy are fully confidential and as a therapist, I am bound by professional secrecy.
- Making mistakes is normal. It is important to apologise and carry on without delving too intensively into one’s feelings of shame.
- If you experience harassment or bullying in the therapy space, contact Lyhytterapeuttiyhdistys ry (https://www.lyhytterapeuttiyhdistys.fi/) in the first instance. You may also contact the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (www.kkv.fi), which supports clients of brief therapy in conflicts.
Virtual Therapy
Virtual therapy currently takes place via Zoom. Communication without the camera and in the chat box is possible at the client’s request.