Inclusive, solution-focused brief therapy for life changes, coping challenges, and identity exploration

Are there situations in your life where:

stress, pressure, or burnout are starting to take up too much space?
you are in the middle of a change, crisis, or important life transition?
you would like more clarity about your own needs, boundaries, or future direction?
you are reflecting on questions related to identity, relationships, or your place in the world?
you need a safe space to pause and connect with yourself?

I offer solution-focused brief therapy both in person and remotely, in Finnish and English.

Topics close to my heart

diverse identities
human and romantic relationships
neurodivergence
coping and workplace stress
religion and spirituality
life transitions and changes

Low-threshold discussion support

Solution-focused brief therapy is a low-threshold psychosocial support method that has been shown effective in scientific research. It helps people cope with challenging life situations and changes, for example in relationships and working life. The solution-focused approach is a future and resource-oriented approach that challenges disorder-focused views of mental health. Work is guided by goals set by the client for achieving a meaningful life.

Solution-focused brief therapy is not psychotherapy and is not eligible for Kela reimbursement. Due to its effectiveness, it may work quickly and be more affordable than long-term psychotherapy supported by Kela. You can read in Finnish more about the efficiency of short- and long-term therapies: article on the Helsinki Psychotherapy Study and the results of the Helsinki Psychotherapy Study in their entirety.

I serve individuals, couples, families, and groups.

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What makes my way of working different?

I work with a solution-focused, inclusive, and client-centered approach. I actively strive to promote equal access to mental health services for people of all kinds. It is important to me that you can come to therapy as your authentic self without fear of being belittled or misunderstood. I aim to take different life situations, identities, abilities, neurotypes, worldviews, and backgrounds into account.

It is important to me to cultivate a state of not-knowing. The purpose of this is to create a therapeutic space that is as accepting as possible for the client and their experience. This orientation, based on social constructionism, challenges expert authority and diagnosis-centered approaches and believes that the client is the foremost expert on their own life.

I am critical of psychiatry. My work is not guided by diagnoses unless they hold importance for the client (such as diagnoses related to neurodivergence). Although antidepressants are helpful for many, I hope to have a more active public discussion about their negative side effects. I am also strongly in favour of treating psychoses with the Open Dialogue approach in all of Finland.

Accessibility, responsibility, and safety

Consideration of mobility limitations and sensory sensitivities: I offer in-person therapy in largely accessible facilities at Söderkulla Manor, which can be reached by public transport. I assess individual needs during the booking process. Remote therapy, with or without a camera, is naturally also possible. Read more about the facilities and accessibility here.
Multilingualism: To reach people whose native language is not Finnish, I also offer therapy in English.
Flexible payment methods: You can pay after the session via MobilePay or invoice.
Feedback-informed practice: I systematically identify obstacles to successful therapy by collecting client feedback. This allows me to serve you in the way that suits you best.
Dismantling discriminatory and colonizing practices: I am committed to dismantling harmful practices related to power dynamics in therapy and to being present for clients as a fellow human being who is open about their own background.
Respect for diversity and taking responsibility for education: You can come to therapy exactly as you are and spend your time on what matters, namely therapy. When necessary, I independently educate myself about things that are new to me; you do not bear the responsibility of educating me. I make an effort to understand different identities and backgrounds. I use respectful and inclusive language.
Growth mindset: Thanks to more than a decade of research experience in the humanities, attention to ethical perspectives, high-quality work, and continuous learning are core values for me and ensure high ethical standards in my work as a brief therapist as well. I maintain my professional competence through professional networks and training events. Self-compassion is an important part of inclusive practice because the world is constantly changing and mistakes are unavoidable. What matters is the ability to acknowledge mistakes and do better going forward.
100% confidential conversations: As a therapist, I am bound by confidentiality. I conduct both remote and in-person sessions in a separate soundproof workspace. I use a secure remote connection.
I recognize the limits of my professional competence: When necessary, I refer clients who need longer-term or more intensive treatment to physicians or psychotherapy services. I am happy to collaborate with various professionals and stakeholders within the service system.
No entries in electronic registers: I make only necessary notes while avoiding identifying information and store materials in a locked cabinet in a separate office. I do not enter any information into systems such as Kanta.
No client register: I do not maintain a client register containing personally identifying information, nor do I use the client’s name even in my notes. The only systems in which a few personal details are recorded are my appointment booking and invoicing systems.
Read more about my privacy policy here, especially sections 4, 8, and 13.

Solution-Focused Approaches

The client-centeredness of solution-focused brief therapy and its emphasis on a good therapeutic relationship have been identified in so-called “common factors” research as important elements of effective therapy. Studies examining the effectiveness of psychotherapy have found that, regardless of theoretical framework, factors such as the therapeutic relationship, the therapist’s empathy, positive regard, authenticity, and the client’s positive expectations about therapy contribute to successful outcomes.

The solution-focused practice does not recognize “client resistance” or “treatment non-compliance,” only a dysfunctional collaborative relationship. In such situations, the therapist’s task is to review the client’s goals and adjust their way of working to better meet the client’s needs. Sometimes the issue is poor personal chemistry, which is worth identifying early so that work can continue with a different therapist. I am happy to help you find a more suitable brief therapist if such a situation arises.

Therapy sessions typically focus on identifying desired changes that can be drawn from the client’s problems, mapping the client’s skills and abilities to bring about those changes, and outlining the smallest possible steps toward achieving them. In work related to identity (such as sexual orientation and gender identity), the goal is often to provide space and time for reflecting on these important questions within the safe environment created by therapy.

The past is explored primarily to identify coping strategies, resources, and skills useful for the present and future. Pausing to reflect on one’s personal history in a safe and compassionate therapeutic environment is also an important value for me. I consider growth-oriented trauma work a significant part of mental health practice. I use, among other methods, lifeline work in identity exploration: if they wish, clients are given the task of creating a timeline of their lives through which they examine, for example, experiences related to gender or sexuality.

The human mind is complex and often does not operate according to medical treatment models developed for physical diseases. The problems of human beings, who are highly social animals, are often influenced by many different factors, that is, by the entire system. In such cases, change in even one, possibly unexpected, part of the system can ease a problem. A client’s close relationships are viewed as part of the solution, which is why it is possible to attend sessions with a larger group. Solution-focused therapy also encourages clients to seek peer support alongside therapy.

Compared to other approaches, solution-focused practice takes an inverse approach to problems: instead of examining how a past event contributes to a current problem, it analyzes situations in which the client’s problem is absent. Such reflection opens a window onto positive situations and actions that promote the client’s wellbeing and foster hope. This analysis can also lead to surprising insights into the root causes of the problem.

The therapist’s role is to serve as a conversation partner with whom the client can explore their situation from as many angles as possible. Originating in ancient Stoic philosophy, this method is at its best a profound reflection on human existence that increases psychological flexibility and resilience. In this respect, solution-focused practice shares common ground with cognitive therapy and positive psychology.

This therapeutic approach developed in the United States after the Second World War as part of a broader social movement to improve the position of disadvantaged groups. Key early role models and influences included psychiatrist Milton H. Erickson (1901-1980), the therapists of the Mental Research Institute (MRI) in Palo Alto, California, and later the therapists of the Brief Family Therapy Center (BFTC) in Milwaukee, especially Insoo Kim Berg (1934-2007) and Steve de Shazer (1940-2005).

The approach was introduced to Finland in the mid-1980s by psychiatrist Ben Furman and social psychologist Tapani Ahola, director of the Youth Station of the A-Clinic Foundation, after they had become acquainted with the work of BFTC. In Finland, it was also influenced by the November Movement, which emerged in the 1960s, transformed mental health care principles, and was committed to promoting social justice. You can learn more about the movement in Finnish here.

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