Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is suitable for individuals facing deeper or more complex challenges, requiring longer-term support and assistance to alleviate the situation. Due to the shortage of psychotherapists, accessing therapy can be difficult or take a long time.

Or perhaps you’re looking to get help quickly? Short therapy offers a solution for many facing mental challenges – you can get help right away, and research shows it’s effective.

Short-term therapy is suitable for you if:

• You seek help in a timely manner and are motivated for therapy.
• You are dealing with sufficiently limited challenges.
• You are able to open up to the therapist about even the most difficult and emotionally charged issues.

Did you know that Finland’s therapy system relies heavily on psychotherapy? Psychotherapy is offered to address various mental challenges, although it’s intended as a tool for more clearly challenging situations. Currently, many individuals are directed to or seek psychotherapy immediately, even though help could be obtained more quickly from readily available short therapy. This creates an illusion of therapist shortage for us, although it’s more about large numbers of people being directed to a certain type of service with limited availability.

Kela’s website provides excellent instructions for applying for Kela-supported rehabilitation psychotherapy. You can find the instructions here.

How to Get Kela-Supported Therapy?

You can apply for Kela therapy if you are between 16 and 67 years old and experiencing mental health challenges such as depression or anxiety. These mental health challenges hinder your ability to work or study, or pose a risk to your ability to do so.

1. Schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist
   You will need a B-statement written by a psychiatrist. You can seek out a psychiatrist in public healthcare, privately at your own expense, or through occupational healthcare. You can also begin the process through student healthcare. Psychotherapy can start after you have received at least 3 months of appropriate treatment following diagnosis.
2. Find a suitable psychotherapist for you
   If possible, visit a couple of psychotherapists for introductory meetings. It’s important to find a therapist who feels right for you.
3. Visit the psychiatrist again
   After at least 3 months have passed since the first meeting, the psychiatrist will assess your situation and write a B-statement for Kela therapy.
4. Submit the application to Kela
   Fill out the Kela application and attach the B-statement.
5. Psychotherapy can begin.
   Psychotherapy typically lasts 1–3 years. The application to Kela is made annually.

You don’t need to figure it out on your own! That’s what mental health professionals are for—they can assess which form of support would be best for you or your loved one’s situation.

First and foremost, you should reach out to one of the following:

• If you are a student: contact your school’s healthcare services.
• If you are employed: get in touch with your company’s occupational healthcare provider. They can connect you with a work psychologist, and things will progress from there.
• Outside of these services, it’s a good idea to schedule an appointment with public or private healthcare to assess the type of support that would be suitable for you.
• You can also book an initial appointment directly for short-term therapy without a referral, where an expert can assess your situation and the extent of support you need.

First things first: there are indeed psychotherapists available, and they also have open appointments. The biggest challenge arises when your goal is to find a psychotherapist for supported rehabilitation therapy by Kela, who also has available slots. But don’t be discouraged – even though the process can be lengthy and Google might be your best friend, don’t hesitate to reach out to therapists and ask for help from a friend or someone else if your energy is low.

Try and explore. All therapeutic work is based on a good collaborative relationship. Take your time to get to know the therapist, as one or a few introductory meetings are often necessary. This way, both parties can ensure that you establish a good rapport. Sometimes it’s worth meeting a couple of therapists before deciding who to start a long-term collaboration with.

You can also get to know our psychotherapists on the withHeltti website. Many of them have available appointments too. Here, you can get acquainted with our psychotherapists who offer Kela-supported rehabilitation psychotherapy as well.

In the therapist’s profile, it will indicate if they have availability for new clients seeking Kela therapy. You can also directly inquire about available Kela therapy slots from the therapist, for example, via email.

When Finland talks about therapist shortage and difficulty accessing therapy, it specifically refers to the challenge of accessing psychotherapy. There simply aren’t enough psychotherapists relative to those seeking psychotherapy.

Currently, we face a structural problem: Finland’s therapy system is still primarily built on psychotherapists. Psychotherapists undergo 3.5–4 years of training on top of suitable education. The training is long and expensive, and most individuals pay for it themselves. Additionally, psychotherapy is currently offered as a solution to a wide range of mental challenges in Finland. The number of psychotherapists simply isn’t sufficient to serve all those in need of help – and it shouldn’t be. The goal should be to ensure an adequate number of psychotherapists specifically for those who need psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy is suitable for individuals whose challenges are deep-seated or complex, requiring longer-term support and assistance to improve their situation.

A significant number of individuals benefit from short-term therapy in Finland. However, many of them are directed or choose to seek more intensive services immediately, such as psychotherapy, even though less intensive options might suffice. This creates an illusion of a shortage of therapists, even though it’s about large numbers of people being directed to the wrong type of services.

The author is PsyD, psychologist, and training psychotherapist Katri Kanninen.

Long-term psychotherapy begins with an initial assessment where your problem, goals for change, and barriers to change are structured together with you. Therapy is tailored to your specific needs, goals, and situation. Your psychotherapist’s toolbox includes various techniques, which are customized to create an appropriate working method for most needs.

You meet with your psychotherapist regularly at mutually agreed-upon times. Your well-being and progress are monitored throughout the psychotherapy.

Commitment to psychotherapy is crucial. The process is long-term, and psychotherapy typically lasts 1–3 years.

Training psychotherapy is therapy provided by a healthcare professional undergoing psychotherapy training. It includes intensive supervision, where the psychotherapy student discusses and receives guidance on therapy phenomena with an experienced supervisor confidentially. Training psychotherapy is actually quite rare, as at no other time does the therapist receive as much support and assistance in implementing the therapy process.

Therapy provided by a healthcare professional undergoing psychotherapy training is not eligible for support from institutions such as Kela.