Lapinlahden Lähde activities: Lapinlahti’s therapy services provide well-being and new perspectives on life
As a continuation of more than 180 years of mental health work, Lapinlahti offers a wide range of therapy services. That confirms Lapinlahti’s position as a center for arts, culture and mental well-being. Therapy services include both mind and body wellbeing, various coaching and support activities, as well as more traditional psychotherapy. This article focuses specifically on mental health services.
Lapinlahden Lähde activities series introduces this time you to the range of therapists in Lapinlahti. Lapinlahti combines traditional forms of psychotherapy with creative therapies, and everyone has the opportunity to find a way to improve their well-being and deal with life’s challenges.
– The history of Lapinlahti Hospital includes therapy and support for mental well-being, and the current activities are based on the same principle. The environment is beautiful and gentle: the setting and the staff communicate tolerance and joy,” says Raili Bäckström, a solution-focused brief therapist working in Lapinlahti.
The range of therapists in Lapinlahti extends from word art and literary therapy to art therapy workshops and treatment focusing on gambling problems. Sanattu, for example, offers word art and literary therapy guidance, creative writing instruction and writing coaching according to the client’s wishes. Clients can explore their minds and emotions through creative writing.
Lapinlahti also offers a wide range of psychotherapy services. Psychotherapy offers individuals the opportunity to explore their deeper thoughts, feelings and behaviours in a safe environment under the guidance of a professional. Cognitive, behavioral, psychodynamic and art-based psychotherapy, among others, offer a range of approaches and tools depending on the needs and goals of the individual.
Psychotherapy Puu offers various forms of psychotherapy in Lapinlahti and specializes in gift cell counseling and the Nada method in mental health work, among others. The area also offers psychodynamic psychotherapy, visual arts psychotherapy and educational psychotherapy, among others.
“We are looking for a comforting response to a sad idea”
There are several providers of solution-focused brief therapy in Lapinlahti. In addition to Raili Bäckström, the services of Lyhytterapiakeskus Helsinki and short therapist Tuuli Rouhiainen, for example, focus on understanding the client’s current situation and finding solutions for the future. The quick and practical approach makes brief therapy attractive for people who do not have the time or other resources to commit to long-term therapy.
Solution-focused brief therapy focuses on the resources and strengths of the individual. The starting point is to identify and emphasize the things that work well in life. It emphasizes the positive aspects and seeks to find practical solutions to challenges.
– There are many benefits, first and foremost time. Change requires no more than one visit at best, usually three to five visits, rarely longer. Even then, it is often a matter of, for example, multi-problems or trauma,” says Raili Bäckström.
Bäckström’s approach emphasizes practicality and a deep understanding of the client’s current situation.
– People’s strengths and familiar ways of changing and shifting perspectives are used. For example, thinking of a slightly more comforting counterpart to an unpleasant thought or term. For example, the statement “I can’t do something” becomes more achievable when the underlying idea is broken down into small parts and implemented one part at a time: “I can’t do everything now, but I can make a plan for myself to take things one step at a time, one day at a time”.
– A small change can turn a thought into a hopeful one,” says Bäckström.
Solution-focused brief therapy focuses on practical solutions
While the details of client cases are kept confidential, Bäckström stresses the importance of therapy as a quick solution to life’s crises. A particular example is the case of a client in which a simple visual exercise helped achieve a significant change in his life.
– The client was thinking about issues in their life, one of which was disproportionately on their mind at the time. We divided the areas into sectors by having him draw the areas of his life in sectoral order of importance. When she realized that the issue was only taking up a small part of the circle, she laughed and said that she had figured it out.
This approach helps you to identify priorities and find practical solutions immediately. Although each therapy case is unique, Bäckström stresses the importance of listening and client-centered focus for successful therapy.
New ways of self-expression and calming the mind
Lapinlahti therapists’ services, such as art therapy workshops, psychotherapy and art therapy, offer many opportunities to improve your well-being.
Art-based therapy, such as the approach offered in the Armonia space at the Venetian House, harnesses the power of art to promote introspection and spiritualization. The Inartes Institute offers workshops that combine intuitive painting and writing with the use of natural materials to create new ways of self-expression and calming the mind.
Lapinlahti’s rich therapeutic offerings reflect the region’s strong commitment to supporting mental health and promoting people’s holistic well-being. Check out the services and come and visit!
Text: Mikko Huotari