counselling or psychotherapy training?

[Aussie Finn]

Does anyone know where I could get a counselling or psychotherapy qualification in Finland taught in English please? I actually want to become a art therapist but it seems I need a degree first. So these are my 2nd options.
Thanks

[Hank W.]

Now just as a little mind excersize. What exactly would be the use of teaching those subjects in English as one needs to perform fluently in the Finnish language in the profession?

[sammy]

I take it that you do not have any degrees yet (?) - yes indeed you'd need a recognised degree to become a licenced professional!

For your info, these be the university faculties/depts where psychology (counsellor, psychotherapy) degrees can be obtained - but as Hank said it's rather unlikely that you'd find any complete degrees available in English.

University of Helsinki:
http://www.helsinki.fi/psykologia/english/index.htm

University of Jyväskylä:
http://www.jyu.fi/ytk/laitokset/psykologia/en

University of Tampere (in Finnish only):
http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/psyk/index.htm

University of Turku:
http://www.psy.utu.fi/english/index.html

Åbo Akademi (Swedish-speaking university in Turku):
http://www.abo.fi/fak/hf/psyk/english.htm

University of Joensuu:
http://www.joensuu.fi/psykologia/

The University of Lapland offers minor subject studies in Psychology (ie not on the Master's level): http://www.ulapland.fi/

See also this site - especially the section "Rights and registration of health care professionals"

http://www.teo.fi/uusi/engl_1.htm

As for art therapy, you might wish to contact this association for more info on what sort of degrees are usually needed for art therapy -related professions

http://www.suomentaideterapiayhdistys.fi/english.htm

... not perhaps a bad idea to check this one as well

http://www.mielenterveysseura.fi

[Mölkky-Fan]

http://www.suomentaideterapiayhdistys.fi/english.htm

on the above web page, it has members with a † sign next to their name. I had understood in Finland this means they are dead...

... so does this mean these are used in councelling of the psychic type?

[sammy]

http://www.suomentaideterapiayhdistys.fi/english.htm

on the above web page, it has members with a † sign next to their name. I had understood in Finland this means they are dead...

... so does this mean these are used in councelling of the psychic type?

I guess they're members of the Association's Ouija Board

[EP]

Excuse my curiosity, but why would you move to Finland? You seem to have a settled family life in Australia where you also know the language, culture and enviroment. Wouldn´t it feel safer just to come for a lengthy visit before making any far-reaching decisions?

One Australian (and a very positive one) just returned to Australia after surviving one year in Finland.

[Aussie Finn]

Yes it would probably be safer to come for a visit but life is short and my list of things I want to experience is long. I was born in Finland but haven't been back since I was 18 months old so part of the experience is about seeing what my homeland is really about, and showing my children.
I'm still a Finnish citizen so don't qualifty to obtain a degree in Australia unless I can pay upfront about $30,000-$50,000 depending on degree. I had wanted to go to Finland anyway and when I realised the Uni degrees were basically free I thought why not come for a few years and study and obtain some work experience and live the Finland experience I had heard my dad talk so much about.
To be honest I find some people here are putting me off the whole experience, but I'll do my own research before finally deciding.

Thanks to those that provided links.

Hank I'm not fluent in Finnish but will pick it up again, and I may prefer to counsel in English for those foreigners that have succumbed to the depression that everyone is talking about.

[Aussie Finn]

Speaking of psychic counselling are psychics are a poplular thing in Finland? How are they generally perceived? They are very popular in Australia

[sammy]

Speaking of psychic counselling are psychics are a poplular thing in Finland? How are they generally perceived? They are very popular in Australia

You mean telephone services...? Like this random example...?

http://www.anuq.fi/

"love, relationships, job, money, health..."

(what luck her family name doesn't begin with an "S" instead of "Q" eh...)

Well, you do sometimes see this kind of ads in newspapers (not necessarily the 'respectable' ones) - hard to say how popular they are, but since they go on advertising it must be a profitable business.

[Hank W.]

Hank I'm not fluent in Finnish but will pick it up again, and I may prefer to counsel in English for those foreigners that have succumbed to the depression that everyone is talking about.

Well, that is if you don't first fall for that depression yourself

Basically, to get into the university you need to pass a test, and that test is in Finnish - after you're in then the studies may be in more than one language - but then again to get your degree and get licenced you need your Finnish and Swedish. Art therapy is a bit different, and there are polytechnics that have quite a lot of healthcare/welfare/social work related programmes in English you could combine. As you know in Finland "you need to have a paper" and flower-hat degrees don't make it without a "base degree". So what your options are then is you get into a polytechnic, get a degree and learn Finnish, and/or then memorize your university books and take a prep course and then maybe get in. However as you say you have a family and want to live in a mansion the question is what you do for a living (the polytechnic I suggest as getting a job in a hospital is probable, then again your other half must also find a job as you need two people working to make ends meet here) And while you might be entitled to student family housing it is... hrm... not a mansion. Your plan works fine if you are able to be "independently wealthy" for say 3-5 years. And even then the salaries in your selected professions aren't that great. Then again with your Finnish passport you can look at all of the EU.

Its not people that are putting you off - its called realities of life. Another mind excersize: *why* do you think your folks left in the first place?

BTW - you are over 30 hopefully - as then if you move here your excuse of dodging the army due to "no real ties and dual nationality" comes... questionable.

[Tiwaz]

Yes it would probably be safer to come for a visit but life is short and my list of things I want to experience is long. I was born in Finland but haven't been back since I was 18 months old so part of the experience is about seeing what my homeland is really about, and showing my children.
I'm still a Finnish citizen so don't qualifty to obtain a degree in Australia unless I can pay upfront about $30,000-$50,000 depending on degree. I had wanted to go to Finland anyway and when I realised the Uni degrees were basically free I thought why not come for a few years and study and obtain some work experience and live the Finland experience I had heard my dad talk so much about.
To be honest I find some people here are putting me off the whole experience, but I'll do my own research before finally deciding.

Thanks to those that provided links.

Hank I'm not fluent in Finnish but will pick it up again, and I may prefer to counsel in English for those foreigners that have succumbed to the depression that everyone is talking about.

You are still expected to pay for your living. Your finnish citizenship helps you a lot in securing some support though.

Just don't make it too public knowledge that your ultimate goal is to get education and hit the road. Leeches are not too appriciated here, and if you were to qualify for government support for studies that is what you would be for many finns. (foreign students who have to have money to study are accepted since they do not have many benefits ones with citizenship enjoy)

Counseling in english is going to be extremely niche job. Odds are that every finnish speaking worker can easily do the same job in english. So they have advantage. I do not claim to know this field, but I would guess that you would effectively discriminate yourself from most open public side vacancies without finnish. In private sector you would be in so small niche that I have my doubts that you could make your living counceling depressed immigrants alone.

[Aussie Finn]

Hank Yes I'm over 30...41 actually and I think you've assumed I'm a man, unless women dodge the army too.

[Hank W.]

Ah well that explains a lot then. Can't convince a "Finnish woman" to do anything once they've set their mind on things.

So, now I understand the need for psychology and councelling studies - after dragging the family across the globe to counting the trees in a meter of snow and living on macaroni and tabasco sauce(*) you really need to be able to explain them why they're feeling all going bonkers. Its not art therapy they give for that - its bright light therapy - usually a holiday in Thailand

(*)= classic student food

[zetorpilot]

Have you considered that as a citizen of an EU country you may be able to study somewhere nearby where the language is predominately english, for example the UK or Ireland?

You'd be near enough to visit Finland, and could then make up your own mind about the country and its opportunities.

Best regards

"Z"