The short-term therapy and psychotherapy services provided by Mehiläinen Working Life Services are an integral part of the mental well-being services offered to the customers. Working Life Services provide an extensive range of short-term therapy services performed by occupational psychologists with training in short-term therapy and psychotherapists currently in training as well as short-term psychotherapy services provided by psychotherapists with extensive psychotherapy training.
In occupational health care services, the customer is always treated, in addition to the attending therapist, by their own occupational health team that can also consult a psychiatrist or a neuropsychologist, if necessary, in accordance with the occupational health agreement. Smooth cooperation between all parties involved with the treatment ensures timely, high-quality and flexible treatment.
Short-term therapy or short-term psychotherapy is a cost-efficient mode of treatment and rehabilitation that supports the employee’s functional capacity and work ability. Short-term psychotherapy has been found to improve work ability faster than long-term psychotherapy in most cases (Knekt, et al., 2008).
Therapy can be performed in cases of affective disorders, anxiety or problems with managing work or life in general. The services also provide good early support in various life management crises. Early and correct treatment can reduce the suffering caused by mental symptoms, sick leave and the risk of early retirement, so it is essential that support is available at a low threshold and access to treatment is smooth.
The range of services provided by Working Life Services is focused on short-term therapy and short-term psychotherapy, where the most disturbing, pre-defined and limited problems are processed. The duration of psychotherapy services provided for individuals, partners and groups ranges from a few months to several years. These services include discussions and exercises that help customers identify and change any harmful emotional, mental and behavioural models. The treatment is always planned individually according to the customer’s needs in cooperation with the customer, and the accomplishment of the related goals is assessed regularly. The services can also be provided remotely via a video chat.
10 or 20 appointment short-term psychotherapy services
- The aim of short-term therapy and short-term psychotherapy services is to prevent sick leave related to mental health, shorten the periods of absence, support returning to work and strengthen the person’s psychological functions for the future
- Short-term therapy services are provided by occupational psychologists with further training or occupational health professionals who have received short-term therapy training
- Short-term psychotherapy services are provided by psychotherapists with extensive training of about 3–6 years
Some customers may experience group therapy as particularly helpful. The most important mode of group therapy is the coaching group for people recovering from depression or burnout, the IPT group (website in Finnish) which has achieved remarkable results.
The costs of psychotherapy may be covered by an employer, Kela, the pension insurance company, the customer or the insurance company that has issued a medical expense insurance. In addition to actual psychotherapy services, Mehiläinen also provides other services that support mental health.
Learn more:
Mental well-being services for occupational health care customers (in Finnish)
Kela-reimbursed rehabilitative psychotherapy (in English)
According to the statistics of the Finnish Centre for Pensions (2021), half of all disability pensions are based on mental grounds, and a 30-year-old person retiring on disability pension will cost about 120 times the amount of their monthly salary (source: Varma, 2018). Kela’s sick leave statistics show that one third of sickness allowance payments are due to reasons related to mental health, and they have become the largest diagnosis group in terms of both the number of recipients of sickness allowance and the number of days reimbursed. Of Mehiläinen’s occupational health customers, those who suffer from mental health disorders had 5.6 times more sick leave than others (source: Mehiläinen’s Working Life Services customers’ appointments in 2020).
In addition to treating actual mental health disorders, short-term therapy and short-term psychotherapy can support coping at work and improve well-being. Early support allows for the best outcomes of treatment by reducing sick leave and the risk of early retirement on disability pension.
Mehiläinen provides more than 800 mental well-being experts with jobs, and about 300 of them are psychotherapists. At Mehiläinen, all of the most common modes of psychotherapy based on scientific evidence are represented. Mehiläinen’s psychotherapy services employs highly professional psychotherapists certified by the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (and Kela). In addition, short-term forms of therapy can be performed by the occupational health care professionals with a basic degree in psychology, qualification of an occupational psychologist and a separate training in performing short-term modes of therapy. All of these professionals undergo work counselling regularly. A key aspect of our services is our strong expertise in matters related to working life and understanding our customers’ operational environments.
For more information about the services available to your company, contact your occupational health care contact person or customer representative. You can also contact us by email myynti@mehilainen.fi or call us on +358 (0)10 414 00.
