Hello everyone,
My name is Saija-Liisa, or simply Saija to family and friends. I’m a Finnish-born psychologist and philologist with a deep passion for languages and cultural diversity. I grew up in some of Helsinki’s most multicultural neighborhoods—Vuosaari and Kannelmäki—and from a young age, I’ve viewed migration and human diversity as a fascinating source of richness. I remember eagerly signing up for every language course available in elementary and high school. At one point, I even traveled across Helsinki in the evenings to take extra Spanish lessons! Later, as a psychology student in the early 2000s, I minored in Spanish philology and chose to spend my Erasmus year in Spain at the University of Zaragoza—a place that, remarkably, didn’t offer any psychology courses at all. But it was a fantastic year full of tapas, language studies, random courses in anthropology and art history, and just travelling across the country.
After returning to Finland to finish my master’s degree in psychology, I knew I wanted my psychology internship to connect somehow with international or cross-cultural issues. When I couldn’t find the right opportunity in Finland, I applied for an internship at Centre Minkowska, a transcultural psychiatry clinic in Paris. I ended up spending a wonderful year there, learning a great deal about clinical psychology and the French lifestyle. I might still be living in France today, had my Finnish university not required me to return to complete yet another internship in order to receive my psychology license (unfortunately, my French internship didn’t meet the Finnish bureaucratic criteria since it wasn’t paid…). So, I came back to Finland, and a few months later, I met my husband (who also happens to be my high school sweetheart) in Helsinki. We’ve since had three children, and I’ve had to find other ways to maintain my international connections and lifestyle.
Thankfully, I’ve been able to build a linguistically and culturally diverse personal and professional bubble here in Finland. Growing up, I took a variety of dance classes—from contemporary and street dance to reggae dancehall—but most of all, I’ve studied Afro-Cuban dances and culture for years. I was even part of a performance group called Havana Club. These days, finding time for dance classes is tricky, but there isn’t a situation that good Cuban salsa music couldn’t save! I’ve also practiced Capoeira de Angola, a traditional Afro-Brazilian martial art, and various forms of yoga. Now, as a middle-aged mother of three, I’m discovering new passions like home renovation, gardening, interior design, and hunting for rare design treasures at flea markets. I also spend a good part of my Sundays watering my collection of about 50 plants! Despite these new hobbies, my love for Cuban music and dance, and my passion for all things French, remain strong. I read books, watch TV shows, and listen to podcasts almost exclusively in French. Maintaining language skills outside the cultural context is challenging, and I have immense respect for bilingual and multilingual families who work tirelessly to keep their minority language alive.
For me, Spanish and French have been (and continue to be) integral parts of my identity. About ten years ago, I completed a master’s degree in Romance languages, with a minor in Portuguese philology. If you were to ask me what my superpower is, I’d probably say it’s speaking some Portuguese — it is such a beautiful and challenging language.
Professionally, being a culturally-oriented psychologist in Finland hasn’t always been easy, as we’re a small group, but hard work and perseverance have paid off. One major milestone came in 2018 when I completed my Doctoral degree in Psychology. My dissertation focused on the mental health, depressive symptoms, and psychiatric assessment of Finnish Somalis from a Cultural Psychology perspective. I’ve taught Cultural Psychology at several Finnish universities, worked at the former Helsinki University Hospital’s Cultural Psychiatry outpatient clinic, and contributed to the Migration and Cultural Diversity team at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). For the past nine years, I’ve also been part of the Finnish Psychologists’ Union’s working group on linguistic and cultural diversity.
More recently, I’ve had the privilege of working with the wonderful, international team at Compass Psychology. I’m also studying to become a psychotherapist for Children and Adolescents. Working with children, adolescents, and families in an international context feels like a true calling, and I’m incredibly grateful that I get to do this for a living.
Warm regards,
Saija