Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a psychological consultation and a therapy session?

In order to make weekly therapy more accessible and available for those who need frequent treatment, we are now offering a 45 minute session during office hours for sessions held on a weekly basis for 100€ per session. These sessions must be booked every week for the discount to continue.

Any other session that is booked less frequently, i.e. once or twice, or thrice per month, must be taken as a psychological consultation. This session is longer, at 50 minutes, and includes all emails, letter writing, reports, phone calls and testing within the session fee. This can also be 80 minutes. Also extended therapy sessions are the same price at 175€ for 80 minutes.

How do I make an appointment?

You can can email us at info@compasspsychology.fi.

Alternatively phone us on +358 44 9445717 on Tuesday mornings between 8.30 and 11.30am. Please leave a voicemail if we are not able to answer the phone immediately.  You are welcome to also send a text message to this number. We are happy to answer any questions you have prior to making an appointment to help you determine if we are the right service to meet your needs in a pre-appointment phone call.

What if I need to cancel a session?

If you need to cancel a session please contact us as soon as possible, and at least 48 hours before your appointment time. Cancellations within less than 48 hours will incur the full fee for the session. If you are ill with cold and flu symptoms you should attend the session online or via telephone. At our discretion we will waive the fee for cancellations due to severe illness or other reasons.

Are online sessions as effective as face to face sessions?

Due to the corona virus pandemic, we at Compass Psychology are offering sessions online at present. We often get asked whether this will be as helpful as our normal face to face meetings so we went to the research to answer this question for you. A comprehensive review and a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of Internet-based psychotherapeutic interventions in 2008, assessed over 9000 clients in 92 studies and found that online therapy is as effective as face to face therapy (for more details click here). This has been supported by many empirical research studies since, which have shown the effectiveness of online therapy is equivalent for many types of problem, including depression and several different anxiety disorders. There is a good blog article from Psychology Today entitled “Does Online Therapy Work?” which contains links to some of these research studies and also outlines the benefits and drawbacks of online therapy.  

What is Clinical Psychology?

Psychologists study the way people feel, think, act and interact. Clinical psychology uses science, theory and clinical knowledge to better understand, prevent, and reduce psychologically based distress and to promote well-being. Clinical psychologists receive six to nine years of training in psychological assessment, clinical formulation and therapy. They may work in research, teaching, forensic psychology or therapy settings. In Australia, endorsed Clinical Psychologists complete a Masters’ Degree or combined Masters/PhD in Psychology and undergo two further years of supervised training in a registrar program. In the UK, Clinical Psychologists complete a Clinical Doctorate. Currently Finland does not have a Clinical Psychology training program and there are very few clinical psychologists working in the country.

Our psychotherapeutical approach is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), including aspects of this such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Schema Therapy, as well as Solution Focused Therapy.

Why should I see a psychologist?

A psychologist can give you expert advice and help in changing your behaviour or understanding your life situation. Psychologists study all aspects of human behaviour, including the development of people from infancy to old age, social and educational aspects, work behaviours, cultural influences, and neurobiology, as well as psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety. Therefore psychologists can help you both in a crisis (such as severe depression) and with a more long term dilemma (such as long term recovery from anxiety; work stress; relationship issues; parenting; etc…), due to their indepth understanding of normal human behaviour over the entire lifespan. Unlike psychiatrists, who are medical doctors specialising in mental health disorders, psychologists can also help people who are not in mental distress. For example, they can help you to live your best life when you are better and recovered, and help you prevent a relapse, or they can help if you are just curious about how you could thrive more in your life. Psychologists aim to use the latest scientific knowledge when providing advice and also aim to be highly collaborative in the process, offering clients the chance to question and understand why a particular treatment may be suggested.

Do I need a referral?

You do not need a referral and are welcome to contact us directly to make an appointment. You may also be referred by a doctor or other professional.

What can I expect from my first session?

Quite often, we will speak to you on the telephone before you book your appointment, which will give you a chance to ask about  what will happen in the first session and about therapy in general. When you come to the office, you will be asked to fill out a form with some background information. You will also be asked to read and sign a consent form which outlines the conditions of treatment and your rights to confidentiality. These will be sent as electronic documents if you only do session remotely.

After this, the first question may be “What brings you here today?” You will then have the opportunity to tell your psychologist the reasons you are seeking therapy and what issues you would like to work on. We will discuss your goals and what you hope will be different in your life as a result of coming for therapy. We are likely to talk about your current situation and personal history as well as your future ambitions. Psychologists work in different ways depending on the type of therapy offered, so the exact questions may differ. In all cases, you should expect a therapy atmosphere that is safe, caring, professional, respectful and non-judgemental.

You will discuss future appointments and a treatment plan in session with your psychologist within the first few sessions. All appointments will be made at a time convenient to both yourself and the psychologist.

How long does therapy last?

Therapy can last from one session to twenty or more sessions in a single year. In general, most people gain benefit from short term therapy by attending between 4 and 16 sessions in a three to six month period. You may wish to attend weekly, fortnightly or less frequently. In some cases you may end therapy but return to it many months or years later.

Are my sessions confidential?

Confidentiality is very important for building a trusting relationship with your psychologist. All the information shared with your psychologist is kept confidential except if there is a risk of you or someone else getting hurt. There may also be times that sharing information with other professionals involved in your care may be helpful to coordinate treatment. However we would only share this information if you give us written permission to do so.

We adhere to all regulations related to privacy and confidentiality of client data in a health context as per Finnish regulations. You can read more about the regulations below. For a full copy of our GDPR policy please email hatty@compasspsychology.fi. 

Privacy Policy

Compass Psychology Oy stores and processes personal data in accordance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR 2016/679) and the current Personal Data Act (523/1999). Under section 16 of the Act on Health Care Professionals (559/1994), it is the duty of health care professionals to prepare and retain patient documents. Under section 12 of the Act on the Status and Rights of Patients (785/1992), health care professionals must record in patient documents the information necessary for the arranging, planning, providing and monitoring of care and treatment for a patient. The Decree of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on Patient Documents (298/2009) includes more detailed provisions regarding the preparation and retaining of patient documents. The primary objective of patient documents is to facilitate the planning and provision of patient care and to contribute to the continuity of treatment. There is no need to record or summarise discussions with patients at a detailed level.