LähiSparri provides help at life’s crossroads
The LähiSparri short-term therapy service piloted by LocalTapiola in 2021 made Mehiläinen’s low-threshold mental health services available to employees. The aim of LähiSparri is to prevent long sickness-related absences and improve overall occupational well-being.
Where do I want to go in my job? What kind of challenges do I need next? How can I best benefit my close colleagues and the entire organisation
Many of these questions related to one's own work spin around in the mind of Marja Salminen from LocalTapiola. In her work as HRD Director, Salminen deals with questions related to competence development on a daily basis, but her own thoughts became entangled and she needed an outside view.
- Although my cognitive skills are good, I needed support and fresh perspectives, as well as help for unlocking the mental blocks that hampered my progress, Salminen says.
Salminen seized the opportunity offered by her employer, LocalTapiola Group, and booked a LähiSparri appointment. In March–August 2021, LocalTapiola had an ongoing pilot through which the company offered more than a thousand employees working in Espoo access to Mehiläinen's low-threshold mental health services. The aim of LähiSparri was to encourage employees to seek help as early as possible and to prevent long sickness-related absences due to mental health problems and burnout.
Short-term therapy for comprehensive occupational well-being
LähiSparri is a coaching discussion and support for comprehensive coping and occupational well-being. The pilot offered employees a series of five low-threshold precision appointments where the focus was on solving and alleviating a particular problem.
- The aim is to deal with acute issues in that moment, find ways to feel better, maintain coping and work ability and increase self-awareness and awareness of one's own well-being, says psychologist and short-term cognitive therapist Anna Andersén from Mehiläinen.
According to Andersén, it is common for people to avoid booking an appointment because they think their own problems are smaller than others. The low threshold of LähiSparri is essential; an appointment with a therapist may be booked without a physician’s referral or notification to the supervisor. The matter to be dealt with in therapy can be related to work as well as private life, such as personal health, the health of a close one or concerns related to elderly parents or children. Andersén also says that humans are complex entities.
- Outside of work, there is always a whole life situation and overall stress that you can receive support for, she says.
More than just prevention of sickness-related absences
According to Salminen, the rapid pace of five LähiSparri appointments worked well. It was possible to focus on a single problem in the appointments and there was time between the meetings to develop personal thinking.
- During the therapy, my quiet wisdom grew in relation to my own thoughts. Each of us has both propensity to grow as well as established mindsets. I noticed through therapy that there are other perspectives on things, Salminen says.
The main goal of LähiSparri was to prevent the emergence of long sickness-related absences, but Andersén said that the pilot achieved a lot more.
- It is beneficial for the employer that people take up short-term therapy, learn about themselves and know how to increase their psychological satisfaction. LähiSparri was not only about preventing sickness-related absences, but also about improving performance and mental well-being, says Andersén.
Salminen also encourages others to seek short-term therapy as early as possible and at a low threshold.
- If there are obstacles in your own life, you cannot continue living without them being seen by anyone. Short-term therapy benefits yourself and those around you, both colleagues and family, Salminen says.