The Finnish Central Association for Mental Health is a non-profit organisation for anyone who has experienced mental health problems. If you are looking for information, help, peer support or hope, we are here for you.
Anyone can experience mental health problems and there is no reason to be ashamed or try to hide it. Openly talking about mental health problems has become more common in our society, but there is still work to be done to overcome the stigma.
Our operations are strongly based on the knowledge and peer support of people who have personally experienced mental health problems as well as the expertise and experience of professionals.
You do not have to be alone with your mental health problems.
Supervision of interests, social influence and network cooperation
We operate in society, in various committees and at the legislative level to supervise the interests of people experiencing mental health problems. We are involved in several projects as specialists and experts by experience to develop services and operating models.
Counselling services
We answer questions related to mental health, provide assistance, listen and support you when you want to discuss your mental health or life situation or that of a loved one. Our telephone helpline and the Valoa chatroom are run by professionals and peers with personal experience on mental health problems. We also offer counselling on social benefits and legal matters related to mental health.
Training, courses and events
Every year, we organise more than 150 courses, training events and lectures for people who have experienced mental health problems, their loved ones as well as professionals and students. We organise events in different locations around Finland as well as online so that anyone can participate. We also organise the largest event in the field, the Mental Health Fair, in November of each year.
Association activities and services for associations
We have about 150 member associations across Finland with a total of about 16,000 individual members. We support the associations in various ways—for example, by organising training and events, providing financial support and maintaining a member register and online service.
Communications and publications
We discuss mental health topics, various viewpoints and experiences in public discourse, media and social media. We organise campaigns on topics and themes related to mental health at the annual Mental Health Fair in November, among other things. Every other year, we conduct the Mental Health Barometer to assess citizens’ attitudes and views on questions related to mental health. We also cooperate with various organisations and businesses to communicate with and influence decision-makers. Our member journal is published four times a year and we also inform our member associations of any news and events.
Sports and culture
We cooperate with our member associations to develop sports and exercise activities for our members. We organise training and sports events. We also offer courses on writing, art and other themes as part of our training and peer activities. We use cultural methods to discuss topics related to mental health.
Peer activities and experts by experience
We train our peer instructors and experts by experience who have personally encountered mental health problems. They bring an element of experience to our training and events, counselling and the development of national and local services.
Our organisation in brief
The Finnish Central Association for Mental Health has about 150 member associations with a total of about 16,000 individual members across Finland. Some of the associations operate locally and others nationally. Our headquarters are located in Helsinki.
The association is run by a Board of Directors that is supervised by the association meeting and the central council. The highest decision-making body is the association meeting that assembles once every three years. Our rehabilitative, educational and counselling operations and administrative and support functions employ about 50 people.
Our primary funding comes from the state-run Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations (STEA). Our operations are also funded through membership fees, donations, fundraisers and business cooperation. The Recovery project is funded by the European Social Fund ESF.
What’s on your mind?
Illnesses, difficult situations in life or sudden crises can weigh heavily on the mind. On these pages, we have compiled information on various mental health issues and the most common worries and concerns.
If you’d like to talk to someone, our mental health advisors are happy to help you get started!