What is Internet Therapy?

If you think you need therapy, seek out a healthcare professional to discuss your situation, for example, at your health center, occupational health, or student health services. Through them, you can get a referral to internet therapy. Any doctor across Finland can make the referral. For residents of Åland, the referral is made by Åland Health and Medical Care (ÅHS).

The Course and Idea of Therapy

Internet therapy usually starts about a week after a professional has made your referral. Depending on the program, therapy lasts 2-4 months. Your support is an internet therapist, who is a psychologist or nurse specialized in your symptoms.

Internet therapy is based on independent work, which you can do at a time and location that suits you. Independent work increases your engagement and sense of control in your life.

You progress one section at a time and learn new ways of acting and thinking through informational content, videos, and exercises. Each week is structured around an hour-long session to be completed independently, during which you gain information, reflect on your situation and difficulties and their relation to your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Between these sessions, you do everyday exercises, for example, using a diary app.

The internet therapist provides feedback, comments on your tasks, and answers your questions between sessions. You can send messages to them throughout the therapy.

Requirements

Successful internet therapy requires you to 

• be motivated to learn new ways of acting,
• commit to independent work for at least two hours a week for a few months,
• have an internet connection on a computer or mobile device, and
• have internet bank credentials or a mobile certificate.

Internet therapies also accept individuals aged 16 and over, whose doctor assesses that the young person would benefit from internet therapy. There is also a specific internet therapy for social anxiety for young people aged 13 and over.

Evidence-Based Treatment

Our user-friendly internet therapies are based on modern cognitive behavioral therapy. Over ten thousand people a year undergo internet therapy, and the feedback has been positive.

Many of our internet therapies are included in the national Current Care (Käypä hoito) guidelines. Internet- or mobile-mediated, technology-assisted, therapist-supported treatments, i.e., internet therapies, are effective and practical treatments based on extensive research evidence. The effectiveness of HUS's generalized anxiety disorder and insomnia therapies has been found to be significant in studies published in 2022.

Where is Internet Therapy Conducted?

Most of our internet therapies are conducted in a learning environment called Omapolku, which you can log into once your referral has been accepted. You can do tasks and sessions related to internet therapy at a time that suits you, from any device. After receiving an email about your referral's acceptance, you log into the therapy program with your online banking credentials or mobile certificate. Some therapy programs use a mobile app. You can find more information on the therapy programs' pages, available in Finnish and Swedish.