Where has winning the Queen Silvia Nursing Award taken you? What have you been doing since your scholarship year? I work as a nurse at Cancer Society of South-West Finland, and also as a part-time entrepreneur with my company Flowmotion. I do psychosocial work with the promotion of health and well-being as an employee and entrepreneur, and working with positive psychology is part of my work. I also started studying Solution-Focused-Brief-Therapy (SFBT) in February.
Have you thought of new ideas or ways you’re evolving this one? My winning idea with the positive psychology emotion cards are now also used by some Finnish speech therapists who are working with neurological rehabilitation. I also have an upcoming event with positive psychology at Vaasa Summer University here in Finland, for everyone interested in positive psychology. There is also an upcoming event for memory nurses and senior advisers in the wellbeing services county of Ostrobothnia in May, organized by the coordinating head nurse, and I’m really excited about that. I will educate them in my QSNA- winning idea and using positive psychology in their work. This is my biggest work so far with my winning idea “Emotional Workshop Using Positive Psychology”.
How do you continue learning and growing as a professional? I love to study and I believe Solution-Focused-Brief-Therapy education is giving me more tools to work with wellbeing and health clients. SFBT is a short-term-goal-focused-evidence-based therapeutic approach, which incorporates positive psychology principles and practices, and which helps clients change by constructing solutions rather than focusing on problems. I believe that being a nurse and positive psychology coach together with SFBT will be an excellent combination for me, and I think I will have many new ideas on how to work with wellbeing and health promotion.
What drives you in your career? What gives you the mental strength to push through challenges?
I have always been interested in psychology, well-being, health promotion, and helping people in their well-being. It's important for me to use my key values and strengths working as a nurse, and I love to work with my self-improvement. And of course I myself use the daily principles and practices of positive psychology. There are always tools to use for mental strength and challenges, but also for goals and well-being.
Are there any expectations you’ve had about your career that turned out to be different from reality?
As an entrepreneur I always listen to my clients, what their needs are. It was surprising how easily clients have found me. I have worked more extensively with positive psychology than I expected, in my work as a nurse but also as an entrepreneur. With my new education I will have much more to give as a nurse. I will graduate in December as Solution-Focused-Brief Therapist, because my education is shorter due to previous studies in psychology. Training includes additional studies required for psychotherapist education, and gives the opportunity to apply for psychotherapy studies also in the future. So my life is all about work and education this year, and I love that.
What do you love most about your career or would say the best aspectis? Working with health, positive psychology and well-being is so interesting and you can always learn so much more. You are never finished with learning, and you can always develop yourself further.
What is the best piece of advice you have received on this journey?
Believe in yourself and what you do, what you offer as a nurse in the field of well-being with positive psychology matters.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone who eventually wants to be where you are? Do what you love and believe in yourself. Do what scares you the most, because the biggest personal growth happens in doing it even if you’re scared. Your ideas and thoughts can be very important to another person. Don't belittle your own skills. Everyone has something to give to others in this world, and what you have to give can change people's life for the better.