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MHC Brief Therapist training A therapeutic way of working that you can offer as a paid service.

One year of brief therapist training for people who have completed the Mental Health Coach year: 44 evening lessons on Sundays, personal therapy sessions, supervised client practice and clinical supervision. Personal therapy and supervision are paid separately. When you finish, you get your own page in the therapist directory. The first Brief Therapist year starts in January 2027.

The Mental Health Coach and MHC Brief Therapist programmes are currently taught in Finnish: live sessions, recordings and peer groups.

Enrol for €129/month (in Finnish) If you already have training in therapy, apply directly (in Finnish)
44evening lessons
20personal therapy sessions
5 × 90 minutesof supervision
Areas covered in the year: development of the mind, a therapeutic way of working, 20 personal therapy sessions, supervised client practice and clinical supervision.
Two routes

Two routes to becoming an MHC Brief Therapist.

The first Brief Therapist year starts in January 2027. You can join through the Coach year, or directly if you already have training in therapy or coaching.

Open to everyone

Through the Coach year

You can start the Mental Health Coach year this week. When you have completed it, you continue to the Brief Therapist year without applying.

Enrol in the Coach year
By application

Directly to the Brief Therapist year

If you already have training in therapy, psychology or coaching, you can apply directly. Ville and Jukka, the co-founders of Mental Health Club (MHC), read every application and reply within a few working days.

Apply to the Brief Therapist year (in Finnish)
Prerequisites

After the Coach year

The Brief Therapist year is for people who have completed the Mental Health Coach programme. Therapeutic work needs the foundations you build in the Coach year. Without them, you would only be applying techniques.

The focus moves from core skills to how therapeutic work is done in practice. You can start the Coach year this week. If you already have training in therapy or coaching, you can apply directly. The first Brief Therapist year starts in January 2027.

Start with the Coach year
44 evening lessons, 5 areas of study

Brief Therapist studies: from relational skills to a therapeutic way of working

You study the theory of how the mind develops and of psychological difficulties, as well as therapeutic work and technique. The focus is on doing: personal therapy, supervised client practice and supervision. Personal therapy and supervision are paid separately.

01Development of the mind and theory of psychological difficultiesUnderstanding
How early relationships shape us. Defences, anxiety, depression, trauma, recurring relationship patterns, shame and perfectionism. Also covered: a plan for the client work, and the traffic-light model for deciding when your skills are enough and when to refer someone on to other help.
02Therapeutic work, meeting the client, and techniqueWay of working
Moving from coach to therapist: the first session, listening and asking good questions. You practise working with emotions and shame, moving a therapy process forward and bringing it to a close. Also covered: ethics, boundaries and responsibility.
0320 personal therapy sessionsYour own process
To learn to help others, you need to have sat in the client’s chair yourself. During the year, you attend 20 personal therapy sessions and process what the work brings up in you. Sessions you have had in recent years may be taken into account. The sessions are paid separately, in addition to the monthly fee.
04Supervised client practiceIn practice
You practise with real clients under supervision. These sessions have no ready-made script, so you learn to use theory as a practical skill.
05Supervision, peer groups and the final examSupport
Supervision (5 × 90 minutes, paid separately) gives you space to talk through difficult cases. Your peer group meets nine times. The year also includes forum participation, a reflective journal and a final exam.

44 evening lessons, held on Sundays. The first Brief Therapist year starts in January 2027, and the studies run as one year-long course.

What you gain when you finish

Support continues after the year

Visibility

You join the therapist directory

When you finish, you join the MHC therapist directory, where clients can find you. Your role is clearly labelled.

See the directory (profiles in Finnish)
Community

You stay in the community

After the programme, you can stay in the community at an affordable price to revise, keep learning and talk through difficult cases in a group where that is a normal part of the work.

Skills

A marketable way of working and a certificate

You gain a short-term therapeutic way of working that you can offer as a paid service or use in your own work. You also receive a certificate of completion.

Price

The same price as the Coach year

The MHC Brief Therapist programme costs the same as the Coach year: €129/month (incl. 25.5% VAT).

  • You pay monthly, and the price is the same in both years.
  • Coach + Brief Therapist: two years and 88 evening lessons.
  • You can start the Coach year this week. The first Brief Therapist year starts in January 2027.
Most popular
MHC Brief Therapist
€129/month
incl. 25.5% VAT
  • 44 evening lessons on Sundays
  • Supervised client practice and 9 peer group meetings
  • A place in the therapist directory when you finish
  • Currently taught in Finnish
Enrol (in Finnish)

You can start the Coach year this week. The first Brief Therapist year starts in January 2027. Personal therapy (20 sessions) and supervision (5 × 90 minutes, €314) are paid separately.

Coach + Brief Therapist
€129/month
both years, incl. 25.5% VAT
  • Year 1: Mental Health Coach
  • Year 2: MHC Brief Therapist
  • 88 evening lessons in total
  • One continuous training path
  • Currently taught in Finnish
Choose the full path (in Finnish)

The same monthly price in both years. The Brief Therapist content becomes available when your Brief Therapist year starts.

Prices include 25.5% VAT.

Further reading

Read these before you enrol.

Questions

Frequently asked questions about the MHC Brief Therapist programme.

What is the difference between a brief therapist and a psychotherapist?
In Finland, psychotherapist is a protected occupational title for healthcare professionals, supervised by the Finnish Supervisory Agency. The training takes several years and requires a prior qualification in health or social care. Brief therapist is not a protected title in Finland. The MHC Brief Therapist programme prepares you for short-term therapeutic work with people and for working as a therapist on a self-employed basis. It does not qualify you as a psychotherapist in Finland.
Can I train as a brief therapist without a background in health or social care?
Yes. The path starts with the Mental Health Coach year, which requires no previous training. The MHC Brief Therapist year follows straight after the Coach year.
When does the Brief Therapist year start?
The first MHC Brief Therapist year starts in January 2027. Your own Brief Therapist year starts once you have completed the Mental Health Coach year. You can start the Coach year this week.
How much does the Brief Therapist programme cost?
The monthly fee is the same as for the Coach year, €129/month (incl. 25.5% VAT), and you commit one month at a time. Personal therapy sessions and supervision are paid separately.
How does studying work in practice?
The evening lessons are held live on Zoom, and recordings stay available for one month. The Brief Therapist year includes 44 evening lessons, supervised client practice, supervision (paid separately) and a peer group. Live sessions, recordings and peer groups are in Finnish.
Can I apply directly to the Brief Therapist year without the Coach year?
Yes, if you already have training in therapy, psychology, or health and social care, or coach training. These examples do not limit who can apply: fill in the application (in Finnish), and our co-founders Ville and Jukka will read it and reply within a few working days. People who have completed the Coach year continue to the Brief Therapist year without applying.
What does the application ask for?
Your name, email address, background, education, experience of working with people and why you want to become a brief therapist. The application takes about five minutes, and it does not ask for any health information.
Is brief therapy training the same as brief therapist training?
Yes, the two terms are used interchangeably. Both mean training in which you learn a short-term therapeutic way of working. At MHC, it is a year-long programme that follows the Mental Health Coach year.

In an emergency, call 112 in Finland. Outside Finland, call your local emergency number. MIELI Mental Health Finland runs a 24/7 crisis helpline in Finnish: +358 9 2525 0111. MHC is not a crisis or treatment service.

05 · The second year

A year in which you already work with real clients.

A short-term therapeutic way of working, supervised client practice and a peer group. €129/month (incl. 25.5% VAT). Personal therapy and supervision are paid separately.

Enrol for €129/month (in Finnish)Ask if it is right for you