Antti Tuisku has moved from pop stardom to working as a short-term therapist. His distance meeting time has a higher price than what psychotherapists who have gone through long training charge.
Antti Tuisku, 39, who ended his career as a pop star in the summer, has said in public that he will switch to therapy and coaching work. Tuisku graduated at the end of 2022 as a solution-oriented brief therapist. Tuisku completed his studies at the Helsinki Psychotherapy Institute, and now he has advertised his therapy session on his Instagram account.
Tuisku offers his help in the Minde startup, which has been operating for less than half a year, and which he has been involved in developing. Minde is described in the release as a “low-threshold well-being service”, through which you can get help from experts in the field of mental health.
Antti Tuisku has moved into therapy work. Inka Soveri
Tuisku’s training as a brief therapist and exercise counselor is presented on the service’s website.
– He has also gone through his own path from a shop cashier to the most popular pop star in Finland and thus realized his own personal growth to success. In addition to this, Antti is an entrepreneur, manager, writer, goal-oriented athlete and eternal researcher of life. As a coach, Antti wants to offer versatile expertise to support the development and growth of individuals and companies, the website reads.
His special areas of expertise are “targeted self-development (sports / management), life balance challenges and challenges related to relationships or drug addiction”.
Tuisku offers 60-minute remote meeting times. The price of one appointment is 199 euros.
Iltalehti asked the medical advisor of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM). From Helena Vormawhether the price is customary or reasonable.
– It suddenly sounds more expensive than average, says Vorma.
Chief physician of the Institute of Health and Welfare (THL). Outi Linnaranta on the other hand, does not take a stand on an individual price, but considers what to get from the therapy service of a person known to the public.
– Maybe that money will buy something other than therapeutic treatment. We think that meeting a celebrity is the main thing, says Linnaranta.
Antti Tuisku did not respond to Iltalehti’s request for an interview on the subject.
“Unique background”
CEO of Minde Päivi Vaipuro tells Iltalehti by email how the prices of the experts they use are determined.
– The expert’s pricing is based on previous experience and training, and it is jointly agreed with each expert. As an expert, Antti has his own unique background and experience base. Pricing is also affected by the duration of the meeting, which at Antti is 60 minutes, Vaipuro says.
Antti Tuisku’s short therapy service is also advertised with his experience as a pop star. Roni Lehti
However, Tuisku’s pricing is relatively more expensive than another expert using Minden, who has trained as a psychologist and forensic psychologist. His 45-minute time costs 129 euros, and if you calculate the price of 60 minutes with the same minute price, it would be 172 euros – that is, almost 30 euros less than Tuisku. Tuisku’s reception price is higher than anyone else in Minde.
Vaipuro refuses to comment on whether Tuisku’s pricing is influenced by his public status or why Tuisku charges more than his more educated colleague.
Each Therapist determines his own prices for both short-term therapy and long-term rehabilitation psychotherapy. In general, the price of three-hour psychotherapy sessions ranges between 80 and 110 euros. For example, a well-known psychotherapist and writer Maaret Kallio charges 110 euros for a 45-minute reception, which would be approximately 147 euros calculated for an hour. Training as a psychotherapist is a long process, and those who complete the training receive the professional title of psychotherapist from Valvira, the Social and Health Licensing and Supervision Agency.
A vague concept
Tuisku has trained at the Helsinki Institute of Psychotherapy in a 60-credit course. The training is offered in a two-year program and a one-and-a-half-year intensive training period.
People working as short-term therapists offer their services with very different educational backgrounds and starting points. Brief therapy is not an official, clearly defined term, and brief therapist is not a professional title controlled by the authorities.
– Some of those who use this title are psychotherapists, and some have some other narrower training, says STM’s Vorma.
In principle, anyone can call themselves a brief therapist, even without training. Served as chief physician of STM Tuula Kieseppä comment in 2022 To Ylethat brief therapist is a term is vague and not all customers know that it is not a professional title controlled by the authorities. Thus, it does not guarantee competence either.
– Some who call themselves brief therapists say that everyone can come to the reception and there is help for everything. It is misleading. Must be able to guide the client forward if own work style is not the best possible, CEO of training provider Siria, Psychotherapist Sirkku Ruutu in turn commented to Yle in the same article.
Antti Tuisku ended his career as a pop star with his Ruisrock gig in July. Roni Lehti
A crush on a therapist
In recent years, besides Tuisku, other public figures have also been trained in therapy work. Singer-songwriter Iisa Pajula has trained as a solution-oriented brief therapist and artist Laura Voutilainen as a “person available therapist”.
Outi Linnaranta, chief physician at THL, says that it has traditionally been thought that the therapist is as neutral a person as possible for those seeking help. If the therapy client has an ideal relationship with a therapist known from the public, problems can arise.
– If you strongly admire the therapist, it can be more difficult to deal with the things in which you feel you have failed. Shame can prevent effective work. There will be a comparison that that person is such a successful person and I haven’t accomplished anything, says Linnaranta.
On the other hand, a person seeking help can also be inspired by the success of their own therapist and this can promote recovery.
In an interview with Iltalehti, Tuisku spoke about the attitude of therapy clients towards him when he was still studying. Tuisku mused that his training clients might have made him nervous at first, but that wore off in about five minutes.
– People sensed that I am a genuine and direct person, whose pop stardom does not play a terribly big role in my own activities and everyday life, Tuisku said.