Ten Years of Expert-by-Experience Work – Celebration at Kesäharju Brought Together Past and Future

The training is free of charge and open to applicants from outside Helsinki as well. The autumn camp is not just a closing event but part of continuous learning: during seminar days and workshops, participants deepen their knowledge and share experiences also with graduates from earlier years.

Over time, the program has developed into a modular structure, with content shaped by feedback and changes in the field.

Learning, Encounters, and Courage

Three themes were repeated in the experiences shared by those who spoke at the celebration: making sense of one’s own life, meeting people, and finding the courage to take part. Susu says she joined the training initially for herself – to process difficult experiences and to be able to support others, especially mothers living with bipolar disorder:

“It would have made things easier if, while I was in the ward, someone with the same experience had come to tell me that you can get through this.”

Pia describes how quitting smoking sparked a desire to help others, and during the training “doors opened in every direction”: even though some of the content was familiar, each training day brought something new. Martin sums up his insight as encouragement for others:

“How do you know it’s not for you if you don’t try?”

The encounters proved to be the most meaningful: dozens of personal stories, each different, yet united by a shared thread of hope. As Susu puts it:

“I don’t know a single ‘normal’ person – only different ones.”

Pia says she gained the most from being able to listen and sometimes offer practical advice. Martin reminds that the training also requires emotional balance: writing one’s own story and hearing others’ can be touching, but the group’s support carries you through. Many emphasized the intertwined paths of mental health and substance abuse work – they often go hand in hand, and that’s why it’s important for the training to cover both.

This year, seven students graduated, and their certificates were handed out in a festive ceremony at the camp. The event began with a surprise performance organized by experience coordinator Sirpa Sinisalo to thank instructor Minna Tikka-Lapveteläinen for her long-term commitment to developing both the training and the entire expert-by-experience program. Participants joined together in singing a congratulatory song – in the photo, Minna is holding the paper reading “Congratulations Song for Minna”, which perfectly captured the warmth and sense of community of the day.