Mia Kurtti
Originally from Tornio in Western Lapland, Finland, where I have lived most of my life, northern nature is my home and inspiration. Nature, embodiment and land offer me a grounding in this world that relies on spoken language and shared mental concepts. I have always been interested in the fundamental questions of life, and dialogue is for me a way of being and exploring these questions, as well as relationships and environments, in a way that allows me to show up as a whole person to others.
Professionally, I am intrigued by the structural and complex dimensions of society and their impact on individuals, families, communities and the land. I have extensive experience working in public health and its specific conditions, including a leadership role in Western Lapland’s contribution to the World Health Organization`s Guidance on Community Mental Health Services “Promoting person-centred and rights-based approaches”. In 2022, I was awarded Family and Couple Therapist of the Year in Finland for achievements in developing dialogic mental health services in and for the collaboration with WHO. Open Dialogue as a model of care has been my main professional focus since the beginning of my career when I started working in the Western Lapland Mental Health Services over two decades ago.
In addition to my work in public health, I have spent over a decade training people worldwide in Open Dialogue and dialogic approaches. I am a psychiatric nurse MSc and during my career, I have worked in crisis services as a practitioner with individuals, families and networks and as a nurse manager in Western Lapland psychiatry.
As a trainer and supervisor in family and couple psychotherapy and Open Dialogue, I remain committed to advancing practices that allow for authentic, transformative connection and insights for systemic thinking.
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mia-kurtti-33148554/
Iseult Twamley
Living in the southwest of Ireland, by the Atlantic coast, the beauty and wildness of the landscape, and the ecological damage it has experienced, continue to shape and inspire me. Dialogic and co-creative approaches have given me a humane and ethical platform from which to inform my therapeutic and relational work, as well as a framework for meeting different voices in myself and others. The business of humans meeting humans, each with a willingness to change, is very close to my heart.
As a queer trauma survivor, I am passionate about approaches that explore meaning-in-context and marginalisation, and I invite voices of embodiment, culture and challenge. I bring to my work a solid grounding in dialogic and open dialogue practices and experience in innovative ways to co-create dialogic spaces. My experience as Clinical Lead in the Irish Open Dialogue implementation has given me a particular interest in supporting others when implementing change in their specific context and culture. I am currently developing a model of eco-dialogical work that draws on eco-psychology, dialogism and earth-based spirituality.
I am a Doctor of Clinical Psychology and have offered foundation and advanced, three-year Open Dialogue training and supervision in the UK, Italy, Australia, Denmark and Switzerland.
Whether in clinical, leadership or training roles, I strive to create spaces where genuine transformation and connection can emerge.
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iseult-twamley-812466117/
Eija-Liisa Rautiainen
Originally from a small town in Eastern Finland, I have found my true home in the Finnish capital of Helsinki. I feel connected both to the culture and the vividness of the city and to the silence and wilderness of nature. Long walks, literature, friends, philosophy and live music insipre me.
Throughout my professional career, I have been interested in dialogues. For me, dialogue is thinking together in a way that respects each other’s otherness and, at its best, creates something new. Being heard, sharing, experiencing, and feeling together is also central to dialogue. Dialogue does not seek predetermined change; rather, change can come about through dialogue.
I have 20 years of experience in adult mental health services as a psychologist and a family therapist. In my PhD project, I developed dialogic couple therapy for people with depression and their partners. For the past 15 years, I have worked as a full-time trainer and a supervisor of dialogic work.
I am also a philosophical practitioner, and my goal is to create spaces where people can meet authentically and collaboratively to foster growth and understanding.
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eija-liisa-rautiainen-00422214/