Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology
Tomi Bergström
An expert in the Open Dialogue approach and holistic understanding of mental health.
Hi!
I am Tomi Bergström, Ph.D. in Psychology and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology. I have worked for over 10 years as a clinical psychologist at the Keropudas Hospital, in the Open Dialogue mental health care system, at the interface of hospital and outpatient care. Alongside my clinical work, I have researched treatment practices based on a holistic understanding of humanity in both national and international research projects.
The Open Dialogue approach is one example of such a holistic mental health treatment model, where the focus is shifted from treating the presumed disorder to helping within the current life situation and context. The Open Dialogue is one of the models described by the World Health Organization (WHO) to guide mental health care organization from a symptom- and disorder-centered approach to a more holistic direction.
I have popularized research topic in my 2022 non-fiction book "Mieletön häiriö" (published by PS-kustannus) and have been involved in drafting the aforementioned WHO guidelines.
If you want to hear more about my research work and my thoughts on how a more comprehensive perspective could be integrated into mental health care, I would be happy to share. Read more here.
Lectures
I offer mental health-related lectures primarily on the following topics:
The content and delivery of the lectures are tailored to the client's preferences.
Describe your lecture needs and request a quote here.
Concepts of mental health and their connection to treatment practices
The concept of mental health problems refers to psychological and social phenomena that are perceived as problematic from someone's perspective in a given situation. Due to ambiguity and situational context, defining mental health problems or disorders is not straightforward. The understanding of mental health, which is the way of defining and comprehending mental health problems, plays a central role in how people are approached and mental health care is implemented.
Open Dialogue approach
The Open Dialogue approach is an example of a comprehensive and social network-oriented mental health treatment model, where the focus of care is shifted from solely addressing an individual's presumed disorder to a greater consideration of their current life context through various means. The Open Dialogue is one of the World Health Organization's example of treatment models aimed at guiding the implementation and organization of mental health care towards a more holistic direction, moving away from a symptom-centered approach.
Concepts of mental health and their connection to treatment practices
The concept of mental health problems refers to psychological and social phenomena that are perceived as problematic from someone's perspective in a given situation. Due to ambiguity and situational context, defining mental health problems or disorders is not straightforward. The understanding of mental health, which is the way of defining and comprehending mental health problems, plays a central role in how people are approached and mental health care is implemented.
The content and delivery of the lectures are tailored to the client's preferences.
Describe your lecture needs and request a quote here.
Open Dialogue approach
The Open Dialogue approach is an example of a comprehensive and social network-oriented mental health treatment model, where the focus of care is shifted from solely addressing an individual's presumed disorder to a greater consideration of their current life context through various means. The Open Dialogue is one of the World Health Organization's example of treatment models aimed at guiding the implementation and organization of mental health care towards a more holistic direction, moving away from a symptom-centered approach.
Mieletön häiriö
The non-fictional book examines how certain phenomena have come to be referred to as mental disorders and the impact it has had on the way people have been attempted to be helped. At the same time, examples are given of the scientific, ethical, and treatment-related problems that have followed from this approach and why these problems have not been actively addressed in psychiatry. Book was one of the best-selling non-fictional books in Finland at the beginning of 2022. The book is currently available only in Finnish. If you're interested in discussing translation rights, feel free to contact me or the publisher.