About us
We are two experts in the field of psychology with a professional background in music. What we truly believe is the great importance of the well-being of professional musicians and artists and their communities. We want to develop an even better working life for people in the arts and other professions.
What We Do
We offer individuals and organisations information, support and help in various issues and challenges that are related to work and the working community.
We carry out customized training based on your needs. Among the amenities directed towards organisations and working communities, you can find coaching, workplace conflict mediation, developmental support and a psychologist’s services for well-being at work.
We are committed to following the ethical principles of the Finnish Psychological Association. Together with many experts in the field of musical medicine, we have been involved in the foundation of the Finnish Musical Medicine Association’s psychosocial well-being department.
Helmi Kuusi
She is a a psychologist (PsM), violinist (M.Mus.) and an orchestral musician (HKO).
My long and diverse experience in the profession of performing arts combined with my expertise in psychology creates a foundation for my work in improving the well-being of artists and artists’ communities. I want to produce and offer researched information to add to the understanding of the psychic and psychosocial stress- and resource-factors pertaining to a musician’s work. The core of my professional interest is also the significance of developmental traumas in current psychosocial processes.
Along with lectures and training I also hope, in the future, to offer one-on-one psychological discourse and a psychologist’s assessments and referrals for treatment. My aim in my work is to analyse and describe a client’s situation and to plan the necessary implementation for individual care. Owing to my professional background I have the capabilities to understand the psychic challenges of professional artists in particular.”
Contact: helmi.kuusi@virite.fi
Päivi Rissanen
She is a social psychologist (M.Soc.Sc.), sertified coach, a workplace conflict mediator, a doctoral researcher (UniArts Helsinki) and a musician (M.Mus.).
I have had over 25 years of experience with working communities and teams, along with positions as an employee and a leader, and this experience is combined in my work with research in social psychology and positive psychology and a problem-solving approach. They have given me the foundation for developing working-life skills and organizational culture on both an individual and a community level. My guiding principle is to apply scientific research and practical applications in everyday thinking and modifying procedures.
My special interests are the different phenomena in workplace communities and organizational cultures, such as interaction, leadership and hierarchies, as well as issues related to professional identities. I consider it my calling to develop and improve working life as a whole. I consider an analytic mind and precision among my strengths, together with an in-depth attitude towards various questions. My approach is based on the line of thinking that everyone is the best expert of their own experiences and reality.
In addition to training, lecturing and research, I also work in Virite as a workplace conflict mediator and as a coach for individuals and teams.”
Contact: paivi.rissanen@virite.fi, +358 40 7021516