Pekka Holm Social worker, child psychotherapist and family therapy trainer
MAIN FIELD OF WORK
I have had a private business since 1989. Nowadays I am director of the Dialogic training community (www.dialogic.fi). I have lead over 30 family therapy training programmes and have trained over 500 supervisors. In addition to training programmes, I offer supervision services mainly in fields of psychiatry and child welfare. I am especially interested in live consultations with professionals where the customer family is also present, possibly including a wider social network. I still work as a family and couple therapist as well.
ABSTRACT
Family Therapist – Love as a Vocation
Dialogue and love – these keep people in relationships and people and their relationships alive. Without love and dialogue there would be no human life, families, communities, or societies. Welfare and mental health of a person is bound to the people important to him/her and his/her relationships with them. According to dialogic concept of man, self and therefore mental health are intersubjective, i.e. welfare and mental health lie in human interrelation.
The profession of a family therapist is to help people and support their welfare. The task is to contribute to person’s subjective knowledge and ability to overcome difficulties in life. Therefore, the work of a family therapist also aims to help people in their love affairs and love related issues.
During plenary I challenge participants to think about their own personal experiences of love. The aim is also to help participants explore what kind of experiences of love they have in their work as family therapists and how to discuss about love with people.
I will also share my own experiences of love and read letters written in therapy context, including stories and descriptions of love’s significance to human welfare.