40 years of experience in Open Dialogue in Western Lapland

We are pleased to invite you to Finnish Lapland to discuss about the dialogical approach to the treatment of psychosis. In the meeting we will also discuss the current state and future of Open Dialogue and Dialogical Practice in Lapland and around the world. The meeting will consist of several dialogical workshops and invited speakers.

Practitioners, researchers and students, service users, people with lived experiences, relatives, peers, and all others interested are welcome. The language of the meeting will be English, with the exception of the open day partly in Finnish, when simultaneous interpretation into English will be provided.

Conference Information

The meeting will take place Wed-Sun 27th-31st of August in Rovaniemi, Finland. There will be an Open Day on Friday 29th of Aug for those who wish to attend for the day only.

The meeting will be hosted by Lapland University of Applied Sciences. Meeting venue: Jokiväylä 11, 96300 Rovaniemi

 

Registration is open to 15th of June 2025. Please register via this link: registration.

Registration options and fees:

  • Participation 27th-31st of Aug at Rovaniemi*
    • 458 € (includes VAT 25,5%)
    • Registration open from February to 15th of June.
  • One day participation Fri 29th of Aug at Rovaniemi**
    • 37,65 € (includes VAT 25,5%)
    • Registration open from February to 8th of Aug.
  • One day participation Fri 29th of Aug online***
    • Free of charge
    • Registration open from February to 8th of Aug.

*Participation on 27th-31st of Aug at Rovaniemi includes:

  • Participation to all sessions
  • Lunches on Thu-Sat
  • Coffee/tea on Wed-Sun
  • Get Together Cocktail event on Wed 27th of Aug
  • Festive Dinner on Sat 30th of Aug

**Participation on Fri 29th at Rovaniemi includes:

  • Participation to the seminar
  • Lunch
  • Coffee/tea

***Online participation on Fri 29th includes:

  • Participation to the seminar via online connection
  • Simultaneous interpretation to English (if needed)

Payment options:

  • Participants who pay for themselves will pay by card at the venue
  • When the payer is is employer or company the payment can be done by card at the venue or by invoice
Wednesday, 27th August

14.00 – 15.00 Registration

15.00 – 18.00  Welcome and planning the workshops for the days

Break

19.00 Get together event

Venue: Lappia Hall, Jorma Eton tie 8 A

 

Thursday, 28th August

09.00 – 10.30 Plenary

10.30 – 11.00 Break

11.00 – 12.30 Workshops and discussions

12.30 – 13.45 Lunch

13.45 – 15.00 Workshops and discussions

15.00 – 15.30 Break

15.30 – 17.00 Workshops and discussions

Break

18.30 Dialogue with nature at Ounasvaara Hill

Event in nature – have good walking shoes. Location of the starting point announced later.

 

Friday, 29th August: Open Day – 40 years of experience in Open Dialogue in Western Lapland

Open day – Separate program

09.00 – 16.30

 

Saturday, 30th August

09.00 – 10.30 Plenary

10.30 – 11.00 Break

11.00 – 12.30 Workshops and discussions

12.30 – 13.45 Lunch

13.45 – 15.00 Workshops and discussions

15.00 – 15.30 Coffee break

15.30 – 17.00 Workshops and discussions

Break

19.00 –   Festive dinner & party

Venue: Lappia Hall, Jorma Eton tie 8 A

 

Sunday 1st September

10.00 – 12.00 Summary, goodbyes and thank you

 

Changes to the programme are possible. Please find downloadable version of the programme upper.

AVOIN PÄIVÄ / OPEN DAY  29.8.2025

Avoin dialogi mielenterveyspalveluiden kehittämisen innoittajana / Open Dialogue as inspiration for the development of mental health services

Paikka /Venue: Jokiväylä 11, 96300 Rovaniemi, Finland

 

9.00 Avoimen päivän avaus / Opening of the day

rehtori/rector Riitta Rissanen, Lapland University of Applied Sciences

9.30 Avoimen dialogin hoitomallin merkitys, nykytila ja tulevaisuuden näkymät / The importance, current status and future prospects of the Open Dialogue model of care

Lapin hyvinvointialue Lapha:n työntekijät ja kokemusasiantuntijat / Practitioners and expert by experience of the Lapland Welfare Services

10.30 Tauko/Break

11.00 Tutkimus avoimen dialogin kehittämisen osana / Research as part of the development of open dialogue

Jaakko Seikkula, PsT, emeritusprofessori ja Tomi Bergström, PsT, dosentti

12.00 Lounas / Lunch

13 Avoin dialogi mielenterveyspalvelujen kehittämisen innoittajana maailmalla / Open Dialogue as inspiration for the development of mental health services worldwide 

UK: Yasmin Ishaq, Charmaine Harris, Russell Razzaque; USA: Vermont team

14.00 Tauko/Break – Kahvi/Coffee, Tee/Tea

14.30 Italia: Raffaella Poccobello; Japani: Tamaki Saito; Belgia: Dag van Wetter

15.30 Loppureflektiot: Avoimen dialogin hoitomallin tulevaisuus Lapissa / Final reflections: The future of the Open Dialogue model of care in Lapland

Lapin hyvinvointialueen edustajat / Representatives of the Lapland Welfare Services

16.00 Yleisön kommentit ja kysymykset / Comments and questions from the audience

16.30 Päivän päätös / Closing the day

Muutokset ohjelmaan mahdollisia. / Changes to the programme are possible.

Tietoa avoimesta päivästä / Open Day information:

  • Avoin päivä on seurattavissa ilmaisena webinaarina, verkko-osoite ilmoitetaan myöhemmin. / The Open Day will be available as a free webinar, the web address will be announced later
  • Osallistuminen paikan päällä Rovaniemellä 37,65 € (sis. alv 25,5%) / Open Day participation at Rovaniemi, fee €37.65 (incl. VAT 25.5%). Lounas ja kahvi/tee sisältyvät hintaan. Lunch and coffee/tea are included.
  • Simultaanitulkkaus suomi-englanti-suomi. / Simultaneous interpretation English-Finnish-English
  • Ilmoittautuminen sivun yläosassa olevan ilmoittautumislinkin kautta / Registration via registration link above.

BY PLANE

There are plenty of direct flight connections to Rovaniemi.

  • Finnair operates direct flights daily between Rovaniemi and Helsinki Airport all year round. Finnair operates also between Helsinki and Kemi-Tornio Airport. Bus/car journey to Rovaniemi from Kemi-Tornio takes approximately one and a half hour.
  • Lufthansa flies to Oulu Airport all year round from Munich Airport. Flights are operated on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Oulu is approximately 2,5 hours away from Rovaniemi by car. There are several ways to reach Rovaniemi easily: by bus, train or rental car.
  • Norwegian operates direct flights between Rovaniemi and Helsinki all year round.
  • Ryanair flies to Rovaniemi all year round from Milan Bergamo. Starting in April 2025, flights will be operated on Fridays and Sundays.

BY TRAIN

  • Finnish railway transport VR
  • It is possible to fly to Helsinki and take the train to Rovaniemi. The journey takes about 8-9 hours by day and about 12 hours by night train.

BY BUS

Some bus companies who operate to Rovaniemi:

PUBLIC BUS SERVICES

Public bus service operates between the city center and Lapland UAS. Please find the schedules from Rovaniemi’s public transport website. There you can also find information on bus tickets, their prices, etc. You can purchase single tickets on the bus in cash or with the most common debit/credit cards or mobile payment apps.

ACCOMMODATION

There are plenty of hotels and Airbnb accommodations in the city centre of Rovaniemi. We are happy to provide discount codes to some of the hotels for the duration of the event (27th-31st of Aug):

  • Arctic City Hotel -10% with code dialogue. You can book accommodation directly on the hotel website according to their booking status.
  • Scandic Pohjanhovi. Discount code CCON. You can book accommodation directly on the hotel website according to their booking status.
  • Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna Rovaniemi. Discount code: BDIALOGUE. There are 20 rooms available for discount price. You can book accommodation directly on the hotel website.

Please find more information about accommodation: Rovaniemi Tourist Information

RESTAURANTS

Rovaniemi is full of Finnish and international restaurants. Please find more information about restaurants: Rovaniemi Tourist Information

ACTIVITIES

Rovaniemi is best known as the city of Santa Claus and reindeers. You can meet the Santa and reindeers at Santa Claus Village and Santapark. In August it is great to experience Finnish nature in autumn colors.

Please find more information about activities: Rovaniemi Tourist Information

Temporary Presence – From Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation Collection https://www.visitrovaniemi.fi/event/temporary-presence-from-jenny-and-antti-wihuri-foundation-collection/

  • Organized by Rovaniemen taidemuseo
  • Location  Kulttuuritalo Korundi, Lapinkävijäntie 4, 96100 Rovaniemi
  • The exhibition Temporary Presence celebrates the 30-year residency collaboration between the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation and the University of Lapland.

Arctic Opposites https://www.visitrovaniemi.fi/event/arctic-opposites/

  • Organized by Arktikum – Science Centre and Museum
  • Location Pohjoisranta 4, 96200 Rovaniemi
  • The renewed permanent exhibition Arctic Opposites at the Arktikum science centre opens 6th December 2024. Contents, exhibition technologies and the visual appearance are updated in the science exhibition renewal.

Northern Ways https://www.visitrovaniemi.fi/event/northern-ways/

  • Organized by Arktikum – Science Centre and Museum
  • Location Arktikum, Pohjoisranta 4, 96200 Rovaniemi
  • Finland’s northernmost and largest province, Lapland has been home to permanent settlements and a broad network of northern peoples for thousands of years. Lapland has always attracted visitors, each of whom has left their mark there in one way or another. The Regional Museum of Lapland includes exhibitions that illustrate the history of Lapland, its cultures, nature, and other contemporary themes.

Sápmi Triennial https://www.visitrovaniemi.fi/event/sapmi-triennial/

  • Organized by Rovaniemen taidemuseo
  • Location Lapinkävijäntie 4, 96100 Rovaniemi
  • The first-ever Sápmi Triennial presents a spectacular array of Sámi contemporary art and duodji, traditional Sámi handicrafts. The exhibition showcases the abundance and vitality of Sámi cultural heritage. The works highlight themes which are deeply rooted in tradition and identity, as well as the challenges of contemporary life. Included in Sápmi Triennial are both rising stars as well as artists with lengthy careers. The works are engaged in a conversation between different countries and generations, and displays what is happening right now in Sámi contemporary art.

The organising committee consists of Jaakko Seikkula, Paula Yliniemi, Mia Kurtti and Kari Valtanen.

If you have any questions about the event, please contact us by email:  opendialog@lapinamk.fi.

The registration to the meeting is binding. If the registered person fails to show up the registration fee will be charged after the event. Participation can be cancelled free of charge only in the case of illness certified by a doctor.

The meeting will take place only if there are enough participants. We reserve the right to make changes to the meeting.

As before, we are sure that the meeting will once again be inspiring and rewarding. We look forward to seeing you in Rovaniemi in August 2025!