“Once you're a foreigner and you're getting out of your own home, and away from your spouse - for whom you probably came here - it's very tough. You see yourself alone.  It's not so easy to find all this information all of the sudden. Sometimes you just have a month, and that's it.”
-Ex-husband of an intercultural marriage

“Find organisations that help. Don’t think that you alone! And DON’T involve your children in the anger/hate/bitter feelings for your ex, it is not their fault!!!”
-Ex-wife of an intercultural marriage

Going through a divorce or separation is difficult, especially when you are far away from your family and friends. You might find it difficult to talk about your feelings, or feel misunderstood and alone in your current situation. Maybe you also worry about your future or that of your children, or you feel overwhelmed with the new situation. 

You can go without an appointment and talk about issues concerning your divorce at your local First Aid for Divorce Eron ensiapupiste (the site lists the places in Southern Finland). Local social services offer family mediation. If you have children, you can contact your local perheneuvola. You can also find a lot of help online. See below.

QUICK LINKS

• Welcome to Duo Divorce online course
  
• Theme 1: Getting a divorce in Finland
• Theme 2: Coping with divorce
• Theme 3: Children's wellbeing
  
• Theme 4: Parenting after divorce
• Theme 5: Finding myself again
• Help and support
  • Phone and web counselling
  • Counselling and family mediation services
  • Peer support groups
  • Mental health and psychological help
  • Severe crisis situations
    
    

 

 

Phone and web counselling
​Many associations offer counselling services and emotional support online or by phone. These services are very discrete and preserve your anonymity, and you can arrange them quite flexibly around your own time schedule.

• Mental Health Finland Mieli ry National Crisis Hotline offers free phone counselling in English, in Arabic and in Finnish on weekdays and weekends. Discuss your thoughts, feelings and situation in life with a crisis worker or a trained volunteer by calling to 09 2525 0111.
• Yhden Vanhemman Perheiden Liitto’s Eroinfopäivystys is a phone service providing information about all matters concerning children in divorces, such as custody, child support and the child’s place of residence.
• Hyvakysymys offers web chats on all kinds of family-related topics, for example for single parents. You can also find forum discussions on different aspect of parenthood.
  
• Mannerheimin Lastensuojeluliitto operates the Vanhempainpuhelin and chat, a free peer support hotline for parents. You can also contact them via their web service.
• Tukinet is a web service offering discussion groups, live chats with peers and experts, and search engines to find information and support in all kinds of circumstances (website in Finnish only).
• The Family Federation of Finland (Väestöliitto) provides counselling and therapy sessions concerning family matters, relationships, as well as sexual health, both in person and on the phone. You also have the possibility to book free online counselling sessions with a psychologist.
• apuaeroon.fi (only in Finnish)
  

 

Counselling and family mediation services
​Counselling services are suitable for both individual people and couples or families. Other than professional therapy sessions, counselling is often free of charge. The social services of your home municipality are required by law to provide free family mediation. You can ask for counselling services at the perheneuvola or public health centers (terveyskeskus). If you are worried about the mental well-being of your child, you can contact the school psychologist at their school or perheneuvola of your municipality or for students Nyyti ry.

• Family counselling centres and individual support and counselling in family matters are offered for free by The Finnish Lutheran Church regardless of one's confession or beliefs. Family counselling is offered by most parishes, and by the Helsinki Deaconess Institute (Helsingin Diakonissalaitos). If your parish doesn't offer family counselling, they can refer you to one that does (website in Finnish).
• Kataja ry  offers relationship counselling, support groups and other activities for couples (website in Finnish only).
• Eläkeliitto offers peer support and divorce counselling specifically for people aged over 50.
  

 

Peer support groups

• ​Peer support groups (vertaistukiryhmät) provide the possibility to meet and talk with people who are in the same situation as you. You might find new perspectives, good advice, or just an open ear.
• Apuaeroon.fi website provides the most comprehensive list of peer groups and other divorce services all over Finland (in Finnish only) by  Ensi- ja turvakotien liitto (in English).
• Miessakit ry organizes peer support groups for men in different situations. You can contact them to find out more about divorce groups, individual discussions and counselling in case of a divorce, crisis or supporting your fatherhood.
• YVPL has collected a list of peer support groups for divorcees around the country (Finnish only).
• Päksy ry offers ”multicultural living room” meetings in cooperation with Kaapatut lapset ry and other associations, where multicultural parents and single parents can meet and chat once a month.
• You can also find some privately organized divorce groups; however, they sometimes charge quite heavy fees. Check out for example: www.suomalaineneroseminaari.fi (Finnish only).
• There are also some peer groups in English for divorced especially in Helsinki area, ask your local perheneuvola. Sininauhaliitto or local Työväenopisto and Väestöliitto can also organize free or affordable peer groups.

 

Mental health and psychological help
If you feel that you need professional help, it is good to contact an expert as early as possible. Psychological help is available both from public and private health care centers. Therapy sessions are usually charged.

• Mental Health Finland (Mieli ry) runs a crisis hotline for foreigners  and offers crisis counselling in Finnish, Swedish, English, Arabic and, if necessary, through an interpreter in the client’s mother tongue. Counselling is cost free and it’s possible to make the contact anonymous. For more information, call the crisis hotline: 09 2525 0113.
• Väestöliitto offers also individual help and therapy services.
• Find a therapist or online help here at Mielenterveystalo  (website in Finnish only).
• The Finnish Central Association for Mental Health (Mielenterveyden keskusliitto) offers peer support and counselling as well as seminars for mental health problems (website in Finnish only).

 

Severe crisis situations

• Contact Mieli ry for crisis and/or suicide prevention anonumously
  • in Finnish 24/7 call 09 2525 0111
  • in English and Arabic call 09 2525 0113,  Mon and Tue 11-15, Wed 13-16 and 17-21 and Thu 10-15.
• If you need support in case of domestic violance and violance against women contact Nollalinja 24/7 calling number 080 005 005 anonumously and for free.
• Monikanaiset offer crisis help for immigrant women and/or in case of violance by calling 0800 05058 for free (Mon 9-19, tue-Fri 9-16), they also have a chat in several languages and an emergency shelter 24/7 by calling 045 6396 274.
• Contact Turvakoti if you need urgent shelter and a temporarily place to stay in case of violence or threat of violence for you and/or your children. Ensi- ja turvakotiliitto provides shelter and help in family crisis.
• In case of abducted children or a threat of abduction Kaapatut Lapset ry offer support. They also offer support in case of prolonged and severe fighting over a custody in Finland and/or across borders. Estimating the threat of abduction.
• Miessakit offer help to men who have used or might use physical or mental violence against their intimate partners.
• In immediate danger call the emergency number 112.

Help for family separation

By Mannerheimin Lastensuojeluliitto
In English

In Arabic

In Somali

In Russian.

In Finnish

In Swedish