Pirkanmaa triples Sekasin chat responders to support youth mental health in Finland

The Pirkanmaa welfare district is set to enhance support for young people by tripling its number of chat responders for the Sekasin chat platform in the early autumn. Sekasin chat is a national online discussion forum in Finland, where young people can speak anonymously about their concerns or mental health issues with professionals or volunteers. Previously, only 12 employees from Pirhan were available to respond, but after a training period that began in August, this number will rise to 50, with each responder committing to at least two hours of availability every two weeks.

One of the new responders is Tarja Kallio, a family guidance instructor from Lielahden. She has been involved with Sekasin since January and noted that young people are often more open in chat discussions than in face-to-face conversations, especially in situations where a guardian might be present.

This year, Pirhan employees have participated in 780 discussions on the platform, with an estimated 4,000 chats occurring annually among young people in Pirkanmaa. Unfortunately, current resources only allow for responses to one-fifth of incoming contacts.

Messages received often pertain to issues such as anxiety, loneliness, and everyday life management, with many young people seeking someone to share their daily experiences with.

Pirkanmaa stands out as the only welfare district actively participating in the national Sekasin chat, which has received more than 103,000 contacts this year alone. There is significant interest from other districts in learning from Pirkanmaa’s experience, even as they grapple with the challenge of providing localized support. Satu Raappana, head of children’s and youth mental health services, emphasizes the need for collaboration to ensure that more young people receive timely assistance through Sekasin chat, which operates weekdays from 9 AM to 12 AM and weekends from 3 PM to 12 AM.