Nurse Ella Keski-Rahkonen values treatment that fits into everyday life

Ella Keski-Rahkonen first encountered Sooma treatment while studying to become a registered nurse and working on a psychiatric ward at Turku University Hospital in Finland. With a background in practical nursing, she joined the ward for a clinical placement and stayed on to work as a nurse, spending more than six months there.

Young adults were open to treatment

The patients Ella helped treat with Sooma were young adults, some as young as 18. She remembers how open they were to trying it: they listened to the staff’s guidance and were willing to give the treatment a chance.

Although the treatment may have seemed unfamiliar at first, Ella found that patients were receptive to it. From her perspective as a nurse, it was also straightforward to administer.

Working on the ward meant caring for people facing difficult circumstances, whose recovery would take time. Ella’s experience of Sooma comes primarily from providing treatment and supporting patients in everyday ward life.

Why the option of treatment at home matters

Although Ella first encountered Sooma in the hospital, she particularly values that treatment can also be provided at home. Being able to fit treatment into daily life is important to her.

“Sooma treatment is easy to use and fits into everyday life.”

For someone who is struggling, familiar surroundings can mean a great deal. As Ella points out, home is where many people feel safest.

“I think it’s wonderful that this kind of treatment can be brought into people’s homes.”

More understanding, less judgment

Ella hopes that people experiencing mental health challenges will be met with understanding and without judgment. Having encountered dismissive attitudes both in everyday life and at work, she believes people need to be able to talk more openly about mental illness.

She would like to see the same openness towards different treatment options. In her view, a treatment should not be dismissed simply because it looks unfamiliar or involves a new routine. What matters is whether it can help someone feel better.

“If it helps you feel better, what does it matter if you’re wearing a cap?”