What to do while you wait for therapy

How long public care may make you wait

• On weekdays during opening hours, you must be able to reach your health centre immediately¹, and get an assessment of your need for care the same day².
• Treatment in primary care must start within three months at the latest¹.
• For people under 23, within 14 days when it concerns an illness or injury¹.
• In specialised care, after a referral: assessment within three weeks, examinations within three months, and treatment within six months of the need being established¹.

These limits apply to mental and physical health problems in the same way². Visits under an agreed care plan, such as ongoing psychotherapy, fall outside them².

For children and young people under 23, short-term psychotherapy or structured psychosocial treatment in primary care must start within 28 days of the need being established, since 1 May 2025³.

Free support you can use now

• Mielenterveystalo’s self-help programmes: free, anonymous, no login and no diagnosis needed. English programmes include anxiety, depression, insomnia and concentration difficulties⁴.
• MIELI’s Finnish crisis chat is open Monday to Thursday, 15 to 21, and its written support usually answers within a week⁵.
• In English, MIELI offers booked crisis chat, remote appointments and crisis email, free and without a referral⁶. Email replies can take up to two weeks⁷.
• Sekasin-chat for 12 to 29-year-olds is anonymous and free, open weekdays 9 to 24 and weekends 15 to 24⁸.

Mielenreitti’s list of every service shows the free options first, with the languages each is offered in.

If things get worse while you wait

MIELI’s crisis line 09 2525 0111 answers in Finnish every day, 24 hours a day; MIELI does not charge for the conversation and you can call anonymously⁹.

Call 116117 if there is no danger to life but the situation is serious or needs urgent care, and 112 if someone’s life or safety is threatened¹⁰. Both calls are free¹¹¹².