SUREVAN KOHTAAMINEN  program

The Surevan kohtaaminen program supports experts, students and volunteers in their interactions with people who have lost a loved one. The program also aims to inform the bereaved about the support available to them. The Surevan kohtaaminen program is aimed at all who work with people who have lost a loved one, for example in hospitals, occupational health care, police and rescue services, crisis centers, churches and various organizations. Information is needed also in schools, workplaces and various agencies where people who have lost a loved one deal with matters related to their death.  

This website provides information concerning grief, interacting with the bereaved and support for the bereaved. People who have experienced loss themselves, as well as their loved ones, can also make use of the information. 

You can request a visit from an expert by experience through the Surevan kohtaaminen program. The expert can come and speak at your school or workplace, for example. During their visit, the expert by experience talks about their own experience of losing a loved one. They also provide listeners with general information about grief, how to interact with the bereaved and what kind of support is available to them.  

The experts by experience in the Surevan kohtaaminen program are volunteers from their respective organizations (Huoma – Henkirikoksen uhrien läheiset ry, Käpy Lapsikuolemaperheet ry, Nuoret Lesket ry and Surunauha ry). They have personal experience of losing a child, losing a spouse, or losing a loved one through suicide or homicide. Experts by experience can deliver their speeches both on-site and remotely. You can also ask experts by experience to participate in interviews, studies, student projects or development projects at the workplace. You can ask experts by experience for a visit here.  

The Surevan kohtaaminen program also plays the role of an expert in various networks and working groups that produce or develop information or services related to bereavement support. You can also ask for training on how to interact with and support the bereaved. These activities are only available in Finnish. 

The Surevan kohtaaminen program is backed by four grief organizations: Huoma – Henkirikoksen uhrien läheiset ry, Käpy Lapsikuolemaperheet ry (Child Death Families Finland Käpy), Nuoret Lesket ry (Young Widows and Widowers) and Surunauha ry – Support for people who have lost a loved one to suicide. The program is funded by a grant from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.