Joonas Vehvilainen

Joonas Vehvilainen is originally from Finland and has also lived in Thailand and the United States, with the majority of his life spent in the United Kingdom. An early curiosity about how the mind and brain function guided him toward psychology as a career.

He completed an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of York in 2014, then pursued a master’s degree in neuroscience at King’s College London in 2015, where his studies focused on the behavioural aspects of addiction and mental health. To build practical experience, he worked in a range of roles in London from 2016 to 2019, including as a healthcare assistant in a mental health unit and as a recovery worker in supported accommodation for people facing mental health and addiction challenges.

In 2019 he began a master’s in addiction psychology and counselling at London South Bank University (LSBU). While studying, he worked part-time as a counsellor for the NHS, Humankind, and WDP between 2019 and 2021. Those initial two years of counselling work helped him develop skills in case formulation, teaching coping strategies, delivering psychoeducation, and offering emotional support.

Joonas became a certified member of the British Association of Counselling Practitioners (BACP) and Addiction Professionals in 2021. He is credited with 4 years of professional experience and has accumulated more than 1,000 hours of counselling over the past five years. In 2022 he launched his own practice and also worked as an addiction therapist at Castle Craig Hospital in Scotland.

The variety of roles since his first position in mental health in 2016, combined with his formal training, underpins his commitment to supporting anyone who seeks help.