More attention should be paid to the well-being of people who end up in the legal process, says legal psychologist Helinä Häkkänen.
“Usually I don’t get to smile in the pictures, but now it was ripped really well, ”he says Helinä Häkkänen. The morning filming session for the birthday interview is over. Joy can be seen in the pictures taken.
Häkkänen has become accustomed to appearing serious in his interviews, because the topics have been from the darkest end, the world of crime and court proceedings.
He has been involved as a forensic psychologist in several socially turbulent cases and has spoken out, among other things, in favor of criminalizing persecution. “Participating in the bill and speaking for it in the years leading up to it is certainly my most important work in the field of forensic psychology.”
The Law on Persecution entered into force at the beginning of 2014. Of course, even lighter themes can be accommodated in a versatile career.
“A few years ago, the Discovery Channel made a documentary about Cleopatra’s death, and I was asked to join as one of the experts. I was involved in the very final stage, but in the end they ended up with an American colleague, Pat Brown. ”
Psychologist Häkkänen became largely thanks to a high school psychology teacher.
“It’s been a wonderful lesson on how a teacher can get a person to apply somewhere in the field.”
Initially, Häkkänen thought of researching schizophrenics. The anomalies of the human mind have always interested him.
“I was in training at the then Hesperia Mental Hospital and found that it might not be my area after all.”
His career eventually opened up in the field of legal and criminal psychology. In the 21st century, he ended up as a researcher at the Academy of Finland in the Central Criminal Police and later as a specialist researcher at the CPC.
Even at that time, behavioral scientists were rare in criminal investigations. Psychologists were not actively involved in the investigation either. However, police violence investigation teams from all over Finland took part in the investigation without prejudice, Häkkänen praises.
“I got to be involved in a lot of interesting stuff. Murder, murder, destruction, rape and school shootings became familiar. ”
Cage the task was, among other things, the profiling of school killers in Jokela and Kauhajoki.
“The work was rewarding, but also under pressure. I still didn’t find it burdensome. Dealing with crude things was part of the job description. ”
In addition to his expert work, Häkkänen trained police units in Finland and abroad. Since then, behavioral scientists have been used more and more as part of criminal investigation in Finland as well.
“Today, there are several Supreme Court rulings that have used psychological information in reasoning, there are posts for psychologists in the police, and so on. When I started in the 90s, specialists in the field could be counted on the fingers of one hand. ”
Psychology bringing to justice is not without its problems.
“The thing is always case-specific, and psychology provides information about behavior on a general level. I find it best applicable to preparing people for trial. ”
Witness preparation can have a significant impact on the well-being and hearing of a witness.
“The legal process is a major cause of anxiety in people. I woke up to it when I started doing clinical work. People who had been in court and had terrible memories came to the reception. There may have been a rape victim whose credibility had been questioned by a defense attorney. In court, the day is on the sled after the trial, but these people will live with their experiences. ”
Häkkänen is currently developing special methods for relieving such anxiety, based on EMDR therapy. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a form of short-term psychotherapy technique.
“It’s confusing how a method can turn a memory that is very distressing to a person into completely neutral in one hour, and how it can also correct negative thoughts about oneself related to trauma memory.”
Last year, Häkkänen founded a new company offering psychology and therapy services. Previously, he had done client work for several years at another company.
The best thing is the successes achieved with the customers, he says and gives an example of one of his customers with permission.
“This client is a victim of a homicide attempt, visited my office for a long time, and now I prepared him for a forensic entrance exam. The fact that one can help a person from such an experience to recover and, as a result of the same experience, to apply to the legal field – I could not imagine anything more rewarding. ”
Helinä Häkkänen
■ Born in Helsinki in 1971.
■ Psychologist, Psychotherapist.
■ Doctor of Psychology, University of Helsinki 2000.
■ Docent of Criminal Psychology, University of Helsinki, 2004–, Docent of Forensic Psychology, University of Eastern Finland, 2012–.
■ Specialist Researcher, CP, 2008–2011. As an Academy Researcher and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Academy of Finland, 2002-2008. Researcher, Police University of Applied Sciences, 2000–2001.
■ Several scientific expert and positions of trust. More than 60 publications in domestic or foreign scientific journals, four non-fiction books, several research reviews.
■ Lives in Helsinki. The family includes one child.
■ Turns 50 on Monday, April 26th.
.
#years #Central #Criminal #Police #murders #murders #school #murders #familiar #legal #psychologist #Helinä #Häkkänen #Dealing #cruel #part #job
source https://pledgetimes.com/50-years-old-in-the-central-criminal-police-murders-murders-and-school-murders-became-familiar-to-legal-psychologist-helina-hakkanen-dealing-with-cruel-things-was-part-of-the-job-2/
Disqus comments