Frequently asked questions

Our team sessions are not your typical workshops but something more – team coaching. We believe that for the team sessions to have an impact, they should not be based on transferring information that anyone can find online. Instead, the true impact comes with self-reflection, deep-diving discussions, and practising together. That’s what our team coaching sessions are all about.

We offer individual and team coaching for businesses. When it comes to team coaching, we have tailored packages for co-founders, executive teams and bigger teams.

The effectiveness of Psychological Coaching depends not only on the coach but also on your contribution. If you want to get the most out of your sessions, keep open-minded and curious – while accepting that the complexities of the mind are not solvable with a simple, quick-fix. Following the Laavu method, your coach will be there to guide and support you but does not provide any ready-made solutions. You are the best expert in developing your "mental muscles". Sometimes exploring thoughts and feelings can feel heavy and laborious. A good coaching session can be similar to a good workout: despite feeling hard during the session, it will always bring more energy than it takes.

Psychotherapy is a form of treatment developed to ease or eliminate mental suffering. Psychological coaching, in turn, is a self-development service where the focus is on psychological performance and prevention of mental health problems. The objective of psychological coaching is to help individuals with good or moderate mental health in solving their everyday problems and achieving their goals.

We recommend holding the sessions face-to-face: the level of trust and connection required for effective coaching is easier to achieve in person. Based on our experience, at least the first session should be held in person. After that, coaching can be held remotely if needed.

Laavu paths were created to ensure that our clients reach their desired outcomes as efficiently as possible. After delivering over 1000 hours of coaching for leaders, executives, and specialists operating in high-pressure environments, we noticed some topics recurred in the discussions. Based on this, we created six (6) paths structured to tackle our clients' most common challenges. Laavu paths are Less Stress, Deal with perfectionism, Know Yourself, Transitioning to a new role and Emotional Rollercoaster.

We aim to enable businesses to succeed by building their leaders' and other key players' psychological performance. Laavu's specialty is to coach the founders, leaders, and management teams of fast-growing companies. However, it doesn't mean your title would matter – anyone can benefit from Psychological Coaching.

Laavu's coaching is a service that supports the company's business activities and is therefore deductible as a company expense. As usual, you can also deduct the VAT on the service.

It depends on you – the sessions can be in Finnish, Swedish or English. Same thing with the supporting materials: the language is chose by the client.

Our individual coaching is based on three psychological frameworks: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution-Focused Coaching and Person-Centered Therapy. All of these are well-known frameworks supported by research. In short, our method focuses on thoughts, emotions and beliefs-systems (CBT). At the same time, we want to maintain practicality and seek solutions (Solution-Focused). The bedrock for all change is the relationship between the client and the coach (Person-Centered). As for our team coaching, we also utilise the principles of Nonviolent Communication and the theory of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. If you are interested in learning more about our coaching style, feel free to contact our Head Coach, Lasse Karjalainen lasse@laavu.io.

Laavu's coaching is membership-based and billed monthly. The agreement is valid until further notice, so you can terminate your membership when you no longer find the service helpful. The notice period is one calendar month. If you ever need to cancel your individual coaching session, it can be saved for later, and you can use it when it's more convenient for you.

The topics in Laavu's coaching may be work-related (such as leadership challenges, time management issues, giving feedback, etc.) or more personal, like self-criticism and -demandingness. One can address these themes either in individual coaching or team coaching. Team coaching can also help you, for example, improve communication, increase psychological safety, and address interpersonal conflicts in your team/organisation. Our psychologists are to help you identify the most relevant topics when necessary. There are also clients that don't have a specific theme in mind. This is very much okay. In this case, the topics are often related to personal growth. Finally, for some clients, Laavu provides the time and space just to sit down and reflect on their day-to-day life and thoughts – to make space for new insights. Even if the themes may vary, the purpose remains: Laavu's Psychological Coaching aims to improve an individual's/team's psychological performance.

FAQ: What is Psychological Coaching about? Basically, Psychological Coaching bridges the gap between psychotherapy and business coaching. Like in psychotherapy, the Laavu method is scientific, and all our coaches are certified psychologists. However, the topics addressed in coaching can be business-related, and the sessions always goal-oriented. Psychological Coaching is a preventive service that aims to improve your psychological performance and well-being. In Laavu's coaching, you dig deeper into the root causes of the issues instead of staying on the surface level.

As a Laavu member, you get regular sessions with your dedicated Performance Psychologist, access to Laavu's digital platform, and ongoing support from your coach between the sessions. In addition, you get access to Laavu's library and community events, such as Laavu Fireside Gatherings.

The most significant difference between Psychological Coaching and business coaching is that Psychological Coaching is always given by a certified psychologist. Whereas business coaching targets the issues on a practical surface level, psychological coaching digs into the deeper root causes of the issues, connecting them to your mental models, beliefs, etc. All of our coaches are experts in work and organisational psychology. Before starting as a coach, they undergo extensive onboarding and acquire a Laavu certificate. Furthermore, Laavu method is based on science and recent research. What you'll get is science-based, tailored coaching to improve your psychological performance.

At the beginning of each coaching session, your coach helps you define a theme, goal, or question you'll cover during that specific session. Then they will help you dive into this theme with insightful questions, summaries, exercises, etc., and challenge your existing maladaptive behaviours, thoughts and beliefs. Your job here is to stop and reflect on the topic – while maintaining an open mind. Your coach is there to support you in finding clarity, new perspectives, and solutions. Before wrapping up the meeting, you and your coach summarise the benefits gained from the discussion and consider ways you can work with the issue in question before the next session.

Let's be honest. There are plenty of life coaches, business coaches, and any kind of angel therapists, all of whom undoubtedly have good intentions to support your well-being. However, Laavu's Psychological Coaching is given by certified psychologists and backed by science – and we know the shit our clients struggle with. We have given more than 3000 hours of coaching, and our overall client satisfaction rate is 4.68/5. That says quite a lot.