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Merita Petäjä
Project Manager
Psychologist
Person profile
I work as a Project Manager at Aalto University in Oasis of Radical Wellbeing strategy-project. My inspirations comes from the developmental shift of the individuals, teams or organizations I am working with.
Intensive development in enhancing the wellbeing of students started in the role of study psychologist and continued as a project manager of Allwell? project 2016. As a result of the Allwell? project it became evident that we also need to focus on the wellbeing of teachers. Oasis of Radical Wellbeing was launched during autumn 2021.
At Oasis of Radical Wellbeing I want to be creating a positive spiral or wellbeing for all Aalto community members.
I wish to challenge individuals to radical self care - in order to have strength to contribute to the causes one cares about.
In addition to individual level, aiming towards holistic wellbeing needs other layers too: we need skill for encountering others, leading teams and we need structures, that support the development of wellbeing.
Person profile
I work as a psychologist at Aalto University. My inspirations comes from the developemental shift of the individual clients or organizations I am working with. My main focus is to support the success of students, support learning and wellbeing. My joy is to serve, fascilitate, accelerate, develope, and help bringing great ideas into practise. I also participate in teaching when asked and often bring in drama methods to enhance group work skills. In addition to Aalto University I belong to Businessteatteri-network.
Background
I worked as a project designer and project manager at the University of Jyväskylä Continuing Education Center 1987-1999. During that time I worked with leadership and diversity issues. With 4 other women we build up a consulting company, where I worked as a trainer and a psychotherapist. As a training method we started Businesstheatre 2009. During this time in my own company I have worked with several universities, media and broadcast companies, finance companies, ship industry, public sector institutions and cities. I have always had a chance to do long term projects in my work. I also focused a lot in continuous training of myself - in addition to psychotherapy education, I participated in 2-year long international consultancy training and later to an international couching training.
Background
I started at Aalto University 2011 and before that I have worked 10 years as a consultant and a psychotherapist in my own company Arinna LtD. During this time I have worked with several universities, media and broadcast companies, finance companies, ship industry, public sector instituions and cities. I have always had a chance to do long term projects in my work. At University of Helsinki I have been working to create Kaisa Library, Unisport, Valtiotieteellinen tiedekunta and Ilmakehätieteen laitos. In these project I was supporting the management and projects lasted about a year. At Aalto I was the manager of TOST 2012 and my job was to make change in the organization.
In addition to a 2 year consultancy training, I have trainings for example in solution oriented problem solving (1-years), coach (2 years), 360 certification and personal analysis certification (Empreinte). I have created the Businessteatteri network making interventions in organizations. For three years I was the leader of the network.In the 90-s I have worked in the Continuing Education Centre of the University of Jyväskylä in Management Development team. I am a doer but I have managed to write a book about Change Processes (Muutosprosessin ohjaaminen, 2001, Koponen & Petäjä) and writing and planning 4.part reference book about Well Being (Tietokirjasarja, Hyvän Elämän Avaimet, Weilin & Göös, 2002).