Someone must be brave enough to face darkness

“Terrible and distressing things happen in the world. To do something about them or prevent them, someone must be brave enough to face darkness,” says Hanna Lahtinen, University Lecturer in Psychology, describing her work.

For years, Lahtinen has worked with victims of violence against children, and with its prevention.

She was drawn into the field in the early days of her career, when she worked at a child psychiatry outpatient clinic. There, one of the first duties of the newly qualified psychologist was to interview children who were victims in suspected sexual offence cases.

“Nowadays, no one would be asked to do such interviews with so little experience, but back then, I took on the challenge with enthusiasm.”

The subject drew her in, and since then, Lahtinen has dealt with violence against children both in her practical work and in her research. She has been particularly interested in how violence comes to light and in the training of those involved in investigating cases of suspected violence.

“I work with difficult subjects, but I feel that my work helps move things in the right direction. That is what keeps me going too – if even one child’s life changes for the better because of my work, it is worth it.”

Forensic psychology takes its first steps in eastern Finland

Very early in her career, Lahtinen began to feel that she needed more support and a stronger knowledge base for her work related to interviewing children. There was virtually no training available in Finland for that kind of work, so Lahtinen applied to study remotely at the University of Portsmouth. The university is regarded as a major centre for forensic psychology and a pioneer in research in the field.

“At the same time, I was hired to teach at the university here in Joensuu. I also worked as an amanuensis and was tasked with planning a study module related to forensic psychology.”

Birgitta Puustinen, who was the department’s study secretary for psychology at the time, had an inkling of the field’s future importance and she had also managed to spark Professor of Law Matti Tolvanen’s interest in it.

As a result of collaboration between two disciplines, a new multidisciplinary field in forensic psychology began to take shape in eastern Finland. 

A doctoral dissertation addressing a pressing need

As her work and studies progressed, Lahtinen began to realise that she should pursue a PhD, as very little research in forensic psychology had been published in Finnish.

“My doctoral research did not stem from a passion for scientific research or for academic merit, but purely from a practical need. I felt that as an educator, I needed more up-to-date information on the subject.”

And that is exactly what her doctoral studies provided. Lahtinen had the opportunity to attend international conferences to learn what was happening in the field and what was being done elsewhere in the world.

“The subject really drew me in, not least because I knew there was such a great need for this kind of knowledge in Finland.”

Strong collaboration with the police

In 2003, the National Research and Development Agency for Welfare and Health published new guidelines on collaboration between the police and psychologists in cases of violence involving minors. The guidelines partly redefined the roles of the parties, stating for example that forensic psychologists would assist the police with interviews and victim support.

“As a result, the university started working with the police, and studies in forensic psychology gained a clearer framework.”

Lahtinen still works closely with the police and, among other things, provides training for new police officers on the investigation of offences against children. Police officers also contribute to Lahtinen’s courses as guest lecturers.

“Police officers are keen to study forensic psychology with us, and that’s also beneficial.”

And police officers are not the only ones interested. Many people are so fascinated by forensic psychology that they apply to study psychology at the University of Eastern Finland specifically because of forensic psychology. Psychology is, in any case, one of the university’s most popular degree programmes year after year.

More up-to-date information in Finnish

Hanna Lahtinen is currently closely involved in the ImpleMéndez project aimed at implementing the principles of effective interviewing published by the United Nations. The project seeks to support and strengthen national and international networks to promote wider adoption of the principles. At the same time, it aims to end the cruel and inhumane practices used in unethical interrogations.

Lahtinen and her colleagues have also just published a book addressing the role of children and families in legal proceedings. It is a multidisciplinary work on legal proceedings in which a child and their family may become involved, whether in a criminal case, a civil dispute or a child welfare matter.

“The field of forensic psychology is still relatively young in Finland, which is why there is little literature available in Finnish. Up-to-date literature is needed by both students and professionals. This book, as well as another volume to be published in the autumn, now responds to that need.”

Lahtinen says that in addition to her teaching, writing books and working on the project have taken up so much time that research has recently had to take a back seat.

Even so, there is no shortage of topics she looks forward to exploring.

“What continues to motivate me in research is a clear practical need – it is wonderful when I can use research to help people and move things forward.”