Researchers and collaborators
Researchers
Academy Research Fellow Jenny Paananen (PhD, Docent of Finnish language) is the leader of the project Borderlines of Self. Paananen is specialized in studying interaction in health and social care, and she is interested in vulnerabilities related to language, health, and social involvement. Her work has been featured in esteemed international journals in the fields of linguistics, nursing science, and social sciences, as well as in various trade journals and medical textbooks.
Paananen works in the Department of Nursing Science in the University of Turku. She acts as the vice-chair in the Centre for the Study of Language and Wellbeing, and is a board member in the Centre for Culture and Health.
Kati Mäntysaari (MSocSc, social psychologist) is a project researcher in the Borderlines of Self project. She will apply for doctoral studies at the University of Turku in the spring 2026, and will continue in the project as a doctoral researcher thereafter. Her research interests focus on mental health and social inclusion, as well as on advancing social and healthcare practices through research. Mäntysaari works in the Department of Nursing Science in the University of Turku.
Linda Sirkiä (Master of Arts, Finnish language) acts as a postgraduate researcher in Borderlines of Self. Sirkiä is interested in the relationship between language and thinking in the context of patients’ spoken and written self-expression. Her dissertation is funded by the doctoral program Utuling (2025−2028).
Karita Suomalainen (PhD, Docent of Finnish language) works as a lecturer of Finnish language in Åbo Akademi University and participates in Borderlines of Self as a senior researcher specialized in interactional linguistics. Suomalainen has studied the use of personal expressions in spoken interaction, focusing on the linguistic constructing self and others. She has previously worked in the universities of Turku, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Aarhus, and her work has featured in eminent linguistic publications.
Collaborators
Associate Professor of Scandinavian Linguistics Marja Etelämäki (University of Oslo) is internationally renowned for her studies on interaction, intersubjectivity, and grammar. In particular, Etelämäki has studied person and demonstrative reference in interaction, including the use of referential expressions in psychotherapy. Etelämäki has gained notable experience in multidisciplinary collaboration in the Finnish CoE Intersubjectivity in Interaction (2015−2017). In the University of Oslo, Etelämäki leads the multidisciplinary research group Conversation Analysis and Interactional Linguistics.
Professor of Clinical Psychology Erkki Heinonen (University of Oslo) is interested in the process, mechanisms, and outcomes of psychotherapy. His award-winning research has used both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate patients’ and therapists’ self-concepts and actions and their influence on therapeutic outcomes. He has broad collaborative international networks and lectures widely in clinical settings. Heinonen also works as a research manager in the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Mentor
Professor of Nursing Science, vice-dean of the Faculty of Medicine Sanna Salanterä mentors Academy Research Fellow Paananen throughout the project, providing invaluable insight into project management and leadership. Professor Salanterä has over 30 years’ experience of international research, and she has led six large projects that combine health research with language technology.
VideoFacilitation-team
Borderlines of Self project is part of a larger research and development team VideoFacilitation, which develops and studies video-facilitated schema therapy. The multidisciplinary group is led by Professor of Adolescent Psychiatry Max Karukivi. Members include, among others, Professor of Psychiatry Jarmo Hietala, Docent of Psychiatry Sinikka Luutonen, psychotherapist Tarja Koffert, psychotherapist, doctoral researcher Jari Peltomaa, clinical teacher Miika Nietola, clinical teacher Katri Lahti, Docent of Psychiatry, psychotherapist Matti Keinänen, psychotherapist, doctoral researcher Elisa Nordström, psychologist, psychotherapist Reetta Aalto-Setälä, and student of Nursing Science Anna Lamminen.