About me

I’m the “HIT-man.” Read on to find out why.

I am a fully licensed cognitive and behavioural psychotherapist in the UK, accredited by the BABCP (British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists). See the register of accredited therapists: https://babcp.com/CBTRegister (enter my name in the search field).

While in Finland, I do not provide psychotherapy. Instead, I use an intensive and paradoxical CBT-based method I’ve developed – a change-focused therapy. As a psychiatric nurse licensed by Valvira, I also use rehabilitative treatment methods. At the core of everything is CBT – and change. Something is changed. That which is wanted, and that which is possible.

Previously, I worked for nearly 15 years within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). During the last 5 of those years, I officially held the title: HIT. My badge read: “Ari Saario – HIT.”

This had nothing to do with special forces or secret missions. HIT stood for High Intensity Therapist. I provided behavioural and cognitive therapy at high intensity – because research showed that treatment needed to be intensive when anxiety was severe, prolonged, or a combination of complex issues.

Alongside HIT practitioners, there were also LOW Intensity therapists and consultants. But I was a HIT-man, working with demanding cases. That experience laid the foundation for my current work.

Today, I work in my own clinic helping people quickly and intensively overcome challenges such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and intrusive thoughts. I also treat low self-esteem, depression, various stress conditions, burnout, and performance anxiety.

In my treatments, I use a next-generation CBT method I’ve developed: intensive and paradoxical CBT therapy. What’s always essential is to make a change – if the client wants it and if it’s possible.

At the heart of everything is CBT: cognitive and behavioural therapy. Even traditional CBT differs from ordinary psychotherapy – it is goal-oriented and brief. It’s not just about talking about problems. It’s about changing them.

My approach is “intensive” because the goal is to achieve results as quickly as possible. It’s also “paradoxical” because we often do the very thing you’ve been avoiding – in order to overcome your fears.

I am the developer of INTENSIIVI-therapy and change therapy.

In Finland, I do not offer psychotherapy, but rather CBT-based INTENSIIVI-therapy and change therapy.

INTENSIIVI-therapy and change therapy are not psychotherapy (even though they are based on CBT), and are not covered by Kela (the Finnish national health insurance).

Ari Saario