TAPIO
FINLAND
Finns have sisu—an inner strength they develop during the long, dark and harsh winters. But sisu can only thrive when you know what truly matters to you and when you make genuine, authentic choices.
Sisu is perseverance rooted in knowing what truly matters.
The Finns have their nature—the landscape they are deeply connected to. It offers them relaxation, but also a place to pause, disconnect from the noise, and return to themselves.
And they have their sauna: the place where conversations focus on what truly matters—no small talk—where stories are shared and bonds are forged. Almost every family has one, and even the parliament has its own.
Finns are a people of tradition, living in the heart of a thoroughly modern society. You see it in their design, their architecture, and their education. Their strength lies in distilling things to their core—radical simplicity—and finding what truly works. From that essence, they shape a new story, time and again.
TAPIO
Tapio is the Finnish name that Stijn Wolters has given to his practice for Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, individual coaching, and team coaching. Tapio represents the power of – radical – simplicity and the development of new perspectives. A new perspective, combined with a clear goal, creates hope, mobilizes energy, and sparks the motivation to take action. The solution-focused model, derived from Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, forms the core of this approach.
Solution-focused work emphasizes the vision of the desired future: where do you want to go? From that perspective, a surprisingly concrete course is often set toward the desired outcome. Solution-focused practice values simplicity without neglecting complexity, acknowledges what is already going well, and encourages change. It follows a simple, powerful principle:
+ Identify what works and do more of it.
+ Stop what doesn’t work and find an alternative.
+ Keep intact what is already working (if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it).
Tapio’s coaching focuses on the future, is pragmatic, and provides a context in which a new story can emerge. The radical simplicity of solution-focused work and the Finnish spirit have much in common.
STIJN WOLTERS
Stijn Wolters, founder of Tapio, completed the four-year Solution Focused Brief Therapy program at the Korzybski Institute in Bruges. He is a licensed psychotherapist, recognized by the Belgian Association for Couples Therapy, Family Therapy, and Systemic Counseling (BVRGS). He is also part of a team of crisis psychologists and has gained extensive international experience supporting and guiding teams and organizations confronted with serious accidents or crisis situations.
Through the Competence Center Airforce Belgium, he was introduced to TOP (Technique Optimiser le Potentiel). This method was originally developed in the French military to enable fighter pilots to maximize their potential, even—or especially—under high pressure and stressful conditions.
Today, the TOP method is also applied in professions that regularly face crisis situations, such as emergency responders, firefighters, and police officers, as well as athletes. Recently, Stijn Wolters began training in TOP himself to further expand his expertise.
He is also a career coach certified by VDAB and a competence assessor certified by Quintessence.