Zsófia Bossányi

Psychologist, Sociologist, Couples and Family Therapist

I have a background in psychology (MA) and sociology (MA). In the Kapcsolat Centrum I hold sessions of couples and family therapy, individual counselling, and autogenic training.

In the past 12 years I have worked in the United Nations (FAO) and other international organizations (NGOs) in the field of social inclusion and gender equality. I undertook research, raised awareness, trained and sensitized development professionals in different cultural contexts, e.g. in Holland, Uganda, Guatemala and several countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

In doing social research, I have always been most interested in those methodologies that allow for the in-depth and transgenerational understanding of individuals’ lives. Beyond this profound understanding, it was my desire to assist families and individuals in overcoming their interpersonal difficulties and crises that led me to systemic couples and family therapy. My professional approach has been greatly shaped by my intercultural experiences and is characterized by tireless curiosity, openness, and acceptance.

Besides the Kapcsolat Centrum, I have been holding couples and family consultations in the Centre for Family and Child Welfare of the II. District in Budapest, where I gained considerable experience by working with blended families, divorcing and intensively conflictive couples and with parents of children with special educational needs and of adolescents in identity crises.

I particularly like using the EFT methodology in couples counselling, which focuses on attachment in adult relationships. It helps distressed or estranged partners or family members understand their patterns of interaction, express their emotional needs and take steps towards securing the bond between them. In working with individuals, I also apply systemic thinking and use the method of autogenic training. Autogenic training helps in raising self-knowledge and self-awareness by understanding the sensations throughout the relaxation practice and it is particularly effective in reducing anxiety and other negative effects of stress.

I hold consultations in English, Hungarian and Spanish.

Fields of competence:

• Repeated conflicts and/or estrangement
• Family life cycle issues
• Intercultural families
• Difficulty in forming relationships
• Self-awareness in the relationships
• Relationship enhancement group

Education and Training:

• MA Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Károli Gáspár Protestant University
• MA Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University
• Systemic Family Therapy – Theory and Methodology & Supervision, Hungarian Association of Family Therapy
• Autogenic Training Instructor Course – The Hungarian Association of Relaxation and Symboltherapy
• Externship in Emotionally Focused Therapy, ICEEFT
• Training of trainers in ‘Hold Me Tight’ methodology for self-awareness in the relationship, ICEEFT