Zsuzsa Gyarmati - Counseling Psychologist

The images on this website are works by visual artist Mihályi Barbara.

About me

My name is Zsuzsa Gyarmati. I’m a counseling psychologist, relaxation therapist, symboltherapist, family and couples counselor, and a trainee EMDR practitioner. I work with adults and adolescents facing life challenges, stress and anxiety, or seeking greater self-awareness.

As a critical, I recognize that mental health struggles are not just personal issues - they’re often shaped by social factors and reflect broader systemic problems.

At the same time, I believe deeply that self-awareness is a powerful resource.
It helps us clarify our intentions and possibilities, tap into our inner strengths, and maintain emotional stability. Exploring oneselves brings greater understanding of our thoughts, feelings, and actions, fostering self-compassion and opening the door to meaningful change.

I believe psychological counseling works best in a safe, accepting, and nonjudgmental space where helper and client meet as equals.

Key Areas

Life Challenges

Providing psychological support through difficult times, life setbacks, and relationship struggles.

Anxiety and Stress Relief

Helping manage anxiety and the negative effects of stress using autogenic training, relaxation techniques, and counseling.

Self-awareness Development

Self-awareness is a strength we can always rely on and build upon. That’s why developing it is the foundation of all psychological work.

Women’s Role Conflicts

As a feminist psychologist, I support women with sensitivity to their social environment - whether in family life, relationships, or professional life.

LGBTQ+ Community Support

I provide a welcoming, affirming space for LGBTQ+ individuals who face unique challenges in a cis-heteronormative society. Everyone is welcome here, no matter where they are on the rainbow spectrum.

Trauma-Informed Support

Trauma-informed care is grounded in safety, trust, and respect for individual experiences. Rather than focusing on pathology, it explores how past events affect the nervous system and emotional well-being. When needed, we use the EMDR method to support trauma processing.

How I Work

Psychological Counseling: A shared journey of self-discovery with clear goals.

Psychological counseling is not a medical intervention or a form of treatment. It can take many forms: providing support, strengthening the self, developing self-awareness, reducing anxiety, gathering and mobilizing resources, and thinking things through together. While past memories, experiences, and emotions may come up during the process, the focus remains on the present.

The first few sessions are about getting to know each other and deciding whether we can work together - and if so, what goals and methods we will use. Because it can be difficult to decide before meeting, clients often schedule initial consultations with several professionals. That’s why I offer the first session free — so cost doesn’t become a barrier to finding the right fit for you.

After a few sessions, we make an agreement: we discuss our shared goals, the methods, and set a timeframe. These guidelines, while flexible, serve as a framework to support the process. What happens in each session depends on the chosen method. Usually, the first phase focuses on stabilization, where we gather tools and resources to support self-soothing and self-care. During the processing phase, the approach is tailored to the counseling goals and may include talk therapy, consultation, relaxation techniques, symboltherapy, or trauma processing with EMDR.

The process usually concludes with 1–2 final sessions. Follow-ups may be scheduled if needed, and my door remains open even after the counseling ends.

A System-Critical Perspective:

Recognizing and acknowledging the impact of inequalities and power structures, my goal is to help those who turn to me find opportunities for self-advocacy and intervention.

In this way, psychological support not only helps ease emotional burdens but, I hope, also contributes to building a fairer and more livable world.

Neurodiverse and Neuroaffirmative Approach

The neurodiverse perspective values differences in nervous system functioning as strengths.

The neuroaffirmative approach focuses on support and empowerment based on these unique ways of functioning, rather than trying to change, correct, or mask them. Currently, society often expects individuals to adapt at the expense of their mental and physical well-being.

This approach places greater emphasis on creating a supportive environment, aiming to promote mental well-being, authentic self-identity, and a positive self-image, while also contributing to building a more inclusive society.

LGBTQ+ Affirmative Approach

This approach values the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities, building on unique strengths while acknowledging the challenges and disadvantages that arise from a cis-heteronormative society.

The affirmative approach provides the framework for counseling with members of the LGBTQ+ community. It also includes a critique of mainstream cis-heteronormative psychology.

Similar to the neuroaffirmative approach, its focus is on mental well-being, self-advocacy, the free expression of identity, and the building of an open and accepting society.

Feminist Approach to Counseling

A feminist psychologist acknowledges the patriarchal system, the inequalities affecting women, and the gender role expectations placed on both women and men, along with their harmful effects on individuals and society at large.

This approach also reflects on how some psychological theories contribute to maintaining these inequalities, while integrating theories and best practices that point toward positive change.

Principle of Sustainability

Addressing the psychological aspects of environmental and social crises has become an unavoidable topic in psychology. I believe it is important to reinterpret basic concepts such as safety and future outlook in light of global crises. Additionally, I am engaged with exploring the role psychology can play in building a sustainable social order.

Ecopsychological perspectives may appear during the counseling process, as I also seek answers to how we can - and should -face the realities and future challenges of the climate crisis and other social changes.

Methods and Techniques

Stabilization Techniques

In the early phase of counseling, and especially in critical life situations, the focus is usually on stabilization. Personalized self-care, stabilization, and relaxation techniques support the development of emotional regulation and self-soothing skills.

Trauma Processing with EMDR

Sometimes the difficulties we experience in the present are rooted in unresolved memories from the past. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a method that helps the nervous system process trauma more quickly and effectively. Through this process, the psychological impact of traumatic memories lessens or even disappears, making existing resources more accessible and easier to mobilize. When trauma processing is part of the agreement, EMDR often becomes a central method in our work together, although sometimes it is used to address isolated memories within the process.

You can find more detailed information about the method here.

Symboltherapy, Working with Imagery

Working with symbols is a collaborative, creative process that aids self-understanding and deepens processing. Symboltherapy is a specialized approach where we work with mental imagery in a relaxed state. Creating internal images is beneficial in itself, as it gives shape to previously vague or unformed feelings and memories. Exploring them deepens self-awareness, mobilizes resources and inner strength, and supports self-acceptance, self-compassion, as well as improving self-esteem and self-love. This method considers the healthy core of personality development as both a fundamental value and goal, with unconditional respect for each person’s unique, individual aspirations.

You can find more detailed information about the method here.

Autogenic Training

Autogenic training is a body-focused relaxation technique based on inner concentration, proven to reduce the negative effects of stress and distress. Sometimes we use only parts of this method; other times, we work towards mastering the full relaxation technique, which typically requires 12–15 sessions. It helps develop a relaxation routine, supports the body’s self-healing processes, enables stress relief, and enhances bodily awareness.

You can find more detailed information about the method here.

Career path

2007-2013

Master’s Degree in Psychology

I earned my MA in Psychology, specializing in Clinical and Health Psychology, at Károli Gáspár University.

During and after my studies, I lived, studied, and worked in Frankfurt am Main - initially on a scholarship, then as a clinical intern, and later in school integration.

It was there that I was introduced to critical psychology, which has since remained my most comprehensive theoretical framework. I also gained experience working within a dynamic, effective clinical care setting and supporting the school integration of neurodivergent students and others with special educational needs.

2014-2023

Preschool and School Psychologist

After arriving in Hungary, I worked as a preschool psychologist at a special education kindergarten, supporting neurodivergent children. From 2015 to 2023, I was the school psychologist at ELTE Gyertyánffy István Teacher Training Primary School.

In this role, I provided individual counseling, parent consultations, educational counseling, and teacher consultations. I also led preventive, psychoeducational, and community-building class sessions, and gave occasional presentations for parents and teachers as needed.

Currently, I apply the experience I gained in education by mentoring and supporting early-career school psychologists.

2015-2017

Family Therapy Training and Supervision

I completed the 200-hour theoretical and methodological course and the 80-hour supervised training at the Hungarian Family Therapy Association. I am currently a trainee family therapist.

Although I am not currently practicing family or couples therapy, the systemic perspective I gained during my training remains an important framework for my work.

2016-2017

Autogenic Training Relaxation Therapist

I completed the 100-hour autogenic training course offered by the Hungarian Relaxation Association. I currently use this method in my counseling work, guiding both individual and group autogenic training sessions.

2017-2021

Counseling Psychologist

I completed the postgraduate Counseling Psychologist program at ELTE Faculty of Education and Psychology, specializing in family and couples counseling.

Currently, I work as a counseling psychologist providing individual psychological support. I also collaborate with the Háttér Society as a co-facilitator for 60-hour self-awareness training sessions and occasional workshops as part of their Mental Health training program.

2017-2022

Symboltherapy Practitioner

I completed the 360-hour Symboltherapy training with the Hungarian Relaxation Association.

Currently, I facilitate individual symboltherapy processes and integrate elements of this method into other non-symboltherapy-specific individual and group counseling sessions.

2018

Impact of the Parental Role on My Professional Perspective

My experiences as a parent have had a profound impact on my professional development. They have guided me toward a deeper understanding rooted in critical psychology, particularly regarding the parental/maternal role and the care system, and have refined my work with parents.

As a parent, I became acquainted with Lia Bumbui, a special education expert, and through her, with the sensory approach. Collaborating with her, along with engaging with recent international literature (an ongoing process), led me to the world of neurodiversity and neuroaffirmative perspectives. This has significantly reshaped my counseling work, whether with neurotypical or neurodivergent clients.

2023

EMDR Practitioner Candidate

I have completed the theoretical phase of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) training and currently work with the method under supervision.

The knowledge gained from trauma therapy about the functioning of the nervous system and the neurodiversity perspective intersect and mutually strengthen each other in many ways. All of this, embedded within the framework of critical psychology, forms for me an exceptionally inspiring and holistic interpretive system.

Zsuzsa GyarmatiCounseling Psychologist