Department of Counselling Psychology and Therapeutic Interventions

The Department of Counselling Psychology and Therapeutic Interventions primarily carries out its teaching and training activities within the Counselling and Education Psychology MA specialisation and the postgraduate training programme for counselling psychologists (only in Hungarian). In addition, the department is actively involved in psychologist and counselling psychologist education at BA, MA, and postgraduate levels, with a strong emphasis on practice-oriented professional training.

Members of the department have expertise in individual, group, and family counselling, as well as in life guidance, career counselling, and crisis intervention, and in the design and implementation of psychological interventions across different levels of prevention.

The department’s educational approach places particular emphasis on diagnostic thinking, integrative counselling approaches, and the acquisition of professional skills through teamwork and supervised practice. Graduates are well prepared to conduct psychological consultations and therapeutic interventions in a wide range of institutional and service settings.

The department’s teaching activities are closely linked to applied and empirical research, focusing on various counselling-related topics, including the counselling process, prevention, trauma-informed approaches, and crisis intervention. Students are given opportunities to participate in research projects, thereby supporting the development of future researchers and academic careers.

From 2026, the department’s new name more accurately reflects its activities: the terms added “therapeutic interventions” emphasise the complex, practice-oriented, and change-focused professional perspective that lies at the core of the department’s teaching, research, and training activities.

We believe that therapeutic interventions are integral components of psychological competence, which cannot be understood exclusively within clinical or medical care frameworks. Our approach supports change, resource activation, and psychological wellbeing, from everyday life challenges to crisis situations, within scientifically grounded and ethically sound professional frameworks.

Research Groups Affiliated with the Department

Qualitative Psychology Research Group

The aim of the Qualitative Psychology Research Group is to promote qualitative research methodology, develop methodological tools, and foster the dynamic application of qualitative perspectives. Current research employs both offline and online qualitative methods to understand psychological phenomena such as traumatisation, pregnancy, psychoactive substance use, recovery from addictions, experiences related to “Dry November,” and the lived experience of long-term psychiatric treatment.

Through national and international collaborations in linguistics, sociology, and information technology, the research group interprets qualitative psychological phenomena within an interdisciplinary scientific framework.

Key international collaboration:
CEEPUS – MOST: Mainstreaming Qualitative Research in Central and Eastern European Social Sciences

Human Science Psychology Research Group

The Human Science Psychology Research Group integrates psychological and humanities-based approaches in its research. Its work is conducted within an interdisciplinary framework, engaging with fields such as history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, aesthetics, and film studies.

The Criminal Psychology Research Group

The Research Group focuses on understanding the different aspects of criminal behaviour and it’s psychological factors that contribute to it. The Research Group is involved in the development of education in criminal psychology.  The Research Group aims to conduct research to identify the psychological, social and environmental factors and triggers that contribute to criminal behaviour. Research topics include the development and improvement of methods for investigative support profiling and risk assessment, victimology, recidivism prevention, forensic assessment in an interdisciplinary framework, in collaboration with legal, law enforcement, crime prevention and victim support organisations. 

Conferences

Each year, the Psychological Counselling Conference (PSZITA) is organised jointly by the ELTE Faculty of Education and Psychology and the Counselling Psychology Section of the Hungarian Psychological Association. The conference regularly examines the boundaries, impact, and responsibilities of counselling competencies.

The aim is to strengthen professional identity through inspiring discussions and reflective experiences, to bridge the worlds of psychological counselling and the broader psychological community, and to highlight the significance of counselling across various domains of psychological practice. Plenary and thematic lectures, as well as workshops, explore the roles, tasks, challenges, and future directions of psychological counselling.

Professional Field Work

Professional field work conducted in various institutions form an integral part of the training programmes, alongside counselling and intervention work carried out in accordance with jointly developed professional core protocols.