Judit Darvas

gestalt therapist, adolescent counsellor, family counsellor in training

“create a clearing in the dense forest of your life”

Martha Postlethwaite

gestalt therapy

Gestalt therapy is usually an extended process of self-reflection and experimentation with the primary objective of raising awareness.

Awareness of how we make sense of the world, of how we engage or disengage in situations, how we impact others and are impacted by others - this is a precursor of change. Once we have gained awareness, we may choose to stick to our habitual solutions or we may seek new ones. Instead of running on autopilot, such awareness allows us the freedom to choose our response in certain life situations.

Our habitual responses all have a function, all have become habitual for a certain purpose, but some may have become outdated in the meantime. While these ways of being were serving us in the past, they are making our lives more difficult, more constricted, more painful in the present. In gestalt self-awareness, we aim to gain freedom in our responses to life’s situations, and not be limited by our outdated and out-of-awareness ways of reacting.

In the non-judgemental, supportive, and confirming presence of a gestalt therapist, one can notice and stay with such ways of being, and can also experiment with alternative approaches. Flexibility, freedom, and an ability to respond to the actual situation (response-ability) can allow the person to form a more congruent relationship with him or herself, as well as with the environment.

I am not a psychologist, counselling psychologist, clinical psychologist, psychoterapist or psychiatrist. Accordingly, I do not work with people with clinical mental health conditions, and I do not provide clinical, medical or psychoterapy treatments. In my work I support people without clinical mental health conditions in their personal development. When a case lies beyond my professional competence, I refer the client to a medical doctor, clinical psychologist, psychoterapeutic center or psychiatrist.

neuroaffirmative* counselling

There are many ways to the recognition that one may be neurodivergent*:

  • For some, this idea emerges from within, for others, it may come from the environment, or it may have been with them since childhood.

  • Some people already have a diagnosis, others are unsure whether or not to get diagnosed, and there are people who feel that they don’t need or don’t want a diagnosis.

  • For some, neurodivergence is an important part of their identity, others don’t want it to define them, and there are also those people who feel stigmatized by it.

  • For some, being neurodivergent carries a lot of hardship and inner turmoil, while others feel that they are doing just fine.

Still, it is not easy to live in a neuronormative* world as a neurodivergent person, where the conditions and expectations are not aligned with the many different ways we operate in the world.

I work with neurodivergent adolescents and adults to build a deeper awareness of how they are in contact with themselves, others and the world at large. Awareness and self-acceptance are crucial for well-being — and this is especially so in case of neurodivergence. Recognizing negative attitudes towards oneself is often the first step on the road that leads to self-acceptance, allowing for more efficient strategies of connection further down the road.

I work with people with Level 1 autism (requiring support) and ADHD without any co-occurring clinical mental health issues. In case a diagnosis becomes necessary, I can arrange a referral to other professionals.

I work with neurodivergent clients aged 16 and older.

*neuroaffirmative: a perspective reflecting the attitude of a person/group/society that views a different nervous system as a neurotype, not as a pathology or disease. A neuroaffirmative perspective implies the acceptance that neurotypical people are currently in a privileged position in many ways, while the lives of neurodivergent people are affected by many aspects of minority stress (e.g. stigmatization, exclusion, bullying).

*neurodivergent: people who are characterized by a different nervous system from the majority

*neuronormativity: refers to the reinforcement of norms, standards, and expectations in society that consider a certain way of functioning of the nervous system to be expected, including thinking, feeling, communicating, and behaving

(Anna Madarassy-Szücs & Zsófia Vétek, 2025)

student counselling

Currently not taking new clients for study abroad / college, university applications.

In our imperfect educational system students need tools and skills beyond the curriculum so that they can fully embrace and perceive education as potential for growth. My goal as a student counsellor is to guide students on a path of self-reflection, for them to become aware of their strengths and resources, as well as their areas of potential for growth. I believe that deepening their knowledge of themselves through an accepting and non-judgemental relationship with a non-parent adult will give them more confidence in their studies, and help them make well-grounded decisions about their own future.

Frequently raised issues in student counselling:

  • college, university applications (currently not taking new clients)

  • study abroad (currently not taking new clients)

  • self-directed learning and motivation

  • stress management, perfectionism

I work with students aged 16 and older.

about me

After graduating with an MSc in Economics I started working in the film business. Two decades, three children, a few Himalayan basecamps, lots of mountaintops and a few hundred hours of meditation later I took a turn in the direction of the helping professions. Having trained in several approaches, I finally made a commitment to the gestalt perspective and an emotion-focused therapy approach. In my private practice I work with adolescents and adults.

My approach is based on the views of humanistic-existential psychology. I believe that everyone has an innate desire and ability for self-realisation, and we all need environmental support for that in the form of attention, approval and appreciation. The key to a self-actualised existence lies in the constant balancing between a sense of security and an acceptance of insecurity. We need stability, but in order to grow, we must also allow for change. Between the two lies our freedom.

Real presence, a non-judgemental attitude, acceptance, trust, respect, belief in the client and empathy are my most valuable assets in the helping professions.

I am a member of the European Association for Gestalt Therapy EAGT (accreditation no.: 23-3515) and the international society for Emotion Focused Therapy isEFT. I am listed as a neuroaffirmative practitioner by the Neurodiverz Műhely.

fees and contact

The consultation fee is 18.000 Ft for 60 minutes.