Szabolcs Babcsány

“I have failed over and over and over again in my life… That's what made me truly successful.” – Michael Jordan

Get to know me

My availability

Ferenc Blvd 15, 1094 Budapest

Hungarian

In-person

Online

PPKE MA • Certified Psychologist

KRE • Sport Psychology Specialist

Hungarian Relaxation and Symbol Therapy Association • Autogenic trainer (in progress)

VIKOTE • 100 hours of self-discovery in a cognitive schema therapy group

OH Cards Hungary • OH Cards Basic Workshop

As a private individual

There are times when you don't see yourself in the mirror, but your fears and doubts. I was the same, because no matter what I started, I wanted to be the best at it, even better. When I played music, I wanted to make the guitar sing like Slash… When I played basketball, my goal was to be the next Hungarian to dribble in the NBA.

Every day I woke up with the hope of progress, and every day I went to bed with pain.

I practiced at the hoop in our own garden, heart and soul, not sparing time or energy. But despite the persistence, a series of injuries and physical limits slowly took away the dream of professional basketball. My body, which was once a tool to achieve my goals, suddenly became an enemy. I started building muscle to avoid pain. There's a saying in the countryside: “A man starts at 100 kilos…”. This sentence became the little devil on my shoulder. I developed an eating and body image disorder: although I seemed strong, inside I never felt enough. If I couldn't train or eat enough calories, guilt would hit me immediately.

My body kept signaling again and again that I wasn’t on the right path, but the inner critical voice was always louder.

It took a long time to learn to listen to my body's signals and to face my own doubts. With patience, perseverance, and help, I gradually relieved the inner tension and learned to believe in myself. Through self-awareness and psychology, I managed to bring order between the body and the mind, and found that inner strength which is no longer about constant self-torment, but about growth, harmony, and healthy relaxation.

As a therapist

My interest in psychology gradually developed. Over time, I noticed that people easily open up to me – even those who find it difficult to talk about their feelings. A friend once put it this way:

“I don’t know how Szabolcs does it, but after a lousy day, he just asks me how my day was, and I find myself talking about it… and somehow, I feel better afterward.”

This experience meant a lot to me and reinforced the belief that listening, paying attention, and empathy have a real power.

In conversations, I strive to create an atmosphere where one can safely open up – where there is no need to meet expectations, just be yourself. I don’t believe in “boxed” solutions; everyone is different, so the joint work is always personalized. I always tailor the process to the client – to their story, pace, and needs.

My professional interest is centered around sports psychology, however, the themes present there –

such as performance pressure, experiencing success and failure, self-confidence, anxiety, or maintaining focus – are present in all our lives, whether in school, the workplace, relationships, or everyday situations.

For me, sports are like a mirror: it magnifies everything that's happening within us. Behind goals, expectations, competitive situations, pressure, or lack of motivation, our emotions are always present – and understanding these is key to being balanced and effective in the long term.

My approach is dynamic and human-centered: not only focusing on performance but on the whole person – how they connect to themselves, their body, their emotions, and their environment. I believe that mental strength doesn't come from suppressing emotions but from recognizing, accepting, and consciously managing them.

Whether in sports or other areas of life, my goal is the same: to help you find your own inner resources, better understand what's happening inside you, and learn to manage whatever seems difficult now – so you can function freely, authentically, and focused in your own life. I believe that understanding and developing these can contribute to a more balanced, conscious life.

In my work, I use various methods: I often work with altered consciousness states, such as relaxation techniques or autogenic training, which help achieve deeper self-awareness.

I am also fond of using symbols and different cards to allow unconscious contents – repressed feelings, memories, inner conflicts – to reveal themselves. I find the role of the social network important too, as we are social creatures: our environment and relationships all affect us.

Psychoeducation is also important to me: I like it when the client precisely understands what we are working on. To make this easier, I often use visual aids – pictures, diagrams, cards – which make the process more transparent and approachable.

Besides adults, I also work with adolescents from age 14. I easily find common ground with them because I am open to their world too – for instance, through trends, memes appearing in the online space.

I think it’s vital that in sessions clients can be themselves, without censorship – this freedom is experienced by most young people with great relief.