Erika Pap

I am a clinical child and adolescent psychologist, symbol therapist, autogenic training and MBT-A therapist, as well as an instructor on the Complex Integrative Child Therapist training programme and the SOTE clinical psychology training programme. I serve as a board member and programme director of the Pro Juventa Foundation, and am the founder and current director of the Murmo Clinic for Clinical Psychology and Art Therapy. I gained my experience in child psychiatry departments at the OPNI Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit and the Heim Pál Children's Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, working in acute, outpatient, and rehabilitation care.

My core belief is that even in severely traumatised children and young people, we can find intact parts of the psyche and build upon them in the therapeutic process. In my work, I emphasise the importance of relationships, play, internal imagery, group work, and creative expression. I am fundamentally guided by psychodynamic thinking, relational focus, and flexible yet targeted, evidence-based therapeutic methodologies that help children, adolescents, and their families achieve their goals. I help children and adolescents reflect on their own and others' emotional and mental worlds, and understand that complex internal states lie behind these. This helps reduce misunderstandings, manage impulses, and establish more stable relationships. I have developed expertise in autism diagnostics and the differential diagnosis of mentalisation difficulties. In recent years, my interest has moved towards the therapeutic treatment of comorbid child psychiatric problems, which led me to MBT-A and TFP-A therapeutic methodologies.

At Murmo, I primarily participate in high-intensity individual therapeutic processes and am committed to co-leading art therapy groups with a psychotherapeutic focus. I work intensively in parent education and with families where family members struggle to find their way to each other. At this point, my work also connects with child protection. I gained part of my professional knowledge through international training with renowned professionals such as Mooli Lahad, Sue Jennings, and instructors from the Anna Freud Centre. Through these courses, I deepened my knowledge in therapeutic storytelling, drama therapy, movement therapy, trauma processing, and mentalisation-based therapeutic approaches. I consider it my mission to make these internationally recognised methods available in Hungary. Through the accredited training programmes I have established, I not only pass on this knowledge but actively seek to shape the domestic professional community, ensuring that the most advanced therapeutic tools are applied in Hungarian child and adolescent care.

I began my doctoral work at the University of Pécs Faculty of Humanities, Applied Psychology Doctoral School, where I obtained my absolutorium in 2009. My doctoral topic was a comparative study of the school integration of blind students in Hungarian and English samples, examining aspects of inclusive school environments and group polarisation. My research work has been recognised with numerous awards (OTDK, VMTDK, PTDK, JDC-FOUNDATION Tolerance Scholarship, MÖB Scholarships).

Through my foundation (Pro Juventa) work, I have been writing grant applications, organising donor art salons, and editing educational materials for more than 20 years, to ensure that therapy is not a luxury but reaches those children and adolescents who truly need it. For 10 years, I have been organising pro bono educational parent clubs and delivering free presentations to teachers and parents. I established an outpatient therapeutic programme (Lotilko programme) for children and adolescents leaving child psychiatric departments. Through the Richter Anna Award, I launched the Lotilko Parent Club Podcast series. More information can be found at: projuventa.hu