Zsuzsa Bagdács
I’m Zsuzsa Bagdács, a bibliotherapist, mental health professional, and grief support group facilitator.
“It would be good to get a ticket and travel to Ourselves”
(Attila József)
I am Zsuzsa Bagdács bibliotherapist, mental health professional, grief support group facilitator.
I originally studied French and then spent more than ten years working for multinational companies before
finally finding my own path. As a helping professional, my goal is to support sustainable mental well-being by helping people find inner peace, express themselves creatively, and reconnect with their communities.
I’ve come a long way before finding my calling in the helping professions. My love for poetry, literature, and the arts has been with me for as long as I can remember, and it has helped me through many difficulties. For a long time, I didn’t even realize that I could use them to help others, too.
After finishing university, I worked in a multinational environment for more than ten years. I had the opportunity to try and develop myself in many different places and roles, but something was still missing.
COVID-19 was a turning point. My youngest child was just a few months old when we were about to open ourselves up to the world, but the world shut the door on us. That’s when I created the “Maradj olvasó!” Facebook group, partly as a way of supporting my own mental well-being. It was also when I first came across bibliotherapy. I knew right away that this was what I’d been looking for.
In 2023, I became a certified bibliotherapist, launched my “Papírrepülő” (Paper Plane) project, and began organizing bibliotherapy groups. The more experience I gained, the more complex backgrounds and situations I encountered, and the bigger the responsibility became to effectively help those who turned to me.
That’s why I continued my education and became a certified mental health professional in 2026. Having left the corporate world behind, I’m now continuing on this path, doing the work I feel I can be most useful in.
Since then, I have worked with a variety of groups and age ranges: I have held sessions for mothers’ groups, mixed-age groups of women and men, and adolescents. As part of my mental health practice, I worked with residents at the Élő Forrás Kútja retirement home in Mikepércs. I gave a presentation and hosted a workshop in French for French language students at the University of Szeged, facilitated an English-language session as part of the Visegrad Art Market – Happy to Share project, and organized and facilitated song therapy workshops, including at the Campus Festival.
I’m a member of the Hungarian Association for Biblio/Poetry Therapy. In the fall of 2026, I completed the grieving support group facilitator training organized by the Napfogyatkozás Association.
“Accept. Support. Let go. These three.”
to welcome and accept what you think, what you feel, who you are, and where you are right now,
to support you when you need it and let you go when you no longer need me,
and to guide and accompany you as you move towards these three insights.
I work within the limits of my professional competences, and if I’m not the right person for you, I’ll help you find someone who is,
I don’t offer ready-made solutions, but rather help you figure out what works for you,
I believe in the weight and power of words—which is why I’ll help you find your own words, sometimes without words at all.
In the bibliotherapy process, different types of texts, stories, and creative exercises can help you gain new perspectives on your own feelings, relationships, and life situations.
The sessions are based on confidentiality, mutual respect, and a non-judgmental attitude.
The facilitated conversations are complemented by associative icebreakers and creative, activity-based exercises.
The group form allows participants to experience mutual acceptance, which alleviates feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
The process works effectively both individually and in groups, as well as in person and online.
01
Individual mental health support and bibliotherapy sessions to help you navigate life challenges, deepen self-awareness, and support personal growth.
02
A supportive community experience offering space for quiet reflection and connection in small groups – for couples, families, groups of friends, and special occasions.
03
Interactive sessions that create a shared experience and go beyond conventional team-building programs.
[01]
INDIVIDUAL MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Support for the mental health process in cases of individual difficulties and normative crises, using a range of bibliotherapy tools. For example: role difficulties associated with parenthood, crises involving opening or closing life chapters, certain types of anxiety, loss, and grief.
INDIVIDUAL BIBLIOTHERAPY SESSIONS (OR SERIES)
Exploring a specific topic, question, or life situation through texts, stories, and creative exercises. A session may be a one-time meeting or part of a longer process.
[02]
FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS
Bibliotherapy workshops tailored to specific events for families, groups of friends, and couples (e.g., birthdays, class reunions, bachelorette parties, engagement preparations, expecting a baby).
BIBLIOTHERAPY GROUPS AND WORKSHOPS
Connecting with familiar people in a new way: self-discovery and mutual inspiration through texts and creative exercises— e.g., for student and hobby groups.
[03]
MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOPS AND TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES
Interactive sessions that provide a shared experience, going beyond conventional team-building programs.
COMMUNICATION EXERCISES
Practical sessions for managers and employees on handling difficult situations, listening to one
another, and collaborating.
NOTICE IT! DARE TO ASK! TAKE ACTION!
Training on recognizing warning signs of mental health challenges and options for providing appropriate support.
INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYEES
Providing individual support options for employees in collaboration with the employer.
[01]
Contact me via the form or by email, and briefly describe what kind of support you’re looking
for.
[02]
During our first conversation, we’ll explore your question, your needs, and how our
collaboration can be most helpful to you.
[03]
If I can help, we’ll work together to define the goals, methods, and parameters. If you need
support from another professional, I’ll help you find the right direction.
[04]
We then begin working together according to the framework we’ve agreed on. For longer-term collaborations, we’ll also work together to determine how to conclude the process and, if
necessary, discuss options for moving forward.
Check out my facebook page for upcoming events!
Silent Reading Party
The Silent Reading Party is an event where everyone spends an hour immersed in their own book, accompanied by delicious drinks and pleasant background music, while still enjoying each other’s company.
KÖTŐJEL vándor könyv- és kultklub (in Debrecen and online)
KÖTŐJEL vándor könyv- és kultklub (in Debrecen and online)
Individual session: 60 minutes
Group bibliotherapy session: 90 or 120 minutes (depending on group size and needs)
Mental health workshop: at least 45–60 minutes (as needed)
You don’t really need to prepare anything, because you’ll be reading the text for the first time right then and there. However, when working individually, I sometimes assign exercises that encourage further reflection or creative writing “homework”.
I live in Debrecen, and I don’t yet have a permanent location for individual sessions, so this depends on our arrangements. I always announce the locations of the group sessions I organize, but if you invite me for a group session, the ideal location is again subject to mutual agreement. I also offer
online sessions. I’m also open to invitations and requests from outside Debrecen!
It’s enough if you can read. You can still participate even if you’re not interested in literature at all. Bibliotherapy is simply a method of facilitating communication; there are plenty of other topics to explore and ways of working together, regardless of how much you enjoy literature.
I would say it can help with loneliness and difficulties in self-expression. However, in the clinical sense of the word, it doesn’t actually “cure” anything.
Based on individual topic and question.
Hungarian and English (French upon request).
Bibliotherapy can be used in many different fields and with a wide range of groups. In my own practice, I have mostly worked with adults considered to be healthy: with mothers’ groups and with mixed-age groups of women and men in open groups. I have also led sessions for college students and adolescents on several occasions, and during my mental health internship, I worked with residents of a nursing home.
Can I help you?
Please fill out the form below and tell me a little about how I can support you.
If you’d rather not use the form, you can send an email directly to the address provided: papirrepulo.2023@gmail.com
