The summer university, entitled Understanding and Healing War Trauma, brought together 28 students from Catholic universities in France, Slovenia, Poland and Croatia. The course was led by three Hungarian, two Croatian, one Polish and one Ukrainian instructor, while two Pázmány students also helped with the organisation and delivery of the programme. 

Over the five-day programme, participants explored, among other topics, the origins of the concept of trauma, definitions in the DSM-5, different forms of war trauma, the issue of collective trauma, and therapeutic approaches to trauma recovery. The programme aimed to provide students with both theoretical knowledge and practical perspectives for understanding the psychological wounds caused by war and supporting recovery processes. 

Alongside its academic content, the summer university also offered social and cultural activities. Participants visited the House of Terror Museum and the Hungarian Parliament Building, explored Budapest’s historical and cultural heritage, and had the opportunity to relax at one of the capital’s world-famous thermal baths and experience Hungarian bathing culture. The course concluded with a closing dinner, and the students presented the outcomes of their academic work in group presentations. 

The programme was organised by Eszter Berán from the Faculty’s Institute of Psychology, together with Ágnes Reviczky-Balogh and Tamás Hógenburg from the International Office.