Current Position: Adjunct Professor, Webster University Vienna Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist at the Semmelweis University as well as the Central European Institute for Systemic Therapy in Budapest Country of Origin: Hungary Email:  deszoebirkas81[at]webster.edu

Courses taught at Webster

• Drug and Chemical Dependency
• Physiological Psychology

Education

• Dr. med. (Semmelweis University Budapest, 1998) 

Background and Facts

Mr. Birkas-Kovats received his medical diploma at the Semmelweis University Budapest in 1998. He also studied art philosophy at the Eötvös Loránd University Budapest. Following his training in psychiatry (1999-2003) he specialized in Brief Systemic Family Therapy. He is licensed in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy.

Mr. Birkas-Kovats´ main field of interest is Systemic Family Therapy which he applies in his everyday practice for a broad range of clinical problems such as depression, fears, obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders as well as psychosomatic disturbances such as asthma or eczema.

In 2006 he founded the Phobia Clinic at the Semmelweis University - a special ambulance to provide brief psychotherapeutic treatment for anxiety and fear related problems. Also 2006 he became the supervisor of psychotherapeutic treatment procedures and organisational development at the Kardinal Schwarzenberg`sches Krankenkaus (Schwarzach und St. Veit- Salzburg region) where he facilitated the introduction of solution oriented psychotherapeutic approaches as a common basis of problem resolution for healthcare professionals with different clinical backgrounds. Dr. Birkas-Kovats regularly supervises psychologists and psychiatrists in their work and trains them to implement brief therapeutic protocols and tools which make the recovery process of inpatients more effective. In relation to his clinical work he does research on the side effects of psychotherapeutic drugs and psychosomatics.

Mr. Birkas-Kovats is a member of the European Network of Brief Systemic and Strategic Therapists and takes part in psychotherapy research and training in cooperation with several brief therapeutic institutes. 2010 he joined the faculty of the department of psychology at Webster University Vienna.

Selected Publications

Birkas D. La double contrainte de la peau et de l’esprit. In: La Double Contrainte, l’influence des paradoxes de Bateson en sciences humaines, Editions Deboeck, 2008 (book chapter).

Palik E, Birkas KD, Faludi G, Karadi I, Cseh K. Correlation of serum ghrelin levels with body mass index and carbohydrate metabolism in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2005 Jun;68 Suppl1:S60-4.