Dear colleagues, 

On behalf of the Serbian Psychological Society and the Program Committee we are pleased to invite you to take part in the 68th Congress of Psychologists of Serbia, to be held in Zlatibor, May 27th – 30th, 2020. The main topic of the upcoming Congress is Psychology day in, day out: Everyday problems in practicing psychology and psychological practices in everyday life. In line with the topic, we want this Congress to be an opportunity to exchange views on how to best handle the challenges that regularly occur in our work, and how to use psychological knowledge to achieve palpable improvement in our clients and ourselves. 

Among other things, we will scrutinize recent changes in the legislation regarding clinical-psychological practice, especially those related to the elimination of the state exam and mandatory internship in this field. We will also tackle the increasingly widespread occurrence of digital violence, which has become part of many children’s and adolescents’ everyday experience, and now tends to affect the lives of adults in various work settings. Further, we will consider our profession’s possible responses to the growing need for psychological guidance in fulfilling one’s daily tasks and activities, that too often causes people to seek the services of so-called life coaches. On top of that, we will delve into the design and implications of the soon-to-be-introduced general high-school graduation exam, particularly as it affects entrance to studies of psychology, and building on that, we will revisit the issue of standardized psychological testing.

A true inspiration and valuable input for these conversations, especially with regard to the latter topics, will come from our first key speaker, Prof. Panta Kovačević, who, for many years, has been in charge of the system of entrance exams at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, and, working as a professor of psychometrics in this institution, has familiarized generations of psychologists with the principles of psychological measurement. Next to Prof. Kovačević, the upcoming Congress will host a number of eminent speakers, whose expertise covers various fields of psychology and whom we will soon be introducing to you in more detail.

At this point, we would like to remind you that, through your knowledge and experience, you too can contribute to the program and character of the forthcoming Congress. Thus, we encourage you to share your ideas, professional dilemmas, practical solutions or research findings with a wider circle of colleagues by submitting your application for participating in the Congress through one of the following activities: (a) symposia; (b) round table discussions; (c) individual oral or poster presentations; (d) workshops/seminars; (e) SPS division meetings; (f) promotions of new books from the field of psychology or cognate disciplines. More information about the above listed forms of participation and detailed instructions on how to apply can be found in our Guidelines for Abstract Submission. Please note that the submission deadline is March 27th, 2020. Please also keep in mind that an award will be presented to the authors of the first submission to be accepted for presentation, as well as to the authors of the poster voted best at the Congress.

Looking forward to seeing you in Zlatibor, 

Ana Altaras Dimitrijević and Darko Hinić

Co-chairs of the Program Committee of the 68th Congress of Psychologists

Invitation letter