New Horizons of Psychology as science and practice
According to the decision of the Serbian Psychological Society (SPS) Executive Board from January 19, 2022, SPS will be hosting the European Psychological Semester in the first half of 2023 (January-June 2023). European Semester of Psychology, named New Horizons of Psychology as science and practice represents challenges for psychologists in the context of political crises, climate change, (post)pandemic and digital world which requires a new understanding of psychological phenomena as well as the innovative approaches for practice and changes of legislative for practitioners.
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Psychology in Serbia and Serbian Psychological Society
The history of psychology in Serbia had begun with Prof. Branislav Petronijević who was the first psychology teacher in Belgrade University in 1905. He was philosopher, but played a key role in the establishment of the first studies of psychology at the University of Belgrade in 1927. After him, famous Serbian psychologists were Paja Radosavljević, first Serbian doctor of psychology (educated at the University of Jena and Zurich) and Borislav Stevanović, who came back from the London University with PhD dissertation and became the chief of the Seminar for experimental psychology in 1928. Prof. Stevanović achieved a significant merit in Serbian psychology with his work in the standardization of the Binet-Simon scale in our population and introduced our psychology in global trends of that period. The first assistant at the psychology study group was Živorad Vasić. Today, the Serbian Psychological Society gives out two significant awards prizes named after them.
Until the World War II there were registered only six professional psychologists in our country. After the war, the study of psychology was disrupted given the fact that psychology was considered as “suspicious” science for the new country leaded by communist party. However, the studies were reinstituted shortly afterwards and a new generation of students enrolled already in 1951. Ever since, the psychology studies at the Belgrade University have been developed rapidly and become one of the most demanding curricula with one of the highest reputation in Serbia. After Belgrade, the psychology studies were founded in Niš (1971) and Novi Sad (1982). At this moment, it is possible to study psychology at five state-owned and five private faculties in Serbia.
From the beginning, it was recognized that psychologists needs professional association for organization their meetings, development of practice and researches, protection of their professional interests and promotion their profession in the public which resulted with establishment Serbian Psychological Society in 1953, as a section of the Psychological Association of Yugoslavia. Serbian Psychological Society today celebrate 70th anniversary, with distinguished reputation in Serbia and in region.
Serbian Psychological Society today has membership over 650 professionals, branched in over 20 sections in different fields of applied psychology. Still, there are much more psychologists (approximately 4.000) that are periodically members of SPS. Since the beginning, SPS have been organized national meetings, today recognized as Congress of Psychologists of Serbia. Society publishes scientific journal “Psihologija” in continuity 55 years (since 1968) which is referred in SCIndeks, WoS, SCOPUS and DOAJ. SPS is a member of the European Association of Psychologists (EFPA) since 2007 and in EAWOP since 2021. The Center for Applied Psychology was founded in 1992, as a part of SPS for publishing psychological literature and instruments for assessment, as well as to organize educations, seminars and offer some commercial psychological services.
Coming Events:
During European Semester of Psychologydifferent conferences and meetings are planned:
- From March 31st to April 2nd, the 29th annual international scientific conference Empirical Studies in Psychology, will be held in person at The Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. It is organized by the Laboratory for Experimental Psychology and The Institute of Psychology (Department of Psychology, University of Belgrade). The conference program will include keynote lectures, oral presentations, poster sessions, symposia, and round-table discussions from different psychology fields, i.e., personality/individual differences, clinical, cognitive, perception, psychology of art, educational, organizational, social, and developmental psychology. All information can be found here
- From 3rd to 5th May 2023 EC and PC meetings will be held in Belgrade. Executive Council is preparing the meeting in collaboration with Serbian Psychological Society. The Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology will host EFPA meetings.
- From May 24th to May 27th 2023 the 71st Congress of Psychologists of Serbia named New Horizons of (Cyber) Psychology will be held in Palić. The Scientific Committee proposed this topic assuming that it will be sufficiently inspiring for practitioners as well as for researchers and that it will attract them to the exchange of professional experiences and current scientific research findings on the psychological aspects of people’s functioning in various fields (education, work, health, social life, etc.). The program of the Congress will provide all usual forms for presentations, including meetings of SPS sections and professional training programs for practitioners. Congress of Psychologists will be held in a charming place on Palić lake, close to the Subotica city in northern part of Serbia. We invite you to plan your participation in the Congress and contribute to a productive professional exchange. All information can be found here
By Tamara Dzamonja.
Italy participates in EFPA through INPA (Italian Network of Psychologists’ Associations), composed of the National Order of Psychologists, the Italian Association of Psychology (AIP), the Association of Psychologist Union (AUPI) and its Formation agency (Form-AUPI). On the whole, the associated psychologists are more than 125,000.
INPA was founded in 1992, with the aim of developing a common reference framework for the academic and professional training of psychologists according to European qualification standards. To this aim, since 2005 it has promoted the diffusion of the EuroPsy certification.
In 2022 recurred the 30th anniversary of the foundation of AIP and INPA; in 2021 the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the first degree’ courses in psychology (Rome and Padua), now diffused in all the Italian regions. The Italian Parliament has approved a law that makes the master's degree in psychology directly habilitating for the profession, and the Ministry of the University set up a task force with the participation of both professional and university representatives, for the revision and modification of the academic studies in psychology, including professionalizing internship.
Recently, an agreement with the Ministry of Education was formulated for the structural and stable inclusion of the psychologist in the school; meetings with the Ministry of Health have been organised on the psychological profession within the National Health Service, and on psychological assessment for work suitability. A code of conduct against harassment and discrimination in the workplace has been formulated and disseminated.
Following the Covid-19 psychological effects, the "Bonus for psychology" i.e., financial support for psychological therapies, was activated by the Italian government in 2022. Requests for this initiative, which is very much attended by both psychologists and users, have been till now more than 300,000.
Materials on the theme of war and peaceful coexistence, prepared by Scientific Societies in the psychological area and by Emergency Psychology Associations, were disseminated online.
Many congresses, meetings, and training events are organised, online and in presence, by AIP, national and regional Orders, and Form-AUPI.
In the European Semester we are glad to share presentations of Italian advances in academic research and professional practice with our European colleagues, and to receive from them feedbacks and new input.
The theme of our European Semester is “Psychological science and profession for increasing health in society”, emphasizing the role of our discipline in providing scientific grounding of the interventions aimed at enhancing physical and mental health in all the fields of professional psychology: education, formation, social groups and community, work and organisations, forensic and clinical settings and contexts.
Welcome to Italy for the 2nd semester 2023!
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INPA, Italian Network of Psychology Associations Associated with EFPA
Initiatives for the European Semester of Psychology Italy
July-December, 2023Rome, February 1, 2023
Santo di Nuovo, President INPA.
Some specific activities, open to European associates, have been already planned, as exposed in the attached first announcement.
Read more about planned activities - Text fold out
EFPA Presidents’ meeting, Naples, November 23-24, 2023.
Meetings of EFPA Boards and Committees, with joint open workshops:
- Board Assessment – Padua, September 22-23. Host: Adriana Lis – University of Padua. Workshop in dual modality: “New Horizons in Psychological Assessment”
- SC Community – Naples, November 25. Host: Caterina Arcidiacono - University Federico II of Naples. Following Presidents’ meeting. Workshop in dual modality: “Psychology and social change for our future world”.Seminars and workshops:
- H-Work Project – Bologna, September 29. Host: Bruna Zani, Luca Pietrantoni, Dina Guglielmi – cooperation with EFPACongresses and conferences:
- 24th IPOS World Congress of Psycho-Oncology - Milan, August 31 to September 3 (congress website)
- “Learning from Suffering, Fear of Death and Dying” - Padua September 7-9 (congress website)
- “Child well-being in formal and informal care and education contexts: New perspectives on intervention” – Milan, October 27 (joint conference with ISSBD - International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development).For the congresses and conferences a call for presentations will be sent in advance.
Free exchanges aimed at reaching scientific cooperation and peaceful relations among European nations will be fostered and sustained (to plan the modalities, please write to: caterina.arcidiacono@unina.it)
Further initiatives are in planning, information will be given as soon.
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