Isidora Gatarić

Beyond the Mind: What Psychologists Can Do in the Age of AI

What happens when a psychologist moves beyond the traditional boundaries of psychology and enters the world of AI? In this workshop, I will share my own journey from psychology into the tech industry, starting as a data analyst and statistician, progressing from a junior role to management, and eventually becoming a Product Owner working on AI-driven products. I will talk about how skills developed through psychology, including an understanding of human behavior, research, critical thinking, experimentation, and working with data, statistics, and methodology, can open the door to very different roles in technology. I will also share what it actually looks like to build AI products and where psychologists can fit into that process. The goal is to show that a psychology degree does not have to lead to one predefined career path, but can be a strong starting point for a career in AI.

Isidora Gatarić is an AI Product Owner at Factory Group in Belgrade, with over a decade of experience spanning academic research, data analytics, and AI-driven product development. A scientist at heart, she spent the early years of her career in academia and research before transitioning into technology, where she progressed from a junior data analyst to management and, ultimately, AI product leadership. She is currently a PhD candidate with two MSc degrees, researching the intersection of Machine Learning and Personality Psychology. Throughout her academic career, she received multiple awards recognizing her as one of the most talented students of her generation. Today, she brings together scientific rigor, data expertise, and product thinking to build AI solutions at the intersection of technology and human behavior.

Milica Jakšić Kollárs

First Steps in Psychological Counselling Practice: From University to the Counselling Room

The workshop is intended for early-career psychology professionals preparing to take their first steps in psychological counselling. By exploring their own expectations, beliefs and values, participants will have the opportunity to gain a clearer understanding of what matters to them in their future work, as well as useful information about counselling practice. The workshop will provide space for them to develop an action plan for the period ahead and build elements of their support and self-support systems. The aim is for participants to leave feeling empowered and encouraged to take their first steps in psychological counselling practice.

Milica Jakšić Kollárs completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad. She has been practising psychological counselling and psychotherapy since 2009 and qualified as a transactional analysis psychotherapist in 2013. Her work draws primarily on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Transactional Analysis (TA), complemented by further training in Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), EMDR and Schema Therapy. She has extensive experience in human resources and is the author of the chapter “Transactional Analysis and Trauma” in the monograph “Trauma – Our Story”. She runs Alma Centre, where she provides individual and couples psychotherapy, mindfulness training and burnout prevention programmes.