Ivana Mihić

Biography

Ivana Mihić was born on May 10th, 1979 in Kikinda, Serbia. After graduating from University of Novi Sad (department of Psychology), she worked as a psychologist consultant for ECEC facility in Novi Sad (Žil Vern), and in a NGO (NSHC) on programs for support of refugee families. In 2003 she started to work at the Department of Psychology, University of Novi Sad, first as teaching and research assistant, and currently as associate professor. She got her PhD in 2010 in the field of Developmental psychology (Psychology of family and parent-child relations). She is currently teaching courses in early development, early childhood education and care, family relations and family therapy, and child protection at the departments of psychology and social work.
Ivana Mihić is licenced systemic family therapist. She is continuously working with families of young children (especially form vulnerable groups), and is also educator and supervisor of parent-child and home visitation programs in Centre for early childhood development and family relations “Harmonija” in Novi Sad. She teaches licenced courses for professional development of home visiting nurses, ECEC stuff and social workers in the area of early childhood development, attachment and development of parent-child relations and quality of parent-child, and teacher-child relations. Her research interests are development of evidence-based practice in family and parenting support programs, quality in early childhood education and care and early intervention. She has been participating in several UNICEF projects in the area of early childhood development, early intervention and early childhood education and care (as a researcher, consultant and educator for home visiting nurses, ECEC stuff, child health care professionals etc).
Since 2009 she has been coordinating the project Kindergarten as a secure base, developed by Department of Psychology and professional associations of preschool and nursery teachers aiming to develop new, evidence-based, quality practice in working with vulnerable children.
She mentored 5 PhD, and over 40 MA students, and participated in numerous nationally funded research projects. Her bibliography contains 5 books and manuals and over 120 scientific papers.