Emotion control
5 Ways to Prevent Overtraining
Have you ever found yourself as an athlete in a situation where your training process isn’t going as planned and progress stalls? Have you ever
March 2, 2023
Sanja Petrić, MSc, Sports Psychologist
Get to know me
Hello, everyone!
My name is Sanja, and my dream job is being a sports psychologist.
Those who know me always say that I am one of the few people who talk about their job with so much enthusiasm and love.
And how could I not, when every day I have the opportunity to work with excellent people whose goal is to be even better!
Beginnings
During high school in the gymnasium, we had a psychology subject. We had the best possible teacher who passed on to me a love for the profession, and that’s when the decision was made that I would become a psychologist one day.
During college, I discovered that there is such a thing as sports psychology, and that was it! I delved into research, discovered Mental Training, and set a goal to start working there as soon as I graduate.
Working in Mental Training
As I envisioned, after graduation, I started working in Mentalni Trening.
Over the course of these many years, I had the opportunity to:
- Work with younger athletes
- Conduct group workshops
- Give lectures to a large audience
- Conduct education for smaller groups
- Work with elite athletes from over 35 different sports
- Work with para-athletes
- Work in esports
- Participate in conferences
- Travel with my athletes
- Attend their training sessions and competitions
- Gain immense experience that grows with each passing day
Football story
Before I started working in Mentalni Trening, I spent several years officiating on the football fields of Zagreb County.
It wasn’t easy, but that period of football refereeing brought me a lot. Various connections, building a stronger mindset, and valuable insights for my future work with football players.
Another football story is connected to my favorite club, Manchester United, which fueled my passion for sports and eventually led me to sports psychology. (And in recent years, they certainly test my mental strength!)
Future
Additional Education
- "Intervention Techniques For 21st Century Sport And Exercise Psychologists," Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb, Prof. Dr. Costas Karagheorghis (2015). "
- Mentalni trening za sportske trenere i psihologe" (Mental Training for Sports Coaches and Psychologists), Mentalni Trening (2016).
- "Integrating the 5C’s Approach Into Your Professional Consulting Services," Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb, Dr. Chris Harwood (2017).
- 1st level of education in behavioral-cognitive therapy, HUBIKOT, Zagreb (2017).
- Assertiveness training, HUBIKOT, Zagreb (2017).
- Wartegg Drawing Test, Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Zagreb (2017).
- Basics of working with associative cards, Zagreb (2019).
- Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy – MBCT, KBT option, Zagreb (2021).
- ACT and CFT, Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, online (2021).
Work Experience
- Center for Education and Training Lug, volunteer work (2014-2015)
- Mentalni Trening, intern (2016)
- Work on the project: Falk, A., Bašić, Z., and Quercia, S. "Development of self and social image concerns" (2016)
- Mentalni Trening, psychologist (2016-present)
- ENYSSP, MC Applied Department (2023-present)
Papers
- Master's thesis: "Problem Gambling Among Students – the Role of Motivation, Cognitive Distortions, and Self-Control," 2016.
Featured posts
For coaches
Expectations in sports and what to do with them
If you followed the Olympic Games, you could see numerous athletes achieving top results and standing on the podium, yet they were very dissatisfied, as well as athletes who finished their performances extremely happy regardless of their placement.
August 23, 2021
Emotion control
10 reasons why quality sleep is important for athletes?
Have you noticed that you get through the day more easily when you sleep well? You feel better, learn more easily, handle the intensity of training better, and everything somehow seems easier.
January 15, 2021
For coaches
The Importance of Goals Setting
We have often heard or said the phrase: “The hardest part is to start!” We would definitely agree with that, but another frequently mentioned phrase is: “Even the longest journey begins with a single step.”
January 4, 2020
Mental training
What is mental strength and how to develop it?
Athletes constantly hear about the importance of mental strength. Successful athletes and teams often emphasize the significance of mental toughness that leads to victory.
November 27, 2016
Emotion control
Penalty Kicks – An Eternal Lottery or Can Something Be Improved?
How many times have you heard that penalty kicks in football are called a lottery? Goalkeeper’s nightmare but even more for the shooter? A part of the game where luck decides?
July 9, 2016
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