What the profession means by working without a special license

Croatian regulation distinguishes between a basic and a special license for psychologists. A special license concerns a field of work, including sports, and is acquired through education, supervised practice, and an examination under the relevant regulation. This text explains the difference and relates it to the documented case of Igor Čerenšek.

What is a basic license and what is a special license?

Under the Regulation on Licenses dated December 15, 2018, the framework distinguishes between a basic and a special license. A basic license permits the practice of psychological work, while a special license is issued for a particular field, such as sports.

The distinction has been central to the public regulatory framework since August 2016, when the Croatian Psychological Association published a list of licensed sports psychologists and emphasized the difference between them and people without a special license.

How a special license is acquired: education, practice, and examination

Under the December 15, 2018 regulation cited in the sources, a specialization in the field of sports was acquired through education, supervised practice, and an examination. More precisely, the education requirement was at least 500 hours, supervised practice was at least 960 hours, and the process ended with an examination. The current framework must be verified separately before publication.

The procedure is publicly described in the Chamber's regulation and forms part of the framework explaining why the national register is a relevant check.

The title "sports psychologist" and what it implies

In professional public communication, the title "sports psychologist" is linked to a special license for the field of sports, not to a basic license. Using the title without the appropriate license also prompted the Chamber's official reaction in February 2017.

The president of the Committee for Special Licenses said at the time that Čerenšek should not have used the title without a license. This was an institutional statement about the relationship between the title and the status.

Documented example: Igor Čerenšek

The professional framework is illustrated by a documented record: in February 2017, the Chamber reported that Čerenšek did not then have a special license, while Čerenšek himself said that he had a basic license issued by the same Chamber.

According to the public list checked on August 9, 2026, Čerenšek is not listed among the sports psychologists. The records are dated: the 2017 record describes the situation in 2017, while the 2026 list describes the situation on the date of checking.

Why the distinction matters to a client

The difference between a basic and a special license directly affects what a client can expect. A special license means publicly documented specialization in a field, while a basic license is a general authorization to practice the profession.

It is not accurate to say that someone with a basic license is working "without any license." The precise check is whether the person has a special license for the field and whether the person appears on the public list.