Mission Statement and Bylaws
Mission Statement
The goal of the Northwest Alliance for Psychoanalytic Study (the "Alliance") is to make psychoanalytic knowledge available and useful to interested professionals and to the community at large in the Pacific Northwest. The Alliance welcomes to the association those professionals of the mental health, health care, and human services communities regardless of academic discipline, who seek the deeper human understanding that psychoanalysis can provide. Because of an appreciation for the scientific and humanistic foundations of psychoanalytic thought and practice, the Alliance is dedicated:
To provide opportunities for the study of psychoanalytic theory and therapy through meetings on professional topics, courses, forums, workshops, and study groups.
To facilitate the examination and discussion of a full variety of approaches to theory and practice in psychoanalysis.
To encourage research of psychoanalytic concepts.
To support, sponsor, or cosponsor educational programs for the benefit of professionals interested in psychoanalytic theory.
To promote dissemination of information regarding psychoanalytic offerings through newsletters, bulletins, or other appropriate means.
To enhance possibilities for relating to organizations on both local and national levels that represent many aspects of the psychoanalytic community.
To facilitate and encourage a full range of training opportunities in psychoanalytic theory and practice.
To provide a low-fee clinic for individuals desiring psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
Bylaws:
Article I - Name
The name of the
organization shall be the Northwest Alliance for Psychoanalytic
Study (the "Alliance").
The name of the low-fee
clinic shall be the Alliance Community Psychotherapy Clinic (the
"ACPC").
Article II - Membership
II. 1. Members. There shall be two
classes of members in the Alliance:
Member and student member.
Race, color, creed, gender, or sexual preference will not be
criteria of membership. Members. Members shall be all those who have
an interest in psychoanalytic theory and its application. They may
be professionals in the mental health, health care, or human
services communities; or they may be individuals in the community at
large who take an active interest in psychoanalytic thinking and its
relevance to their work or world. Members may hold office in the
Alliance, may vote in Alliance affairs, and may serve on the board
and committees.
Student Members. Student members shall be those who are enrolled in a full-time academic program. Student members may serve on Alliance committees.
Applicants for membership shall become a member or student member upon payment of dues and acceptance of their application.
II. 2. Dues. The members shall pay dues established by the board.
II. 3. Lapse or Revocation of Membership
Lapse of Membership.
Members or student members of the Alliance who fail to pay dues for
three months from the date of the first dues billing shall have
their membership lapse. The executive committee may waive the
requirement of payment of dues under unusual conditions. Revocation
of Membership. All Alliance members are expected to remain in good
standing within their professional organization and licensing board.
Should an Alliance member lose his or her good standing, he or she
will be suspended from the Alliance until his or her good standing
is restored.
Article III - Officers
III. 1. Officers. The officers of the
Alliance shall be the president, president-elect, past
president, secretary, and treasurer.
III. 2. The executive
committee shall consist of the officers and the chair of the
Alliance Community Psychotherapy Clinic.
III. 3. Term and
Election. Terms shall begin June 1 of any given year. The president
shall serve as president-elect for one year, president for two
years, and past-president for one year. Elections for
president-elect shall occur in even-numbered years. The
secretary and treasurer shall serve for two-year terms and shall
be elected in odd-numbered years. Terms are renewable without
election.
III. 4. Elections. Elections of officers of the
Alliance shall be conducted as required by the bylaws and shall be
completed before June 1 of any given year. At least three months
before June 1 of any given year, the nominating committee (either
the executive committee or an ad hoc committee appointed by the
president) shall solicit the members of the Alliance for nominations
for the elective offices of the Alliance. Together with nominations
from the nominating committee and nominations from the members, the
nominating committee shall develop a slate of nominees for office.
At least two months before June 1 of any given year, the nominating
committee shall mail a ballot to each member of the Alliance who
possesses voting privileges. The members shall have thirty days from
the date of mailing to return such ballots. The results of such
elections shall be tabulated and reported to the membership by the
nominating committee by June 1.
III. 5. Vacancies. In the event
of a vacancy in the office of the president, or during an absence or
inability to serve, the duties and powers shall devolve upon the
president-elect or, in the latter's absence, upon the past
president. In the event a vacancy exists in the offices of secretary
or treasurer, the executive committee will fill such vacancy until
the next annual meeting, at which time the nominations and election
to fill the vacancy may be held.
III. 6. Responsibilities of
Secretary and Treasurer. The secretary shall keep minutes of all
board and membership meetings, handle correspondence for the board,
and serve other functions as needed and directed by the president.
The president may assign other duties from time to time.
The
treasurer shall have custody of all funds of the Alliance and shall
hold them in the name of the Alliance in such manner as the board
shall direct. The treasurer shall also collect dues and disburse
funds as directed by vote of the board. An annual budget and record
of all money received and expended shall also be the responsibility
of the treasurer. The president may assign other duties from time to
time.
Article IV - Board
IV. 1. The Board. The board shall be the
governing body of the Alliance and, as such, it shall have full
power and authority to delegate its powers to members and
committees, as it may deem necessary. It shall consist of all the
officers and committee chairs. The board shall be responsible for
the conduct of the affairs of the Alliance, and shall promulgate
such policies, rules, procedures, etc., necessary for the discharge
of its responsibility, provided that it take no action contrary to
these bylaws.
IV. 2. Meetings.
Annual Meeting. The Alliance shall hold at least
one business meeting annually. The board may call additional
meetings. The Forum Committee shall notify the entire membership of
the date, time, and place of the meeting at least fifteen days in
advance. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the most
recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order. Meetings of the board
shall be quarterly, monthly, or as needed, and members shall have a
minimum of ten days notice, including an agenda for an anticipated
meeting. Notice may be given at least seventy-two (72) hours
prior to the date on which an ad hoc meeting is scheduled. A quorum
of the board shall consist of a majority of its membership. All
executive actions shall require a majority vote of those board
members present at a given meeting. The board may remove a member by
an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present
at a special meeting called for that purpose.
Article V -
Alliance Community Psychotherapy Clinic (ACPC)
V.1. The ACPC is
a project of the Alliance. The Alliance shall be the umbrella
organization for the ACPC.
V.2. The functions of the ACPC are:
To make psychoanalytic knowledge available and useful.
To
make psychoanalytic consultation available to those in the community
To make low-fee psychoanalytic psychotherapy available.
V.3. A clinical director, who is responsible to the chair of the
ACPC, the ACPC committee, and ultimately the board of the Alliance,
shall run the clinic. The ACPC Committee will oversee the affairs of
the clinic. The chair of the ACPC committee will be a member of the
board of the Alliance. The board of the Alliance will determine the
consultation fees of the clinical executive director and other
consultants of the ACPC.
Article VI - Committees
The Alliance shall have standing
committees, which support the goals and objectives of the
organization and are necessary for the functioning of the
organization; such as an executive committee, membership committee,
professional meetings committee, etc.
The president, with the
approval of the board, shall appoint or disband standing committees
as well as special committees as deemed necessary for the efficient
functioning of the organization. Committee chairs will serve for
three years. Terms are renewable.
V. 1. Terms. Terms begin and
end July 1.
V. 2. Elections. The nominating committee selects a
slate of candidates for all chairs becoming vacant. The nominating
committee will publicize openings of chairs. Any member may make
additional nominations. The board will vote not sooner than one
month after nominations have been disseminated to the membership. If
there is more than one nominee for any position, the board will ask
those people to leave the room during discussion. The vote will be a
secret ballot. The election will be by Australian ballot (each voter
lists the candidates in order of preference). Votes on undisputed
positions are by show of hands.
V. 3. Committee Members. Each
chair shall appoint her/his own committee members.
Article VII - Ethics
The Alliance and its members consider
themselves bound by the ethical principles promulgated by their
respective professional groups.
Article VIII - Amendment of Bylaws
The board or ten percent
(10%) of the voting membership of the Alliance, by petition, may
propose amendments to these bylaws. The board may amend the bylaws
by a majority vote.
Article IX - Dissolution
Upon dissolution of the Alliance,
the board shall, after paying all liabilities of the Alliance,
dispose of all assets to such organizations as are operated
exclusively for charitable, educational, or scientific purposes as
shall qualify as IRS-qualified nonprofit organizations. The
board shall determine the dissolution and dispersal of funds by
two-thirds vote.
