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NAME & PURPOSE

The name of the organization is the Connecticut Psychological Association, Incorporated, hereafter referred to as the Association.

The Association was founded in 1963, a successor to the worthy traditions of the Connecticut Valley Association of Psychologists (founded in 1932) and of the Connecticut State Psychological Society (founded in 1944).

The purposes of the Association are:

to further the development and usefulness of psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare;

to establish and maintain high standards of professional competence, of training, of service, and of professional and ethical conduct for its membership;

to promote the interests of the profession, and the freedom of scientific inquiry, teaching, and professional practice;

to provide opportunities for students pursuing training in psychology to become more fully engaged in the standards, interests, and collegiality of the profession; and

to provide opportunities for professional growth and the increase and diffusion of psychological knowledge through the exchange of ideas and

information, by means of meetings, professional contacts, papers, discussions, and the encouragement of research in psychology.

MEMBERSHIP
  1. Membership application procedures shall be prescribed by the Board of Directors, but shall include a written application. Unless the applicant is a member (at the appropriate level) of the American Psychological Association or is a licensed psychologist in Connecticut, this application shall be endorsed by two members of the Association, or by one member of the Association and one member of the American Psychological Association.
  1. The Association shall have three classes of membership: Fellows, Members, and Associates. The terms “member(s)” and “membership” shall refer to these three classes.

A Fellow shall be a Member of the Association who is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association, or who meets the minimum standards for Fellow status in the American Psychological Association. In addition, a nominee for Fellow shall:

(1) Be nominated by two Fellows of the Association (or Fellows of the American Psychological Association who are also members of the Association); and

(2) Has been a Member of the Association for at least two years.

An applicant for election to the Association as a Member shall be a Member of the American Psychological Association, or shall meet the minimum requirements for election as a Member of the American Psychological Association.

An applicant for election to the Association as an Associate shall be an Associate of the American Psychological Association, or shall meet the minimum requirements for election as an Associate of the American Psychological Association.

Fellows, Members, Associates and Student Affiliates shall be elected by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.

Membership Privileges

(A) Fellows and Members in good standing shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of the Association without restriction, except that Fellows and Members who neither live nor work in Connecticut, nor are licensed as psychologists in Connecticut, may not hold elective office.

(B) Associates may not hold elective office, but shall have voting privileges after five (5) consecutive years of Associate membership and shall be entitled to all rights and privileges not specifically denied them in these Bylaws.

(C) Associates who subsequently meet the standards for Member status will, upon application to and verification by the Membership Chairperson, be advanced automatically to that status.

Student Affliates

(A) An applicant for election to the Association as a Student Affiliate shall be a matriculated undergraduate or graduate student interested in psychology and who is in good standing at a regionally accredited college or university.

(B) Student Affiliate applications shall be endorsed by one member of the Association or by the applicant’s department chairperson, unless the applicant is a Student Affiliate of the American Psychological Association.

(C) Student Affiliates shall not have voting privileges outside the Student Division of the Association and are not entitled to refer to themselves as Members of the Association, but shall be entitled to all rights and privileges not specifically denied them in these Bylaws.

(D) A Student Affiliate who is in good standing in a doctoral program of study in psychology may hold elective office within the Student Division of the Association.

In accepting membership or affiliation in the Association, members of all classes agree to abide by the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct published by the American Psychological Association.

Class of membership in the Association shall be at the highest level commensurate with the individual’s qualifications, except for full-time students enrolled in a psychological doctorate program, who may join as Student Affiliates and remain Student Affiliates, subject to yearly certification of full-time student status by their department chairperson.

Termination of Membership

A member may submit a letter of resignation at any time to the Board of Directors, which has the power to accept or reject it. Such resignation shall become effective only after acceptance by the Board of Directors.

  1. If inability to pay dues, fees, or assessments is cited as a reason for voluntary resignation by a member subject to a pending ethics investigation, the financial obligation may be suspended until the ethics investigation is completed.
  2. If geographic relocation is offered as the reason for voluntary resignation by a member subject to a pending ethics investigation, the investigation may be referred to the American Psychological Association Ethics Committee and/or the state psychological association in the state to which the member plans to relocate.

B. A member may be expelled from the Association for non-payment of annual dues, fees, or special assessments.

C. A member may be expelled from the Association for unethical conduct, as so judged by:

(1) A three-fourths vote of the members of the Board of Directors present and voting at any meeting of the Board of Directors upon consideration of the written and/or oral evidence and recommendations of the Ethics Committee of the Association, in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Ethics Committee which are current and approved by the Board of Directors.

(2) Fellows, Members, Associates, and Student Affiliates of the Association having been expelled from membership in the American Psychological Association or any other affiliate of the American Psychological Association, or having been convicted of a felony, shall be considered for expulsion from the Association according to the procedures of the Association.

Reinstatement of Membership

  1. Persons formerly members of the Association but expelled for failure to pay dues, fees, and/or special assessments may be reinstated by the Board of Directors at any time. The Board of Directors may impose a fee for such reinstatement.
  2. A person expelled from membership on ethical grounds may reapply for membership after five (5) years, pursuant to the procedures of the Association.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE OFFICERS, AND THEIR DUTIES

1. The business of the Association shall be administered by a Board of Directors comprised of:

(A) These executive officers: the President, the Past President or President-Elect, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Representative(s) to the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association;

(B) Five elected regional representatives, with regions corresponding to

U.S. Congressional districts,

(C) These four additional elected positions: Public Interest Representative, Practice Representative, Science and Education Representative, and Diversity Representative, and

(D) A Representative of the Student Division, and a Representative of the Division of Early Career Psychologists

2. Functions of the Board of Directors

(A) The Board of Directors shall have control of the government and management of the Association, of its affairs and business, and of its assets, funds, and property, and in particular, shall have exclusive control over any real property of the Association and the income of all permanent funds including fees, dues, levies, and gifts for general or specific purposes, and gifts and bequests for endowment or in trust.

(B) The Board of Directors may make or cause to be made for the Association in its name any kind of lawful contract, and may generally exercise all such other powers and do all such other things as the Association is, by its charter or otherwise, authorized to do.

(C) The Board of Directors shall specifically have the power to make and amend rules for its own procedures and shall keep a record of such rules.

3. The Board of Directors shall hold no fewer than four (4) meetings each year. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time, upon no less than one week’s notice, by the President, or by request of a majority of members of the Board of Directors. A simple majority of the Board of Directors, one of whom shall be an executive officer, shall constitute a quorum.

4. The duties of the officers of the Association shall be those which usually pertain to their respective positions:

  • The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Association and shall report at the annual business meeting on his or her official actions and those of The Board of Directors.
  • The Past President or the President-Elect (whichever is in office) shall serve as general advisor to the President, and shall serve as Chairperson of the Elections Committee, ex officio. If neither a Past President or President-Elect is in office, the Board of Directors will select one of its members to fulfill these roles.
  • The Secretary shall take and keep minutes of all meetings of The Board of Directors and of the Association, and shall serve as the official archivist.
  • The Treasurer, as the Association’s senior financial officer, shall supervise the receipt and disbursement of all assets of the Association, keeping accurate records thereof, and reporting as necessary to The Board of Directors and annually to the Association.
  • The Representative(s) to the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association shall be the liaison between the Association and the American Psychological Association, and shall make such reports as are needed to inform the Board of Directors and the Association.
  • The specific responsibilities of the elected representatives shall be determined by the President with the advice and consent of The Board of Directors.
  • The Representative of the Student Division shall be the liaison between the Student Division and the Association, and shall make reports of student activities and concerns as are needed to inform the Board of Directors of the Association.
  • The Board of Directors shall not be liable to the members or the Association for any mistake of judgment and shall only be liable for their own individual willful misconduct or bad faith. Officers shall have no personal liability with respect to any contract made by them on behalf of the Association.

5. The Board of Directors shall annually designate standing committees, as it may need to perform its business.

  • Chairpersons of the standing committees shall be appointed annually by the President with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors.
  • Members of the committees shall be appointed annually by The Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Chairpersons.
  • Committee chairpersons shall report to The Board of Directors and the Association according to policies and procedures established by the Board.
  • The Board of Directors may annually appoint a Student Affiliate to attend meetings of the Board of Directors and to serve as liaison to the Student Affiliates.

6. A standing Peer Review Committee shall be established by the Association, composed of at least three (3) Association members to engage in peer review pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes Section 19a-17b. These members shall serve for three-year terms except for the initial appointments, which shall be modified so that the expiration of terms is staggered. The President with the approval of a majority of The Board of Directors shall appoint members. The Chairperson shall be appointed annually by the President from the Committee membership.

The Peer Review Committee shall gather and review information relating to the care and treatment of patients for the purposes of evaluating and improving the quality of health care rendered.

ELECTIONS

The Elections Committee shall be chaired by the Past President or the President-Elect, whichever is in office, and shall consist of the Past President or the President-Elect, the Treasurer, and the chairpersons of the Ethics and Membership Committees.

In order to elicit nominations for positions to be vacated, the Elections Committee shall inform the membership of the Association by September 15 of each year of the positions to be filled.

The Elections Committee shall conduct elections for the available positions by mail, and attempt to assure that at least two (2) candidates shall be presented in the final ballot for each available office, providing that at least two (2) candidates accept nomination. If no more than one candidate accepts the nomination for a given position after the membership has been asked to propose nominees, then the Elections Committee shall provide for a write-in candidate. Elected officers and representatives to The Board of Directors shall be announced at the Annual Meeting.

The President shall serve for a term of two years. The President-Elect and the Past President shall serve for terms of one year, with the Past President to serve during the first year of the President’s term, and the President-Elect to be elected every other year and to serve in the second year of the President’s term. The Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Representatives to the Board shall serve for terms of two years. The President, Treasurer, Secretary, Representatives to the Board, and Representative(s) to the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association shall not serve more than three consecutive terms. All terms shall be from January 1 through December 31 of that year if the term of office is one year, and of the subsequent year if the term of office is two years.

The term of office of the Representative(s) to the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association shall be three (3) years, unless the American Psychological Association prescribes some other term. Only members and voting associates of the American Psychological Association are eligible to vote for the Representative to the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association.

The term of office for the Representative of the Student Division shall be one year, from January 1 through December 31. No Representative may serve more than two terms. Only Student Affiliates of the Association are eligible to vote for the Representative of the Student Division. The Board of Directors shall rely on recommendations from any other officers of the Student Division to fill a vacancy in the office of the Representative through appointment until the next election.

A vacancy in the office of the President during the first year of the term shall be filled by the Past President, who shall serve the remainder of the year. A new President shall be elected to take office in January of the next year for a two-year term and shall not serve the customary year as president-elect. The president-elect, who shall continue in office through his or her own term, shall fill a vacancy in the office of President during the second year of the term. If neither a Past President or President- Elect is in office, the Board of Directors will select one of its members to fill a vacancy in the office of the President until a new President can be elected. The Board of Directors shall fill any other vacancy on the Board of Directors until the next election through appointment. The position of any member of The Board of Directors who is absent from three (3) consecutive meetings of The Board of Directors shall be declared vacant.

MEETINGS

An annual business meeting of the Association shall be held at such time and place as the Board of Directors may determine. Notice of the meeting shall be mailed to the membership at least two weeks in advance.

An annual regional meeting shall be held at such time and place within each region as the regional representative may determine.

Additional membership programs will be held throughout the year as the Board of Directors may determine.

Special business meetings may be called at any time by a majority vote of The Board of Directors, or by request of not less than one-tenth of the members of the Association. The two weeks prior notice of such meetings shall include a statement of the business for which the meeting is called.

A quorum for a meeting of the membership shall consist of one-tenth of the Association’s current voting membership.

As deemed advisable by The Board of Directors, needed business may be concluded by mail ballot, in which event a majority vote of those replying within three weeks shall be binding, provided one-tenth of the current total voting membership shall ballot.

The Board of Directors shall be required to place on its agenda any item or proposal petitioned by at least five percent of the current voting membership.

FINANCES
  1. The amount of dues for the following year for all classes of membership shall be determined annually by The Board of Directors.
  • Dues may not be changed unless approved by the Association by a majority of those voting at a meeting or by mail.
  • The Board of Directors shall determine a minimum fee for Student Affiliate.
  • The Association’s fiscal year shall be the calendar year.2. An applicant for membership shall pay a non-refundable fee as set by The Board of Directors, in addition to dues.

    3. Extra assessments for special purposes may be levied when approved by a three-fourths majority vote of The Board of Directors.

    4. No profits shall proceed to any officer, shareholder, director, member, associate, student affiliate or employee of the Association, except as reasonable compensation for services in effecting one or more of the Association’s stated purposes.

    5. In the event of dissolution, the Association’s net assets, after payment of debts, shall proceed to the American Psychological Association, Incorporated.

    6. Any member or Associate who has been a member of the Association for a minimum of ten (10) consecutive years and has reached the age of sixty-five (65), and has retired from the practice of psychology or is employed (or working for compensation) in the field of psychology for fewer than 15 hours per week, may apply for the “Senior Member” category. Such members shall retain all rights and privileges of the Association except the privilege of receiving those publications of the Association ordinarily provided to its members as a membership benefit. In order to permit the receipt of such publications, however, an option to pay a reasonable subscription price/servicing fee for them shall be made available to Senior Members.

    PROVISIONS FOR DIVISIONS

    Divisions may be organized to represent major scientific and professional interests within the Association.

    The chief officer of a division shall represent the division at meetings of the Board of Directors ex officio.

    To qualify for affiliation, the members of the proposed division shall be Members, Fellows, Associates, or Student Affiliates of the Association

    A division shall be established when:

    At least ten (10) Members, Fellows, Associates, or Student Affiliates of the Association so petition, and

    The Board of Directors approves the petition by a two-thirds majority.

    Divisions shall report annually to The Board of Directors regarding membership, finances, and program.

    In the event of dissolution, a division’s net assets, after payment of debts, shall proceed to the Association.

    AMENDMENTS

    These Bylaws may be amended by a three-fourths vote of the voting members present at any meeting of the membership, provided a quorum is present and providing that the proposed amendment(s) were received by the Secretary at least six (6) weeks in advance of the meeting at which they are to be considered. Notice of the proposed amendment(s) shall be mailed to members with the announcement of the meeting.

    These Bylaws may also be amended by a three-fourths vote of all voting members replying to a mail ballot within three weeks after such ballot is mailed, providing that at least one-fourth of the current total voting membership reply.

    PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

    Except where contradicted specifically in these articles, the most recent edition of Keesey’s Modern Parliamentary Procedure shall be accepted parliamentary authority for all meetings of the Association, of The Board of Directors, and of committees.