BY LAWS

ISPT: A DESCRIPTION

The Indiana Society for Psychoanalytic Thought (ISPT) is a local chapter of the Division of Psychoanalysis (39) of the American Psychological Association. ISPT is a multi-disciplinary group dedicated to furthering the study and application of broad-based psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and the methods of psychoanalytic inquiry through the sponsorship of conferences, symposia, and workshops on clinical and cultural issues, theoretical papers, and ongoing research by ISPT members and recognized experts in the field.

Membership in ISPT is open to all individuals in the community who have an interest in psychoanalysis and a commitment to the purposes of the Society.

BYLAWS

INDIANA SOCIETY FOR PSYCHOANALYTIC THOUGHT

A LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE DIVISION OF PSYCHOANALYSIS (39)
OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE I
NAME AND OBJECTIVES

Section 1. The name of this organization is the Indiana Society for Psychoanalytic Thought.

Section 2. The objectives of this organization are:

a) To broaden and enhance scientific and professional interest in the contributions of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy as a method of scientific inquiry and a theoretical model;

b) To encourage and support educational programs and research having to do with the discipline of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy and its applications to the public welfare.

c) To promote psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy within the mental health and related communities, and to assist with informing the public of current applications through the exchange of scientific ideas, meetings and publications.

Article II
Membership

Section 1. There shall be one class of members in the Society: Member. The Society is an interest group and neither a recognizing nor an accrediting body.

Section 2. Members may include persons who have demonstrated an interest in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy as evidenced by the pursuit of related educational activities, professional practice, scholarly contributions, and artistic and/or humanitarian endeavors.

Section 3. Members shall be eligible to vote on Society affairs and hold offices.

Section 4. The minimum membership dues are set by the Officers of the Society and paid to the Society annually. Additional dues, assessments and fees shall be determined by the Officers.
There are two categories of dues assessment:

a) Member

b) Student Member

ARTICLE III
OFFICERS

Section 1. The Officers of the Association shall consist of a President, the immediate Past-President, the President-Elect, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The President-Elect shall hold a one-year term of office, succeed to the Presidency for one year and serve as Past-President for one year at the end of the term of office as President. It shall be the duty of the President-Elect to assume and perform the duties of the President in the event of an absence, incapacity, decease or resignation of the President until the completion of the President's term. If the President-Elect is unable to serve as President-Elect because of incapacity, decease, or resignation, the President shall appoint a chair of the Program Committee and instruct the chair to conduct an election for President-Elect. The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve a one-year term of office. Each shall perform the usual duties of their respective offices, and in addition, any specific duties described elsewhere in these Bylaws.

Section 2. The Secretary and Treasurer may be candidates for one additional consecutive term of one year. After a minimal interval of one year, past officers may choose to run for any office including their prior offices.

Section 3. Candidates for Office in the Society shall be nominated and elected by the preferential mail ballot to members as stated in Article IV Section 6 of the Bylaws. The President or his/her designee shall serve Division 39 - Section IV for a one-year period during the one-year term of office as President. This is intended to provide opportunity for multiple persons who are so interested to become familiar with representation to and the activities of Section IV of Division 39. Designee to Division 39 must be a member of Division 39.

ARTICLE IV
COMMITTEES

Section 1.

a) The committees of the Society shall consist of such standing committees as may be provided by these Bylaws and such special committees as may be established by the Executive Committee. Standing committees shall consist of members who serve a term of one year.
b) The President shall appoint the chairperson and any new members of the committee in consultation with the appropriate chairperson unless otherwise specified in the Bylaws for a specific committee.
c) No member may serve simultaneously as chair on more than one standing committee.
d) The structure, rules, and procedures of the committees shall by subject to review by the Society's Executive Committee.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the President-Elect, the Past-President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer, and if so appointed, the Designee to Division 39 - Section IV. The duties of the Executive Committee shall be the coordination and monitoring of standing and ad-hoc committees. The assignments of Executive Committee Members to particular committees shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee except when otherwise specifically designated by the Bylaws of the Society.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision over the affairs of the Society, and shall perform duties and delegate responsibility toward that end, in accordance with limitations specified in the Society Bylaws.

Section 4. The Finance Committee shall consist of the Treasurer as Chair and not less than two other members of the Society to be jointly appointed by the President and the Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to present an annual budget to the Society and to review the Society's financial matters. The Finance Committee shall conduct the business of the Society so that the fiscal year shall begin January 1 of each year in order to coordinate finances with the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association.

Section 5. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the following:

a) Review applications for membership.

b) Annually distribute a membership directory to Society members.

The Secretary shall maintain membership records including the current names and addresses of Members. Individual members are responsible for informing the Society and/or the Secretary regarding name and/or address changes. The Executive Committee will also work in collaboration with other committee chairpersons toward the objective of enlarging the membership of the Society.

Section 6. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the selection of candidates by securing nominations by mail ballot from the membership of the Society. It shall also be their responsibility to ascertain the qualifications of nominees and their willingness to serve, if elected. Any question regarding qualifications is to be decided by the general membership of the Society. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for counting the nominations ballots and reporting the results to the membership. An election ballot will then be issued by the Executive Committee. The election of the President-Elect, the Secretary, and the Treasurer shall be conducted annually and shall be concluded before June 1, of any given year. Newly elected Officers shall be installed during the first week of September following the election.

Section 7. The Program Committee shall be chaired by the President-Elect of the Society and/or an appointed Program Chair and/or Co-Chair. It shall be the responsibility of the Program Committee to plan all professional programs of the Society, and to coordinate its programs with and participate in any planning for the Division of Psychoanalysis when a divisional meeting is planned in the geographic area served by the ISPT.

ARTICLE V
ACTIVITIES

Section 1. The Society shall hold its annual meeting during January or February of each year. The location of the annual meeting will be determined by the Executive Committee giving consideration to the geographic distribution of the membership. A business meeting will be held at this time to transact the Society's business, summarize the year's activities, and to discuss other matters concerning the Society.

Section 2. The Secretary, through the information of the Executive Committee and the Treasurer, shall notify new members in writing of their acceptance as Society Members within 30 days of the receipt of the membership application and dues payment.

Section 3. The Society shall issue a newsletter for the purpose of coordinating and disseminating news and serving as a forum for the membership. The editorial policy of the newsletter shall be to provide an open forum for the exchange of a diversity of ideas and issues.

Section 4. The Society may promote and encourage the formation of study groups for the purpose of focused study of scientific, professional, and clinical matters. The Chair of each study group shall be directly responsible for regularly informing the Chair of the Program Committee and the Newsletter Editor of the study group's activities toward the objective of including such information in the Society's and the Division's newsletters.

ARTICLE VI
AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed in one of the following ways:

a) By a two-thirds vote of the membership.

b) By a petition signed by 10% of the Members of the Society and submitted to the Secretary.

Section 2. Proposed amendments to these Bylaws shall be submitted to the membership by a mail ballot within 60 days of either of the above actions.

a) Such a ballot shall contain an appropriate explanation of the proposed amendment(s), with pro and con statements if necessary.

b) Such a ballot shall be mailed to the last recorded address of each Member of the Society.

c) The amendment(s) shall be certified as adopted or approved by at least two-thirds of those voting.

d) The Secretary shall inform the Members of the Society of the results of the balloting.

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