INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUPLE AND FAMILY PSYCHOANALYSIS STATUTES
ARTICLE 1. Title
An association has been founded by the undersigned (person or body) according to the French Law of the 1st of July 1901, which has been named thus:
“International Association of Couple and Family Psychoanalysis”
And which addresses the following goals defined here below in article 3, hereinafter referred to as “The Association”.
ARTICLE 2. Definition-terminology
“Couple and family psychoanalysis (CFP) refers to psychoanalytic theories. Its aim is to promote, within an appropriate framework, the analysis of couples and families’ unconscious processes. For this purpose, it rests upon the deployment and implementation of transference and counter-transference”.
ARTICLE 3. Objectives
This Association’s main objective is to promote world-wide couple and family psychoanalysis.
To this aim, it will:
- further communication between CFP practitioners (and between their organisations),
- promote appropriate research, studies, publications, conferences and scientific projects at a national and international level,
- stimulate the development and revitalisation of concepts and practices in CFP,
- uphold training and teaching within the association’s field of reference,
- Enhance awareness of CPF to the public, mental health practitioners and social workers,
- establish links compliant with these aims with authorities and NGO’s in the interest of public health and prevention,
- help to establish couple and family psychoanalysis associations in countries where there is a lack,
- organise international conferences,
- develop an IACFP Journal whose operation is described in Internal Regulations.
ARTICLE 4. Duration
The association’s duration is unlimited.
ARTICLE 5. Headquarters
The association’s headquarters are set in Lyon, France. This can be changed upon a simple decision by the Board of Directors who has the correlative right to change the statutes.
ARTICLE 6. Members
The association is made up of persons or bodies who are contracting parties and of those who will be admitted.
- Rightful members of the association are those who are members of the founding organisations and signatories of the present statutes. These organisations are:
- couple and family psychoanalysis associations,
- sections or distinct units of CFP within a psychoanalysis association or psychoanalytic therapy organisations.
- Persons who, as individuals, abide by the present statutes.
- Membership can be granted to any member of an association which has been admitted according to the terms and conditions defined in article 9 and 10 of the present statutes.
ARTICLE 7. The various categories of members
The association is comprised of two categories of full members:
- Full Member Associations (bodies), which are, by right, the founding organisations and signatories of the present statutes, and mentioned as such in the minutes of the Constitutive Assembly or in the minutes of later General Assemblies;
- Full Member Person, who are individual members of the founding associations signatories of the present statutes, or who meet the conditions laid out in article 6.
Only individual full members possess the right to a deliberative vote during decisionmaking instances.
Individual full members are required to pay an annual fee, whose amount is set in the terms and conditions in article 12.
ARTICLE 8. Partners’ Collegium
A partner’s Collegium has been established; this encompasses any person participating to the dynamics of the IACFP, and wishing to be involved in the development of the Association. They are:
- Trainees in professional associations affiliated to the IACFP;
- Professional persons interested by couple and family psychoanalysis in fields such as: sociology, anthropology, philosophy, educational sciences, health, law and so on. -Professional individuals who have honoured the IACFP by services performed.
The Collegium partners are not members of the association, but are invited to attend General Assemblies without having the right to vote. They can be invited by the Representatives Committee (article 20) and by the Scientific Council (article 21) to participate to their meetings and there they enjoy a consultative vote.
A fee is required to join the partner’s collegium, this fee is set by the assembly, but doesn’t equate to a membership fee. Admission as a partner is then accepted by the Admission Committee within the conditions set out in article 10.
ARTICLE 9. Conditions for admission
Persons or bodies who wish to become members of the Association must meet the following criteria (direct admission) or vouch for their own members (admission of an association or part of an association):
- Personal psychoanalysis or individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy; groupal psychoanalysis is advised;
- Being trained in couple psychoanalytical therapy (or psychoanalysis) and/or family psychoanalytical therapy (or psychoanalysis), and eventually being trained in groupal psychoanalytical therapy (or psychoanalysis);
- Effective practice.
ARTICLE 10. Admission procedures
Applications addressed to the President are given to the Admission Committee to be examined. The Committee is made up of three members of the Board of Directors and chaired by a member of the Steering Committee. The BoD listens to the report by the Committee and rules in sovereignty by a simple majority. Any application may be redeposited. Individual applications must be sent with two reference letters from members of the Association.
ARTICLE 11. End of membership
The membership ends through:
- resignation
- death
- revoking of membership announced in final instance by the BoD for non-payment of fees within the time limit prescribed by the internal regulations, or for grave misconduct, the person having been previously summoned by registered letter to a meeting with the Steering Committee. The decision to revoke is final and cannot be challenged by the person’s own association.
Any member association which presents its resignation or is revoked, implies loss of membership for all member of said association. In this case, members can still apply individually.
ARTICLE 12. The Association’s sources of revenue
The associations revenue streams include:
- Membership fees and other contributions from members. The amount of the annual fee is set at the General Assembly and suggested by the BoD.
- Donations
- Bequests
- Various revenue from the Association’s activities
- And any source of revenue or subventions for which the Association is legally eligible, and if need be, created exceptionally with the agreement, if necessary, of the competent authorities.
ARTICLE 13. Expenses
The accounts are maintained by the Treasurer, in accordance with the current legislation.
Expenses are authorised by the President. Payments are carried out by the President or the Treasurer. The President can be represented by the eldest Vice-president or the General Secretary when neither the President nor the Treasurer are available to perform their duties.
ARTICLE 14. Financial audits
The Association may appoint, as and whenever necessary, and for six fiscal years:
- An auditor
- And a supply auditor if the main auditor is not part of a company with several employees
The annual accounts together with the annual report shall be sent to the auditor at least forty-five days before the Assembly Meeting convened to endorse them.
ARTICLE 15. The bodies of the Association
The bodies of the Association are:
- The General Assembly
- The Board of Directors
- The Steering Committee
- The College of Representatives
- The Scientific Council
The General Assembly elects, with simple majority, the Board of Directors, including at least three members.
ARTICLE 16. The Board of Directors
- Composition
The BoD is composed of, at the most 24 administrators elected at the General Assembly among the full members, by single ballot (postal voting and secured electronic votes are accepted). The elected candidates are those with the most votes.They are distributed into three distinct geographic units thus:- America
- Europe
- Africa, Asia, Oceania
Each has the same number of administrators assigned to them.
Each of the three geographical units hereabove comprises of 8 members, among whom two are directly elected internally by the geographical unit in question. The remaining six are elected by the General Assembly among the full members of the Association. In the case of a geographical unit not being able to provide all the posts required, those shall remain vacant until the next elections.
The President of the Association is appointed by the Board of Directors with an absolute majority on the first and second tour, and simple majority on the third tour where only the two candidates with the most votes in the second tour shall stay in the running. - Length of mandate
The mandate for the Board of Directors is four years from the day they have been elected by the General Assembly. All members of the Board of Directors must have reached their majority. All members, included those elected to the Steering Committee, can be re-elected. However, after a second four-year mandate, the members of the Board of Directors must respect a two-year period before applying for another mandate within the Association.
Half of the BoD is renewed every two years. Exceptionally, the first election following the statutes modification shall elect half the BoD members for four years and the other half for two years. Members of the BoD with a current mandate shall be considered as being part of the half elected for two years. - Operations
The BoD shall meet as often as the interest of the Association requires it. The number of meetings shall be no less than two per year, by invitation from the President who can if he wishes convene an extraordinary meeting of the Board of directors, or this could be by request from at least a quarter of the administrators. These meetings can be held online and once every two years, a traditional meeting can be held, which, however doesn’t exclude postal voting or secured electronic voting.
The BoD may invite whomsoever they wish who would be of help with their work. The meetings are chaired by the President who leads in all discussions, ensure the statute and internal regulations are respected, and monitor the agenda. The President can be represented by the eldest Vice-president or the General Secretary who then carry the same powers.
Each administrator can be represented by another administrator. The duties are written down. No-one can hold two posts concurrently.
Decisions are taken with a simple majority by members on site or represented. Proposals relating to statutes modifications cannot be considered unless the BoD is quorate.
Deliberations must be minuted and the minutes approved. -
Powers
Administrative powers are assigned to the Board of Directors who takes all decisions and measures concerning the Association, apart from those specifically kept by law and the present statutes for the jurisdiction of the General Assembly.
For any proposal of modification of the statutes or any other decision to be submitted to the General Assembly at a special meeting, the Board of Directors adjudicates upon a 2/3 majority of on site or represented members, or simple majority if the general Assembly Special Meeting, has to meet again if not quorate, including on the same day. Members of the Board of Directors shall be considered as having resigned if they are absent for two consecutive meetings of the Board of Directors without presenting excuses beforehand.
ARTICLE 17. The Steering Committee
- The Steering Committee is made up of at least six members designated from within by the members of the Board of Directors, and includes the President, the General Secretary, the Treasurer, three Vice-Presidents as well as, if need be, members of the Committee.
Apart from if the situation doesn’t allow it, the Board of Directors shall endeavour to appoint Vice-President of different nationalities, so as to have one English speaking member, one French speaking member and one Spanish speaking member. - The Steering Committee is in charge of managing the everyday occurrences of the Association, within the framework of the guidelines set by the Board of Directors.
- The Steering Committee set the frequency and agenda of its meetings which can be held remotely by any means of shareable communication.
ARTICLE 18. The President
- The President manages the Association and benefits from extensive powers to ensure its representation in all the countries to which its members belong, towards authorities et third parties.
He chairs the discussions of the Steering Committee, the Board of Directors and the General Assembly.
He monitors the statutes and internal regulations and ensure they are respected. He signs any paperwork, any measures taken or any extracts from deliberations interesting the Association, and opens accounts. He can delegate part or all of his powers in the event of Force Majeure. - The President represents the Association in a court of Law, either as plaintiff, respondent or prosecutor.
ARTICLE 19. The General assembly
- Composition -Meetings
The General Assembly is composed of all the full members of the Association up to date with their fees. It meets in ordinary meetings at least every two years by any means (Visio conferencing, teleconferencing, Skype, Zoom the association’s Website or any other means described in the invitation) on the day and with the agenda set by the Steering Committee and by invitation from the President.
Ordinary General Assemblies can be held, in Special Meetings when the Association’s interest demands it, either on the initiative of the Boad of Directors or by a signed request by a quart of the members of the Association. In which case an invitation is compulsory. - Invitation
Invitations are written and sent by post or emails at least one month in advance, unless there is an emergency, and show precise detailing of the items on the agenda. - Agenda
The General Assembly can only discuss items on the agenda set by the Steering Committee in a session preceding the General Assembly. Any member can ask to put in the agenda any item they wish to see discussed. To this effect, a mail, either postal or electronic with acknowledgement of receipt should be sent to the President before the Steering Committee meeting preceding the General Assembly. - Access
Members shall be admitted to the General Assembly only upon presentation of a supporting document proving their membership (paper document or access code, depending on how the meeting is run). - Representation
During traditional meeting any member has the right to be represented by another member by giving said member a written mandate. No-one shall possess more than two individual member’s power. - Powers
The General Assembly is the overarching body of the Association as regards to activities and management reports. The reports show the work of the Steering Committee and the Board of Directors during the fiscal year just gone, the financial situation and the balance sheet. - Majority
The decisions of an ordinary General Assembly are taken through a simple majority of the members on site or represented, after, if need be, work towards a consensual decision. In cases of a hung decision, the vote of the Association’s President takes prevalence.
A Special General Assembly meeting is held only to take decisions pertaining to the modification of states, dissolution and liquidation.
The Special General Assembly meeting can deliberate only if two third of the members on site or represented are present, on first invitation and half those on subsequent invitations.
These decisions are taken by a 2/3 majority of on site or represented members, or simple majority if the general Assembly Special Meeting, has to meet again in a second meeting if not quorate, including on the same day. In cases of a hung decision, the vote of the Association’s President takes prevalence. - Vote
The General assembly votes by show of hands unless there is a specific request for secret nominal votes of members on site or represented. Each member has one vote. In the case of a general assembly which was planned to be online, as per article 18-1, electronic votes are accepted. - Modification of the statutes
No request for modification of the statutes can be discussed at a Special General Assembly, unless it has been suggested by the Board of Directors deliberating with a majority of two third of the members on site or represented, who shall have to present a justified report.
ARTICLE 20. College of representatives
It comprises of a representant of each of the member Associations and a representant of the group of individual members. Its work is to create proposals aiming to promote the Association in the various countries in which they work, and also to gather local experiences likely to interest all of the members. The Borad of Director has put it in charge of broad scopes studies of collective interest.
The President of the College of representatives is elected by his peers, who are themselves designated by their own associations.
The College of Representatives meets by invitation from the coordinator, at a frequency and terms set by himself, of his own initiative or by request of the Board of Directors.
It can invite partners of the Collegium who possess a consultative vote, as per article 8
ARTÍCULO 21. El Consejo Científico
La Asociación creará un Consejo Científico.
El coordinador y los miembros del Consejo Científico son nombrados por el Consejo de Administración.
El Consejo Científico propone al Consejo de Administración las áreas de investigación de la Asociación. Organiza sus trabajos con total independencia. Puede, bajo su responsabilidad, recurrir a cualquier experto externo que considere útil. Garantiza el rigor científico de los estudios elaborados y difundidos por la Asociación.
El Consejo Científico es convocado por su coordinador, por iniciativa propia o a petición del Consejo de Administración. Puede trabajar en subgrupos y organizar sus debates por correo electrónico o en un foro de Internet.
Podrá invitar a socios del colegio previsto en el artículo 8, que dispondrán de un voto consultivo
ARTICLE 22. Internal regulations
The Association can set up internal regulations developed by the Steering Committee and duly approved by the Board of Directors. It shall be announced at the General Assembly. It can be modified for the need of the association by the same method. Its role is to set various points not in the statutes, specifically those regarding the internal administration of the Association.
ARTICLE 23. Dissolution-modification of statutes
The association can be dissolved, by proposal from the Boad of Directors by vote at the Special general assembly as per article 19-7. The statutes can be modified using the same procedure.
ARTICLE 24. Liquidation
In case of voluntary liquidation, a Special General Assembly shall nominate one or several liquidators. In no circumstances the assets shall be shared between the members of the Association. They shall be allocated to another organism with similar aims.