Association’s Presentation

STATUS

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUPLE AND FAMILY PSYCHOANALYSIS

ARTICLE 1- Name

Under French law of the 1^st July 1901, the persons mentioned below, associations or individuals have founded an association, which will be called thus:

“International Association of Couple and Family Psychoanalysis”

and which will follow the objectives defined below in article 3, thereafter referred to “the Association”.

An acronym is yet to be found. For example: Ipsycof, SITpsy, ITpsy, Facopsy, Cofapsy, and so on.

ARTICLE 2- Definitions and terminology

“Couple and family psychoanalysis (CFP) refers to psychoanalytic theories. It aims, with an appropriate framework, to facilitate the analysis of unconscious processes of the couple or the family. In this aim, it rests on the display and working through of transference and counter-transference.”

ARTICLE 3– Objectives

The main aim of the Association is to promote the CFP throughout the world.

To achieve this, it intends to:

a: enhance communication between CFP practitioners (and their organizations),

b: promote research, studies, publishing, conferences, and appropriate scientific activities at national and international levels,

c: stimulate the set up and review of CFP concepts and practices,

d: support training and teaching within the field of the Association,

e: spread awareness of CFP amongst the public at large and to the mental health professionals and social workers,

f: establish relationships in accordance with these aims with governmental and non-governmental associations with prevention, health and social care in mind,

g: help develop associations for CFP in countries where there are none,

h: organize international conferences.

ARTICLE 4- Timescale

There is no provision for the termination of the Association.

 ARTICLE 5- Administrative offices

The Association’s administrative offices shall be located in the president’s country of residence. With this proviso, it can be moved upon a simple decision of the Board.

The address is as follows:

 ARTICLE 6- Membership

Founder individuals and associations make up the Association, as well as those who will be admitted in the Association at a later date.

 6.1– Members of founder organizations who signed this statute are ipso facto members of the Association.

These organisations are:

6.1.1- PFT or PCT or PCFT associations.

6.1.2- Distinct sections or department of PCFT within psychoanalytic or psychoanalytic therapy associations.

The list is to be placed here or at the end of the document.

 6.2– Persons who signed the statute as individuals are members of the Association.

The list is to be placed here or at the end of the document.

 6.3– Membership can be acquired by any member of an association which would have been admitted according to the clauses and provisos defined in the articles 8 and 9 of this statute.

6.4– Membership can be acquired as an individual by any person who can fulfil the clauses and provisos defined in the articles 8 and 9 of this statute.

 ARTICLE 7- Different categories of members:

The Association consists of 4 categories of Members:

7.1– Full Members include :

* Founder organizations that have signed this statute,

* Individual members of founder organizations that have signed this statute or fullfill the conditions established in article 6 ;

* Also the mental health professionals that fully respond to the goals established in the statute of the association, and that share their knowledge in the interest of the associaton.

Full members are the only ones that have a deliberative voice in the instances of the association.

7.2- Associate Members include colleagues under training in the professional associations affiliated with the AIPCF. They have a consulting voice.

7.3- Adhering Members include remarkable students, in the last year of their professional studies in the other fields interested in the psychoanalysis of couples and family : sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers, sciences of education, etc., and that are interested in the couple and family psychoanalysis. They have a consulting voice.

7.4– Honorary Members are persons who honored the AIPCF with the services they have rendered. They have a consulting voice.

Except for the honorary members, all the members must pay a fee whose amount is determined under the conditions established in article 11.

ARTICLE 8. Admission requirements

The persons or entities who wish to become Members of the Association will have to fulfil the following criteria (direct admissions), or to guarantee that their members will fulfil them (admission of an association or section of association):

1. Personal psychoanalysis or individual psychoanalytical psychotherapy; group psychoanalysis is advised.
2. Being trained in psychoanalytic couple therapy (or couple psychoanalysis) and/or in psychoanalytic family therapy (or family psychoanalysis), and possibly being trained in group psychoanalytic therapy (or group psychoanalysis).
3. Actual practice.

 ARTICLE 9. Methods of admission

The applications sent to the President are entrusted to the examination of a commission of admission made up of three members of the Board of Directors and chaired by a member of the Executive Committee (Bureau). The Board listens to the report of this commission and takes a decision with sovereign power by simple majority. Any refusal does not have to be justified. Any application can be renewed. The individual candidates have to show 2 letters of members who recommend them.

ARTICLE 10. Loss of the membership

The membership is lost by

– resignation,

– death,

– removal pronounced with sovereign power by the Board of Directors for non-payment of the subscription within the times prescribed by the Rules of procedure, or on serious grounds. The concerned member being beforehand convened by registered letter with acknowledgement of delivery to present him or herself to the Executive Committee. This expulsion cannot be called into question by the society he/she belongs to.

The resignation or the removal of an association as a Member involves the loss of membership for all the members of the struck off association. In this case, they can apply on a purely individual basis.

ARTICLE 11. Resources of the Association

The resources of the Association include

– subscriptions and other contributions of the Members. The amount of the subscription or fee is fixed by the General Assembly, on a proposal from the Board of Directors and differs for the different types of members. In the second case, the amount of the subscription is fixed pro-rata to the number of its members,

– gifts,

– legacies,

– various products coming from the activity of the Association,

– and generally any resource or subsidy it can legally benefit from, and which may be created in exceptional circumstances with the approval, if necessary, of the proper authorities.

ARTICLE 12. Expenditure

The accountancy is under the control of the Treasurer, according to the European chart of accounting. The President orders the expenditures. The President or the Treasurer carries out their payment. The President may be represented by the dean of the Vice-President or the Secretary General when the president or the treasurer are incapacitated to exercise their functions.

ARTICLE 13. Control of accounts

For the accounts audit, the General Assembly can appoint one or two auditors, who will submit a report of the accounts of the past financial year. The Board of Directors appoints the first accountants.

ARTICLE 14. Organization – Management

The organization of the Association include:

– the General Assembly

– the Board of Directors

– the Executive Committee (Bureau)

– the College of Representatives

– the Scientific Council

The General Assembly elects, with the simple majority, a Board of Executives made up of at least three Members.

ARTICLE 15: The Board of Directors

15-1. Composition

The Board is composed of at the most 24 Executives elected by the General Assembly among the full members, with a simple ballot once (postal or protected electronic votes are allowed). The elected candidates are those who collected the most votes.

They are divided into three distinct geographical units as follows:

1- The Americas,

2- Europe,

3- Africa, Asia, South Seas Islands.

An equivalent number of Executives is allotted to each one of them.

Each of the three geographic units above include 8 members, among whom two members are directly elected by the concerned geographical unit. The other six are elected by the general assembly among the full members of the association.

If a geographical unit is not able to provide the full amount of seats, these will remain vacant until the following elections.

The President of the Association is appointed by the Board of Directors with absolute majority in the first and second round, with simple majority in the third round where only the two candidates having obtained the most votes in the 2nd round will remain. The Board elects amongst itself, on a proposal from the President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and provides, according to needs, any other seat.

The members of Board can be re-elected only once for the same seat.

15-2. Term of the mandate

 The term of the mandate of the members of the Board of Directors is fixed at 4 years, as from the day of their election by the General Assembly. No one can belong to the Board if he/she has not attained his/her majority. All the members, including those elected as members of the Executive Committee, can be reelected. However, at the end of a second term of four years, the members of the Board of Directors must wait for a period of two years before postulating themselves for a new term in the association.

The Board of Directors will be renewed, one half at a time, every two years. Exceptionally, in the first election taking place straight after the modifications of the statutes, half the Board of Directors members shall be elected for 4 years and the other half for two years. Any Board of Directors member currently serving a mandate shall be considered as being included in the half elected for two years.

15-3. Functioning

 The Board of Directors will meet as often as the interest of the Association requires it. The number of meetings cannot be lower than two per annum. The meetings will be convened by convocation from the President, who can, if he considers it necessary, or at the request of a quarter of the Executives, call together the Board of Directors for an extraordinary session. It will be possible to hold these meetings on the Internet and once every two years a traditional meeting can be held. This will not exclude however the possibility of postal or protected electronic votes. The Board can invite any person whose presence will be considered useful for its work.

The meetings are chaired by the President who directs the discussions, ensures the observance of the Statute and the Rules of Procedure and attends to the follow-up of the agenda. The President can be represented by the dean of Vice-presidents or the Secretary who then exerts his powers. Each Executive can be represented by another one. The powers are written. No one can hold more than two powers. The decisions are made with the simple majority of the Members, present or represented. The proposals about any modification of the Statute can only be made if a quorum of half of the Board is gathered. The deliberations will result in an official report which must be approved.

15 -4. Powers

 The powers of administration are entrusted to the Board of Directors which makes all the decisions and measures relating to the Association, others that those expressly reserved by the law and this Statute for the competence of the General Assembly. On any draft amendment of the Statute or any other decision to be submitted to the Extraordinary General Assembly, the Board of Directors will decide with a majority of the 2/3 of the members present or represented, or by simple majority if the Extraordinary General Assembly convenes in a second convening due to lack of quorum.

Board of member shall be considered as having handed in their resignation if they have not been present to 2 consecutive Board of Directors meetings without any prior notice.

ARTICLE 16. – The Executive Committee

16-1. The Executive Committee is formed by at least six members selected by the Board of Directors among its members, including the President, the Secretary General, the Treasurer, the three Vice-presidents, as well as, when applicable, members of the Executive Committee.

Except in the case in which the composition of the Board of Directors does not allow it, the Board of Directors will appoint Vice-presidents of different nationalities in order to have an anglophone, a francophone and a hispanicphone member.

16-2. The Executive Committee is in charge of the management of the current businesses of the Association, within the framework of the orientations fixed by the Board of Directors.

16-3. The Executive Committee sets the frequency and the agenda of its meetings that can be held if necessary by electronic means or by any other mean of communication collectively shareable.

ARTICLE 17. The President

 17-1. The President leads the Association and has the widest powers to ensure his representation in all the relevant countries, as regard to local authorities and third parties. He directs the discussions of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors and the General Assembly, which he chairs. He supervises and ensures the observance of the Statute and the Rules of Procedure. He signs all acts, measures or extracts of deliberations concerning the Association, opens bank accounts. He can delegate whole or part of his powers in case of impediment.

17-2. The President represents the Association in court, either as an applicant, or a defendant, or civil party.

ARTICLE 18. The General Assembly

18-1. Composition – Meeting

The General Assembly is composed of all the Full Members who are up to date with their Association’s subscription. It meets for an ordinary session at least every two years by all means (videoconference, teleconference, Skype, Zoom, the Association’s internet site, or all other means planned by the convocation, on the day and with the agenda set by the Executive Committee, and by convocation of the President.

Additional General Assemblies can be held, when the interests of the Association require it, either on the initiative of the Board of Directors, or on signed request of a quarter of the Members of the Association. In this case, the convocation is rightful.

18-2. Convocation

The convocations are made in writing and transmitted by mail or e-mail, at least one month in advance, except when urgent, and hold precise information of the items on the agenda.

18-3. Agenda

 The General Assembly can deliberate only on the items mentioned in the agenda set by the Executive Committee in the meeting which precedes the General Assembly. Any Member can ask for any item he/she wishes to discuss to be put on the agenda. To do this, mail or electronic mail with acknowledgement of delivery has to be sent to the President before the meeting of the Executive Committee which precedes the General Assembly.

18-4. Access

The Members are allowed to the General Assembly only on presentation of a supporting document of their quality (paper document or access code, according to the form of the meeting). He or she signs their entry in the register or provides his or her identification.

18-5. Representation

At the traditional meetings, any Member is entitled to be represented by another member by giving to the latter a written mandate. No one can hold more than two powers of individual members.

18-6. Powers

The General Assembly is the sovereign organization of the Association concerning the management and management reports. The reports present the work of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors during the past year, the financial situation and assessment.

18-7. Majority – Quorum

The decisions of the ordinary General Assembly are made with the simple majority of the Members, present or represented, after seeking a consensual decision, if needed. In case of a tie, the vote of the president of the association prevails.

The Extraordinary General Assembly only meets to make decisions relating to the modification of the Statute, dissolution and liquidation. These decisions are made with a majority of two thirds of the Members, present or represented. The Extraordinary General Assembly can deliberate only if two thirds of the Members of the Association are present or represented, on first convocation, and one half on the following ones.

These decisions are made by a majority of two thirds of the members, present or represented, or by simple majority if the Extraordinary General Assembly meets in second convocation due to lack of quorum. In case of a tie, in the second convocation, the vote of the president of the association prevails.

18-8. Vote

The General Assembly votes by a show of hands, except particular request for a vote with nominal secret ballot paper of the members, present or represented. Each member has one vote. In case of a General Assembly whose convocation planned a non presential meeting as established in article 18-1, the votes by electronic means are admissible.

18-9. Modification of the Statute

No request for modification of the Statute can come under discussion at the Extraordinary General Assembly if it is not proposed by the Board of Directors deliberating with a majority of two thirds of the members, present or represented, who will have to present report to justify the proposal.

ARTICLE 19. The College of Representatives

It includes a Representative of each association Member, and a Representative of the group of the Members on a purely individual basis (Direct Members). Its function is to make proposals aiming on the one hand at making the Association known in their various countries of practice and on the other hand to collect any local experiences likely to interest the Members as a whole.

The Board of Directors will put it in charge of studies of general interest and collective interest.

The Director of the college of Representatives is elected by his peers, themselves appointed by their associations of membership. The College of Representatives meets on convocation of its Director, according to a frequency and structure laid down by the latter, of its own initiative or on request of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE 20. The Scientific Council

The Association will set up a Scientific Council. The Director and the members of the Scientific Council will be appointed by the Board of Directors. The Scientific Council will suggest to the Board of Directors the research orientations of the Association. It will organize its workload totally independently. It can call on, under its responsibility, any external competent agency considered useful. It will guarantee scientific rigour of the studies produced and diffused by the Association. The Scientific Council is convened by its president, acting on his own initiative or at the request of the Board of Directors. It can function in sub-groups and organize its exchanges by e-mails or forums on the Internet.

ARTICLE 21. Rules of procedure

The Association can establish Internal Rules of Procedure elaborated by the Executive Committee and duly approved by the Board of Directors. They will be communicated at the General Assembly. They can be modified according to the needs of the Association by the same method. They will be used to set various points not included by the Statute, in particular those concerning the internal management of the Association.

ARTICLE 22. Dissolution – Statute’s modifications

The Association can be dissolved, on a proposal from the Board of Directors, by vote of the Extraordinary General Assembly, in accordance with article 18-7.

The Statute can be amended according to the same procedure.

ARTICLE 23. Liquidation

In case of voluntary liquidation, the Extraordinary General Assembly dealing with the liquidation will name one or more liquidators. There are no circumstances in which the goods can be distributed between the Members of the Association. They will be kept for another association sharing a similar goal.