Constitution
of the
North American Society of Adlerian Psychology

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this Association is the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology.


ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

1.      The purpose of the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology (hereinafter referred to as NASAP or the Society) shall be:

·         to promote the knowledge, training, and teaching of Individual Psychology,defined as the psychological theory and practice originating with and so named by Alfred Adler;

·         to support the activities, efficiency, and development of individuals and groups in Individual Psychology;

·         to encourage research in and to stimulate the further scientific development of Individual Psychology;

·         to establish training centers and institutes of Individual Psychology;

·         to extend the availability of psychotherapeutic services;

·          to publish journals, books and pamphlets on Individual Psychology;

·          to maintain contact with other groups, associations, and schools of thought in the fields of psychology, education, etc.;

·         to encourage and assist local or area groups and training institutes to organize and affiliate with the Society.

2.      This Society is organized and will be operating for exclusively educational and scientific purposes, which will include the enlistment and involvement of all persons and groups who support the principles of Individual Psychology.
 

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

1.      There shall be three types of members -- General, Affiliate and Associate.

2.      New members shall be accepted upon receipt of an application and upon receipt of the first year's dues.

3.      Dues shall be determined by the Council of Representatives and shall be payable annually in advance of the first day of the fiscal year.

ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS

1.      The Society shall have a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, President-elect and Past-President. Officers serve on the Board of Directors.

a.       The President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Past-President shall have a two-year term in office.

b.      The President-elect shall have a one-year term in office before assuming the office of President, after which service she/he will assume the office of Past-President.

2.      The election of Officers shall be conducted by the Nominating Committee of which the Past-President is the Chair. The slate of nominees for each office shall be approved by the Council of Representatives presented to the full membership of the Society for election.

3.      Any General Member of the Society may be nominated to run for the Board of Directors.

4.      With the exception of the officers of NASAP, no one may serve on the Board of Directors and the Council of Representatives simultaneously.

5.      The President may not serve consecutive terms as President.

6.      No member may serve more than two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors, except when the second term is as President Elect.

7.      All board members must be residents of, and physically reside in, North America.

ARTICLE V - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1.      The final authority in managing the affairs of the Society shall be vested in the Board of Directors.

2.      The Board of Directors shall administer the affairs of the Society, prepare an annual budget, manage the finances of the Society and enter into or terminate contracts.

3.      The Board of Directors may appoint up to three additional members for terms not to exceed the term of the President serving at the time of the appointment.

4.      The officers and appointed members shall constitute the Board of Directors.
 

ARTICLE VI - COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES

1.     
The Constitution and By-laws shall be established by the Council of Representatives to govern the deliberations and actions of the Council of Representatives, the Board of Directors, its Officers and Agents, and any other person(s) who shall in any way be responsible for any part of the work of the Society.

2.      There shall be three types of Representatives elected to the Council: Representatives from Affiliates, Representatives from Sections and Representatives-at-large.

3.      Any Representative elected or appointed within the provisions of the Constitution shall serve and hold office for a period of three years. No Representative shall serve for more than two consecutive full terms. Upon completion of a second consecutive full term, a Representative shall not be eligible to serve until two years have passed.

4.      Representatives shall be seated at the beginning of the meeting of the Council of Representatives which follows an appropriated election or appointment.
 

ARTICLE VII - SECTIONS

1.      Sections shall be established to promote contact among specialized interest areas significantly represented within the Society and to insure representation in the governance of the Society.

2.      Any 50 General Members in good standing may petition the Board of Directors to form a Section. Upon approval from the Board of Directors, the petitioning group may organize itself into a Section.

3.       Each Section shall establish its own by-laws, may collect its own dues and present its own programs. The by-laws and operations of the Section shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. The by-laws of the Section shall not violate the laws of the Society.

4.      The Section shall continue to exist at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.

5.       “Sectional Representatives” shall be elected from and by each Section.

6.      The number of representatives is specified in the By-laws of the Society.

ARTICLE VIII - AFFILIATES

1.      To qualify as an Affiliate Member, an organization must submit a membership list and a constitution, by-laws or statement of purpose consistent with the goals of NASAP to the Board of Directors. Upon approval from the Board of Directors, the petitioning group shall be designated as an Affiliate member.

2.      To qualify for a Representative to the Council of Representatives, Affiliates must have a specified number of NASAP members.

3.      “Affiliate Representatives” may be elected or appointed by each qualified Affiliate.

4.      The number of representatives accorded Affiliates is specified in the By-laws of the Society.

5.      Affiliate Representatives shall be members of the Affiliate and General Members of NASAP.

ARTICLE IX - SUSPENSION, EXPULSION

1.      A member whose dues are not paid within 30 days of the member’s dues anniversary is automatically suspended from good standing, and may neither exercise the rights nor enjoy the privileges of membership during the period of this suspension. Such suspension is automatically lifted and a good standing is immediately restored when the member's dues are paid. When any member shall be in default in the payment of dues for a period of one year, the Board of Directors shall make efforts to determine the member's intentions and secure payment of dues.

2.      The Board of Directors may suspend or expel a member for cause by two-thirds vote, after an appropriate hearing. In such cases it shall be mandatory to invite the member to such a hearing, to allow that member the opportunity to respond in person to the accusers and the Board.  

3.      Any member may resign by submitting a written resignation with the President.

ARTICLE X - OBLIGATION AND LIABILITY

1.     
No Affiliate, or Section, including any Section created by the Board of Directors, shall enter into, make, perform, or carry out contracts of any kind, or assume obligations or incur liabilities with any person, firm, corporations, private or public, other than and only to the extent that the same shall be done in its own name and shall not constitute a joint or several liability or obligation of the Society and its Board of Directors.

2.      The Society in furtherance of its purposes shall not guarantee or assume liability for the
payment of any obligation or indebtedness of a Section or Affiliate.

ARTICLE XI - DISSOLUTION OF THE SOCIETY

The Society, should dissolution take place, will divide the assets on a pro-rated basis among the several affiliated organizations which are exempt under Section 501 c (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION

The Council of Representatives shall act upon amendments to this Constitution proposed by the General Membership or by the Council of Representatives itself. An Amendment proposed to the Council of Representatives by petition of 25 General Members in good standing of the Society must be acted upon by the Council of Representatives. Proposed amendments which are accepted by a two-thirds vote of the Council of Representatives shall be recommended to the total General Membership for ratification by mail ballots. A two-thirds vote of the General Members voting is required for ratification.



Adopted April, 1978
Revised 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001,2006