Mid-Atlantic Association for Imago Relationship Therapists

 

BY LAWS

 

Table of Contents

 

               ARTICLE I                                            NAME

 

               ARTICLE II                                           MISSION

 

               ARTICLE III                           MEMBERSHIP

 

                              A -                Categories of Membership

1.        Members

2.        Member-in-Training

3.        Associate Member

B -                Dues

C -                Voting Rights and Privileges

D -                Termination of Membership

E -               Reinstatement

 

               ARTICLE IV                           BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

                              A -                Governance

                              B -                Members and Qualifications

                              C -                Terms and Elections

                              D -               Removal of Officers and Directors

E-               Vacancies

F-               Quorum

                              G -                Meetings

                              H-               Ad Hoc Committees

 

               ARTICLE V                            DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

 

                              A -                The Officers

                              B -               Duties of Officers

1.        President

2.        Vice President/President Elect

3.        Secretary

4.        Treasurer

C -               Duties of the Directors

1.        Past President

2.        Members-at-Large

 

               ARTICLE VI                           MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

 

                              A -               General Meetings

                              B -               Special Meetings

                              C -                   Quorum

 

               ARTICLE VII                          STANDING COMMITTEES

 

                              A -               Names and Purposes of Standing Committees

1.        The Budget and Finance Committee

2.        The By-Laws Committee

3.        The Education Committee

4.        The Membership Committee

5.        The Nominations Committee

6.        The Policies and Procedures Committee

B -               Election of Standing Committee Chairperson

1.        Nominations

2.        Voting

C -                Functioning of Standing Committees

 

               ARTICLE VIII                         BY-LAWS CHANGES

 

               ARTICLE IX                           DISSOLUTION

                                                                                                                                                      Approved  9/28/2007

 

Mid-Atlantic Association for Imago Relationship Therapists

BY-LAWS

 

ARTICLE I               NAME

 

This organization shall be known as the Mid-Atlantic Association for Imago Relationship Therapists (hereafter referred to as MAIT).

 

ARTICLE II               MISSION

 

We seek to foster growth, safety and healing for all people of this and future generations through the application of the theory and processes of Imago Relationship Therapy (hereafter referred to as IRT).

 

To this end, we commit ourselves to advance the theory of IRT, to promote the awareness and use of IRT, and to support and nurture the professional growth of MAIT members.

 

ARTICLE III               MEMBERSHIP

 

A)               Categories of Membership

 

1.) Member:   A Member shall be certified as an Imago Relationship Therapist by Imago Relationships International (hereafter referred to as IRI) and shall reside and/or practice within the geographic area comprising the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, defined as the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

 

2.) Member-in Training:  A Member-in-Training shall be a therapist practicing within the geographic area of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States who has been accepted into the IRI clinical training program.  Member-in Training status is available for a maximum of two (2) years.  Upon certification by IRI, the Member-in-Training shall automatically become a Member.  If certification has not been obtained with two (2) years, the Member-in-Training shall be eligible to become an Associate Member.

 

3.) Associate Member:  An Associate Member shall be a mental health professional who is not certified as an Imago Relationship Therapist but who has demonstrated interest in IRT, or who resides outside the Mid-Atlantic area as defined in Article III A 1 above.

 

B)            Dues

 

Each member on every level of membership shall pay annual dues as set forth by the Board of Directors and approved by the membership of MAIT.

 

C)         Voting Rights and Privileges

 

Members shall be entitled to attend and vote at meetings of MAIT, to hold office, to be appointed as committee chairpersons and to serve as committee members.

 

Members-in-Training shall be entitled to attend and vote at meetings and to serve on committees.

 

Associate Members shall be entitled to attend meetings and to serve on committees.

 

Members-in-Training and Associate Members shall not hold elective office or serve as committee chairpersons.

 

 

D)        Termination of Membership

 

               A member may terminate membership at any time by written notification to the MAIT Secretary.

 

               A membership may be terminated by MAIT under one or more of these conditions:

 

a)       If a member’s dues fall six months in arrears;

b)    By a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors

 

 

E)        Reinstatement

 

Application for reinstatement shall be made to the Membership Committee.  Reinstatement of membership will be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE IV               BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

A)               Governance of MAIT

 

The Board of Directors shall govern and direct the affairs of MAIT subject to any restrictions imposed by civil law or by these By-Laws or by a majority vote of the membership at a duly convened meeting.

 

B)         Members and Qualifications

 

The Board of Directors shall consist of at least six  (6) members: the President, the immediate Past President, the Vice President/President Elect, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and two (2) members-at-large.  There shall be an additional member-at-large for every fifty (50) members over one hundred (100).

 

C)        Terms and Elections

 

Members of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the members of MAIT at the annual meeting upon recommendation from the Nominating Committee.  Members shall serve a two (2) year term and shall serve as a board members no more than two (2) consecutive terms (for a total of four (4) years), save for the President, who shall serve a two year term, the  Vice President/President Elect and Past President, who shall serve a one year term only.  Each member shall take office at the end of the annual meeting at which they are elected.

Partial terms to fill a vacancy shall not count toward the maximum term length specified above.

 

D)          Removal of Officers and Directors

 

Any officer may be removed by the MAIT membership whenever in its judgment the best interest of    MAIT would be served, but such removal shall be done only  by a of two-thirds majority vote of the members present a such meeting, with quorum present, with due notice of such meeting and issue having been given.    It is assumed that if any board member misses three consecutive Board Meetings, the person will tender her/his resignation and the vacancy will be filled by the Board.

 

E)               Vacancies              

 

A vacancy in any office, whether due to death, resignation, removal or disqualification, may be filled by the Board of Directors for the unexpired portion of the terms.

 

F)         Quorum

 

A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum in all matters that shall come before the Board of Directors.  A simple majority vote of the quorum present at meetings of the Board of Directors shall constitute grounds for action.

 

G)        Meetings

 

The Board of Directors shall meet quarterly and at such other times as called by the President.  Notice of such meetings shall be given to each board member at least ten (10) days in advance of such meetings.

 

H)            Ad Hoc Committees

 

The Board of Directors may, as needed, create ad hoc committees for the purpose of conducting specific business.

 

 

 

ARTICLE V          DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

 

A)        The officers

 

The officers of MAIT shall be comprised of the President, President Elect who shall service as Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

 

B)            Duties of the Officers

 

1)    President:  The President shall preside at all meetings of MAIT and the Board of Directors. S/he shall, with advice and consent of the Board of Directors, nominate to MAIT at its annual meeting chairpersons of all standing committees; act as the official spokesperson for MAIT; call special meetings and perform all duties and powers usually incident to an executive officer.  S/he shall prepare an agenda for each meeting to be mailed to each MAIT member at least fourteen (14) days prior to that meeting.  The President shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees.

 

               2)  President Elect/Vice President:  The President Elect/Vice President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President; shall assist the President in the responsibilities pertinent to that position; shall chair the By-Laws Committee; and shall serve as an ex-officio members of all committees.  The President Elect/Vice President shall assume the office of the President at the expiration of the term of office of the President.

     

              3)   Secretary:  The Secretary shall record all votes and maintain the minutes of all proceedings of  the

                       Board of Directors and all meetings of MAIT in a safe and permanent manner.  The  Secretary  shall give, at the direction of the President, such notices as required for all meetings of MAIT and the Board of Directors.  The Secretary shall also manage the correspondence and keep the official list of all members of MAIT.  The secretary shall be an ex-officio member of the Membership Committee.  The Secretary shall perform all other duties as assigned or conferred by the Board of Directors.

     

4)    Treasurer:  The Treasurer shall be the principal fiscal officer of MAIT.  Under supervision of the Board of Directors, the Treasurer shall safeguard the assets of MAIT and keep such financial records as are required by law or requested by the Board of Directors.  The Treasurer shall prepare a financial report for presentation to the board at their quarterly business meetings and a year-end report at the annual membership meeting.  S/he shall cause to be deposited in a bank or similar institution, consistent with any instructions from the Board of Directors, all funds of MAIT.  The Treasurer shall keep the Secretary informed of all pertinent information regarding all dues and other assessments paid or due MAIT by the membership.

 

C)        Duties of other Directors

         1)  Past President:  The Past President shall be chair of the Nominations Committee, consultant to the

             President and the official contact with Imago Relationship International.

         2)  Members-at-Large:  The Member-at-Large, as the member’s representative, shall invite input and

             relay concerns of the membership to the Board and support the work of the Board as requested.

 

 

ARTICLE VI    MEMERSHIP MEETINGS

 

A)            General Meetings

 

MAIT shall have at least one official business meeting annually.  The Board of Directors shall determine the time and place of such meeting.  Notice of such business meeting shall be sent by mail to each member not less than fourteen (14) days in advance of the meeting.  The fall meeting shall be designated as the annual meeting.

 

B)        Special Meetings

 

Special membership meetings may be called by the President at any time at his/her discretion or by the Secretary upon the receipt of a written request by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors. 

 

Written notice to each member of MAIT stating the time, place and purpose for which the meeting is called, shall be given by mail not less than fourteen (14) days before the date of the meeting.

 

C)         Quorum

               Fifteen (15) percent of the voting membership shall constitute a quorum.

 

ARTICLE VII          STANDING COMMITTEES

 

A)            Names and Purposes of Standing Committees

 

               The following shall be the Standing Committees:

 

1.)     The Budget and Finance Committee

 

The Budget and Finance Committee shall be chaired by the Treasurer and shall assist the   Treasurer in   making financial recommendations to the Board of Directors and the membership.  This committee shall prepare an annual budget for approval by the Board of   Directors and membership of MAIT.

 

2.)   The By-Laws Committee

 

The By-Laws Committee shall be chaired by the Vice-President/President Elect.  The Committee shall have the authority to initiate and recommend changes to the By-Laws to the Board of Directors of MAIT for presentation to the MAIT membership.  Any proposed changes to the By-Laws shall be reviewed by this committee.

 

 3.)   The Education Committee

 

The Education Committee shall organize and provide opportunities for professional growth, enrichment and self-care that will expand knowledge of IRT principles and practices.

 

 4.)  The Membership Committee

 

The Membership Committee shall develop and implement a standard procedure and appropriate materials for application of prospective members to MAIT; shall develop and dispense information about membership benefits, requirements and application procedures; shall maintain an accurate current record of MAIT membership, shall certify voting members for the annual meeting; and shall see to it that the MAIT secretary has a current and accurate copy of the MAIT membership records.

 

5.)   The Nominations Committee

       

The Nominations Committee shall prepare a slate of nominees to the Board of Directors for the Board of Directors’ approval at its June meeting.  The slate will then be sent to the general membership fourteen (14) days prior to its annual meeting.  No member of the Nominations Committee shall be nominated for the Board of Directors.