|
About Us |
Our Mission
The mission of Section IX is to bring psychoanalytic thought and methods to the world of social activism, and social activism to the world of psychoanalysis. We are a group of clinicians, scholars, activists, and students who use psychoanalytic ideas to inform the pursuit of individual and collective social responsibility. We are committed to the following:
Listening and witnessing We are committed to expressing solidarity, in ways that count, with people being oppressed. Whether out in the world or within Section IX and Division 39, we want to make room for people to be speak and be heard. We are committed to listening, and to responding in solidarity in ways that are meaningful to the people and groups with whom we stand.
Changing inequitable power structures. We are committed to a movement that centers the perspectives of those who are silenced and excluded, re-imagines traditional hierarchies in psychoanalysis, and works toward the equitable distribution of resources, power, and struggle.
Engaging tensions arising from differing perspectives. We know that this work will be emotionally and interpersonally challenging for all our members—for some because we are living with oppression every day, for others because privilege has allowed us to be fragile and to lack stamina for confrontations with oppression. We ask that all our members commit to engaging in critical conversations about our organization, our work, and our community.
Pursuing an anti-racism agenda. As a US-based organization, we recognize that we live and work on occupied land in North America. Foundational legacies of slavery and indigenous genocide implicate and haunt us, and we aim to help heal historical wounds and take a stand for reparations and decolonization. We strive to look inward, outward, and to each other in order to become a community of conscience, capable of ongoing analysis and resistance to multiple, intersecting forms of oppression.
Promoting a progressive mental health agenda.
We are advocates for the care of whole people and whole communities, and we recognize that the health of people and communities is adversely affected by oppression. We also recognize that clinicians have often been complicit in the oppression of people we were supposed to serve. As such, we commit ourselves to advancing mental health scholarship, policies, and practices that are socially responsible, and to actively challenging scholarship, policies, and practices that are not.
Our By-Laws
BYLAWS
SECTION IX: PSYCHOANALYSIS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
DIVISION OF PSYCHOANALYSIS (39) AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE I: NAME AND OBJECTIVES:
1. The name of this organization shall be: Section IX,
Psychoanalysis for Social Responsibility, of the Division of
Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association.
2. The objectives of Section IX, shall be to promote the
engagement of psychoanalysts, and psychoanalysis as a field, in important social issues. The section will sponsor events and activities in which a psychoanalytic perspective will be brought to bear on social issues which may be related to prevention of psychological disturbance, educational projects with a mental health focus, human rights, race relations, discrimination, poverty, and violence. The section will support projects that seek to promote the provision of psychoanalytically oriented clinical services to underserved groups of people, and to expand the cultural applicability of psychoanalytic treatment.
ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
1. Members, Fellows and Affiliates of Division 39 who are interested in psychoanalysis in relation to social issues are eligible to join Section IX as members with full rights to vote and hold office. The position of Section Representative to the Division Board must be in compliance with the Bylaws of Division 39, which state that APA eligible psychologists must be APA members to serve as section representatives. Division 39 members who are non-psychologists or non-APA eligible psychologists can be Section IX Representatives to the Division Board.
2. Membership dues will be set by the Executive Committee and
paid to the section by annual subscription. Additional dues or
assessments may be set by a vote of the Council and approved by a majority of the members present at a Section business meeting.
.
ARTICLE III: OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. The Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the section representative, and the Members-At-Large shall be elected by ballots sent to all voting members of the Section. Each member shall be entitled to vote for one candidate for each elective office and to vote on any other issues submitted by the Board to the membership for voting. Voting shall take place by mail. A simple majority of those voting shall be sufficient to elect officers of the section and for the acceptance or defeat of issues submitted to the voting membership, with the exception of By-law amendments.
2. The term of office of the President shall be two years, and
(s)he may not succeed her/himself in this office. The Vice
President shall have a term of two years and shall then succeed to the office of the President upon expiration of the President's term. The term of Past-President shall be two years, following his/her term as President. Any other officer may be elected for a second term after which (s)he shall not be eligible for the same office for one year. The terms of office of the Secretary, Treasurer, and Section representative shall be three years, and they may be elected for successive terms. The terms of office of the Secretary and Treasurer shall be staggered in that each of these terms shall begin and end in different years.
3. There shall be a Board of Directors consisting of duly elected officers, Board Members-at-Large (8) and Section Representative. Their terms of office shall be staggered so that 1/2 or 1/3 shall be elected each year. The officers shall have their powers and perform their duties customarily belonging to their respective offices, including the powers and duties listed below:
a) The President shall preside at all meetings of members and act as Chair of the Board and the Executive Council. (S)he shall exercise general supervision over the affairs of the
Section; shall appoint chairs of standing and ad hoc committees as herein or later provided for; shall be an ex officio member of all committees, in and shall perform such other duties as are incident to his/her office, or as may properly be required of her/him by actions of the members of the Board at duly constituted meetings. At the conclusion of his/her term of
office, the President shall serve for two years as Past-President.
b) In the absence or incapacity of the President, the Vice President shall have the powers and perform the duties of the President. In the absence of the Vice President, the
Secretary shall have these powers and duties; and in the absence of the Secretary, the Treasurer shall have these powers and duties; and in the absence of the Treasurer, the Past-President shall have these powers and duties.
c) The Secretary shall serve on the Executive Committee and also on
the Board of Directors. (S)he shall keep records of all meetings of members and of the Board, and shall make report thereon. (S)he shall conduct and have custody of the official correspondence of the Section and of the Board, shall call issues and notices of
meetings and shall perform other such duties as are incident to her/his office or as may be properly required of him/her by actions of the members of the Board at duly constituted
meetings.
d) The Treasurer shall serve on the Executive Committee and also on
the Board of Directors. (S)he or her/his duly designated
representative shall receive all monies due to the Section and
shall disperse such sums as are necessary to meet lawful
indebtedness incurred and authorized by vote of the members of
the Board. The Treasurer shall report on the financial status of
the Section at each Board Meeting and (S)he shall render to the membership at the annual meeting an accurate account of all sums received and dispersed during the preceding fiscal year, and of all sums and funds which are not expended. (S)he shall submit a profit/loss statement to the Division Treasurer, as well as any other documentation requested, according to the timetable mandated by the Division. (S)he shall perform such other duties as are incident to the office, or as may be properly required by the actions of the members of the Board at duly constituted meetings. e) The Vice President shall serve as a Member of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Council, and perform the duties of the President in the event of her/his absence or incapacity. (S)he shall then be designated President Pro-Tem. The Vice President shall assume the office of President upon the
expiration of the term of President.
f) The immediate Past President shall be a voting member of the
Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee for the one year tenure of that office.
S)he shall act as Chairperson of the Nominations and Elections Committee as stipulated in Article IV.
g) The Members-At-Large are voting members of the Board of
Directors. They are elected for three-year rotating terms, shall perform such other duties as are incident to those offices, or as may be properly required by the actions of the Members of the Board at a duly constituted meeting.
h) The section representative serves on the section Board of Directors. (S)he shall represent the section on the Division Board of Directors. Section representatives must be members or fellows of the American Psychological Association and of the
Division. If a section representative fails to attend two
consecutive Division Board meetings, the Section Board shall act
to replace its representative to the Board.
4. With the exception of the Vice President, President, and Past-President, the Secretary, Treasurer, Board Members-at-Large and Section Representative may serve for a full term, succeed themselves for a second and shall observe a one year hiatus before they run for or be elected to the just vacated office again.
ARTICLE IV: COMMITTEES
1. The committees of the Section shall consist of such standing committees as may be provided by these by-laws and such special
committees as may be established by the President. Standing
committees shall consist of three to six members who serve a term of three years and whose terms are staggered so that one third of the committee changes each year. The President will appoint the Chairperson and any new members of the committee in consultation with the appropriate chairperson. In accordance with Article 5, Section 7, structure of the committees shall be subject to review by the Association's Executive Committee.
2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Section President, Vice President, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and one Member-at-Large elected by the Members-at-Large of the Board of Directors. This committee shall have a general
supervision over the affairs of the Section, performing duties and delegating responsibility toward that end, in accordance with limitations specified in the Section by-laws.
3. The Finance Committee shall consist of one member-at-large and the Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the Finance Committee to present an annual budget to the section and to review the section financial status. The Finance Committee shall conduct the business of the Section so that the fiscal year shall begin January 1st of each year in order to coordinate finances with the Division.
4. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall consist of the Vice President of the Section acting as Chairperson and two other members to be appointed by the President. Nominations and Elections shall be carried out in conformity with the Divisional Nominations and Elections calendar. Terms of office shall start on January 1 of the following year. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall be responsible for the selection of
candidates by securing nominations by mail ballot from the membership of the Section. It shall also be their responsibility to ascertain the qualifications of nominees and their willingness to serve if elected. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall be responsible for counting the nomination ballots and reporting the results to the Central Office of the Division for inclusion in their records.
5. The Program Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President of the Section or an appointed Program Chair. It shall be the responsibility of the Program Committee to plan all professional programs of the Section, and to coordinate its programs with and participate in, the annual programs of the Division, including the annual meeting of the entire American Psychological Association. Continuing Education workshops and on-going study groups will also be planned by the Program Committee, if the membership should require them.
Additionally, the following committees may be formed if deemed necessary by the Board of the Section:
6. The Publications Committee shall develop and direct any and all publications of the Section.
7. The Public Policy Committee shall promote the application of psychoanalytic theory and practice to social issues and problems both to professionals and to the public.
8. The Research Committee shall promote the growth and dissemination of research data which is relevant to psychoanalytic work on social issues.
9. The Education and Training Committee shall study opportunities for training in the application of psychoanalytic theory and practice to social issues and function as an advising body to the membership regarding these issues.
.
ARTICLE V: ACTIVITIES
l. The Section shall hold its regularly scheduled annual business meetings during spring meetings of the Division, and during the August meeting of the American Psychological Association, and in the same locality. A program of scientific papers shall be prepared by the Program Committee and coordinated with the program of the Division for the spring meetings, and may be prepared for the August American Psychological Association
meetings. A business meeting will be held at both conferences to transact the Section's business, summarize the year's activities, and to discuss professional matters concerning the Section. A member of the section shall have the right to request to the Secretary that a new item of business be placed on the agenda. This request may be done prior to, or at the beginning of a Board meeting. This new item of business may be accepted by the
President unless there are objections from a Board member. If so, the President shall request a motion to accept the item. If the motion is passed, it shall be placed on the agenda under "New Business".
2. The Section shall hold any additional and/or special meetings at such times as the President, Executive Committee, or ten percent of the members in good standing of the Section request it.
3. The Section may issue a newsletter for purposes of
coordinating and disseminating news to its membership.
4 The Section, upon approval of the Division, may establish local chapters at the discretion of the Executive Council. Such local chapters shall be subject to all regulation as established
by the Section and by the Division.
ARTICLE VI: AMENDMENTS
1. Amendments to these by-laws may be proposed in one of the following ways:
a) By a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors
b) By a petition signed by 10% of the Members of the Section and submitted to the Secretary.
2. Proposed amendments to these by-laws, having been submitted to
the Division Board and approved, shall be submitted to the
membership by a ballot mailed first class within 120 days of either of the above actions.
a) Such a ballot shall contain an appropriate explanation of the
proposed amendment(s).
b) Such a ballot shall be mailed to the last recorded address of
each member of the Section.
c) The poll shall be declared closed 30 days after the date of the mailing of the ballots. The ballots shall be counted by the Nominations and Elections Committee who shall certify the results to the Secretary.
d) The amendment(s) shall be certified as adopted if approved by at least two-thirds of those voting.
e) The Secretary shall inform the members of the results of the balloting. By-law amendments which are approved by the Membership shall become effective thirty days after the date on
which the Nominations and Elections Committee certifies to the Secretary that the amendments have (has) been approved.
f) The Secretary shall inform the members of the results of the balloting by having effective by-laws and/or amendments published in the next issue of the Section newsletter.
ARTICLE VII: PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE
Keesey's Modern Parliamentary Procedure, when not in conflict with these by-laws, shall govern the proceedings of the organization.