(In conjunction with the UKAHPP Memorandum of association and Articles of Association)

  1. GENERAL
    1. Should any by-law of the United Kingdom Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners (UKAHPP) be found to be in conflict with the Memorandum or Articles of Association of the United Kingdom Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners (UKAHPP), the requirements of the Memorandum or Articles of Association will prevail.
  2. AIMS
    1. The UKAHPP is an independent accrediting body, unaligned with any particular profession, which embraces many theoretical and practical approaches within the broad field of humanistic psychology. Its aims include:
      1. The mutual support of its members and the advancement of their learning and development;
      2. The critical support of current and future practices and developments in the application of humanistic psychology;
      3. The maintenance and application of accreditation criteria and procedures sufficient to ensure a consistent and professional standard of membership;
      4. The maintenance and application of ethical standards, codes of practice and other such codes and guidelines as may be deemed necessary to maintain standards of practice and for the benefit of the general public;
      5. The planning, implementation and management of such activities as may be desirable for the raising of funds, for research and development in the practice of humanistic psychology, and for maintaining the ongoing public awareness of humanistic theories and practices;
      6. The maintenance of a register of qualified practitioners and the publication of a membership directory and such other registers and databases as may be appropriate for purposes including acting as a referral source for individuals and organisations;
      7. The operation of a complaints procedure for the benefit of the members and the general public;
      8. The provision of information to and education for the public about the work of the UKAHPP;
      9. The representation of relevant members’ interests through membership of any appropriate organisation, nationally or internationally;
      10. Such other and further acts as may be in furtherance of the above.
  3. MEMBERSHIP
    1. In accordance with the association’s commitment to public protection, all Registered, Accredited and Affiliate Members of the UKAHPP agree to: abide by the published Code of Ethical Principles, Code of Practice, Ethical Review Procedure, Complaints Procedure and Disciplinary Procedure; to be in receipt of appropriate clinical supervision whilst in practice; to have adequate professional liability insurance; and adhere to the requirements relevant to the category and class of membership they hold.
    2. The Association’s Categories of Membership are:
      1. Associate Membership of the UKAHPP may be granted to professionals and members of the public who have an interest in Humanistic Psychology. This category of membership is not used for the endorsement of practice and as such Associate Members are not covered by the UKAHPP Complaints Procedure. Associate Members have full voting rights.
      2. Registered Member offers entry level membership to the UKAHPP Register of Humanistic Psychotherapists and Psychotherapeutic Counsellors. Applications are open to Psychotherapists and Psychotherapeutic Counsellors who can evidence that they meet the published registration criteria. Registered Members have full voting rights.
      3. Higher Accredited Membership of the UKAHPP is the association’s premier category of membership. Members in practice are encouraged to aspire to. It is granted to those who have successfully undergone the UKAHPP Accreditation procedure in one or more of the published disciplines. Higher Accredited members are subject to re-accreditation every five years. A member must hold UKAHPP registered status before they can apply for higher accreditation in the discipline Psychotherapist or Psychotherapeutic Counsellor. All accredited Psychotherapists and Psychotherapeutic Counsellors will be included on the register. Higher Accredited Members have full voting rights.
      4. Affiliate Membership of the UKAHPP may be granted to those who are full members of other recognised and appropriate accrediting organisations (which must, in the case of Psychotherapists, belong to the United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapy) whose accreditation is reviewed regularly and who wish to be identified with UKAHPP goals, policies and procedures. Affiliate Membership applications will be processed by the Accreditation Committee. Affiliate members have full voting rights.
    3. The Association’s Classes of Membership (sub-classes of the above categories) are:
      1. Senior Practitioner is a class of membership awarded at the discretion of the Accreditation Committee to Full Accredited and Affiliate Members who are winding down their practice and clinical hours as they move toward retirement. In order to maintain accreditation status, the published re-accreditation and registration criteria relevant to the member’s practice must be adhered to – there can be no exceptions. Senior Practitioners have full voting rights.
      2. Retired Member is a class of membership that may be awarded by the Accreditation Committee to Full Accredited, Affiliate and Ordinary Member (Registered) who are no longer in practice. Retired Members have full voting rights.
      3. Member Emeritus is a class of membership that may be awarded at the discretion of the Board of Directors as a merit award to Full Accredited Members of UKAHPP who have reached the age of 60 years, have been re-accredited at least twice, and who maintain an appropriate level of supervision whilst remaining in practice. Member Emeriti must adhere to the published criteria in order to maintain their accreditation and registration status. Member Emeriti have full voting rights.
      4. Honorary Life Membership is a merit award made to any member deemed by the Board to have made an outstanding contribution to fellow practitioners of humanistic psychology either through assisting in the operation of the UKAHPP or through the furtherance of humanistic psychology theory or practice. The Board may also give this merit award to any person who has held office as UKAHPP Chair of Directors for three consecutive years, the maximum a member may usually serve as Chair. A maximum of one member per year may be honoured in this way except under exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Board. Honorary Life Membership is bound by the same requirements as Full membership except that the UKAHPP pays the Honorary Life Member’s annual fee. Full voting rights are maintained.
      5. Co-opted Membership of the Association may be granted to any lay person whom the UKAHPP Board of Directors co-opts as a useful resource for the Association. Co-opted Members have voting rights at Board meetings. They do not have general voting rights.
    4. The Board may develop additional categories and classes of membership as the Board thinks necessary for proper conduct and the management of the Company.
    5. All membership; registration and accreditation applications will be processed by the relevant standing committee except for Co-opted Membership which only require Board approval.
    6. Under Article 4 the Board of Directors shall have the right for good and sufficient reason to terminate the membership of any member PROVIDED ALWAYS that the member concerned shall have a right to be heard before a final decision is made. Such matter will be progressed through the UKAHPP Disciplinary Procedure.
    7. Higher Accredited Membership is confirmed by the award of an Accreditation Certificate. This certificate remains the property of UKAHPP and must be returned upon a member’s resignation or expulsion, accompanied by a statement that the member is not at that time in the process of being complained against.
    8. Resignations must be made in writing to the General Secretary, must be accompanied by the returned accreditation certificate and are not valid until accepted by the Board of Directors. Resignations are not accepted from members whose practice is the subject of a complaint.
    9. UKAHPP Membership of other organisations:
      1. Any UKAHPP Member may request the UKAHPP Board of Directors to explore the possibility of organisational membership of other organisations. Any proposal to apply for such membership must be brought to a General Meeting and a decision to proceed must be approved by a two-thirds majority of votes cast;
      2. Once UKAHPP has committed itself to membership of other organisations it can only resign membership of those organisations as the result of a two-thirds vote of all Full Members; except that where not all the Full Members are eligible to join the other organisation the two-thirds vote will be restricted to all those Full Members who are also members of the other organization through the UKAHPP;
      3. Where membership of another organisation is restricted to a certain subset of UKAHPP Members, the costs of that membership are to be carried by the UKAHPP Members who are also members of that other organisation except at the special direction of the Board. Such direction might be given in the early years of membership of another organisation if, for example, it were felt that such membership offered strategic or other benefit to the UKAHPP as a whole.
  4. EXECUTIVE
    1. The UKAHPP shall be managed by the members of a Board of Directors elected at the Annual General Meeting. This Board may appoint from among its number the following officials.
      1. Chairperson, who shall oversee the work of the UKAHPP and ensure that it is carried out in accordance with its aims and objectives and also ensure that the business of the Board of Directors is carried on in an orderly and effective manner. The maximum continuous term a Board member may serve as Chairperson is limited to three consecutive years with a minimum period of one year between successive terms;
      2. A Deputy Chairperson, who shall act in the place of the chairperson should the chairperson be unavailable for any reason;
      3. General Secretary, who shall be responsible for correspondence and the day-to-day administrative matters pertaining to the Association, for calling meetings, the recording and maintenance of minutes and for UKAHPP external relations.
      4. Treasurer, who shall be responsible for the overseeing of UKAHPP’s accounts, the recording and acknowledgement of all income and for ensuring a statement of UKAHPP’s financial position is provided for each meeting.
      5. The Board may consist of as many lay Co-opted Members as deemed necessary for the Board to function efficiently. A minimum of one lay Co-opted Member shall sit on the Board at any given time.
    2. The UKAHPP Board may decide whether one person may hold more than one office.
    3. Board members shall be elected or re-elected annually at the Annual General Meeting in accordance with the Memorandum of Association. Good practice guidance suggests that in order to balance turnover with continuity and in the interest of fairness, consistency and effectiveness, Board members will not normally serve on the Board for more than ten consecutive years.
    4. The Board of Directors may at any time co-opt a member of the Association to become a Board Director or to provide a specific service. Any member so appointed shall retain his office until the next AGM at which he shall stand for election to the Board or shall cease to be co-opted.
    5. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of one-third of the elected members of the Board.
    6. The Board of Directors shall convene at least four times a year in a combination of Board meetings and teleconferences. The Board’s Executive Group will consist of Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and General Secretary, accompanied by the Administrator. The Executive Group is accountable to the Board of Directors and will meet as required. At least ten days notice of a meeting shall be given.
  5. STANDING COMMITTEES
    1. All standing/sub-committees will be accountable to the Board of Directors and governed by Terms of Reference issued by the Board; which will enable a ‘fire-wall’ to be maintained between the authority of the Board and the ‘day to day’ discharge of the committee’s function and responsibilities.
    2. Membership of the Standing Committees will consists of Higher Accredited and/or Affiliate Members (except for the Membership Committee, which only requires registered members) with at least two (2) years standing and must not be the subject of a current complaint or uncompleted sanction orders. These requirements may be waived by application to the Board which must minute its reasoning in full.
    3. All officers appointed to Standing/Sub-Committees are required to work in accordance with the association’s governance documents, commitment to public protection in addition to any legal and regulatory requirements and complete a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement and a Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement when they take up office.
    4. The association’s Standing Committees are:
      1. The Accreditation Committee is responsible for the development, maintenance and administration of accreditation criteria and the implementation of the accreditation and re-accreditation processes.
      2. The Ethics Committee is responsible for the maintenance of the association’s ethical codes and Complaints Procedure and in conjunction with the General Secretary ensures that the Complaints Procedure and related administration is implemented in accordance with the association’s commitment to public protection and published procedures.
      3. The Membership Committee is responsible for processing membership applications and liaising with other standing committees regards membership matters as necessary. The Membership Committee is also responsible for administering and processing Annual Renewal Forms.
      4. The Registrar’s Office is responsible for administering and maintaining UKAHPP registers including, admissions, renewals, suspensions and removals. The Registrar is also responsible for conducting a sample audit of registrant annual renewal returns.
    5. The Board of Directors may establish additional standing committees and sub-committees in respect of particular tasks and functions as the Board thinks necessary for proper conduct and management of the Company.
  6. SGENERAL MEETINGS
    1. A quorum for a General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting shall be 10 members or 1/10th of the membership whichever is the greater.
    2. General and Extraordinary General Meetings shall be open to all Full, Affiliate and Associate Members in good standing. Voting rights are as defined under “Article 3: Membership”.
    3. Resolutions may be introduced by the Board of Directors or for consideration by the Board, if duly seconded, by any Higher Accredited, Affiliate, Registered or Associate Member of UKAHPP. Resolutions must be received by the General Secretary forty-two (42) days prior to the meeting. Resolutions shall be passed by a majority vote except for any entailing an amendment to the Articles of Association and Byelaws. The Chairperson shall have a second, casting vote.
    4. Amendments to the Articles of Association and/or to the Byelaws require a two-thirds majority of all votes cast at a general meeting.
    5. Nominations for members of the Board of Directors must be made by members of the UKAHPP in writing, must be seconded, and must be in the hands of the General Secretary at least forty-two (42) days before the Annual General Meeting.
  7. FINANCE
    1. All monies raised by or on behalf of the UKAHPP shall be applied to further the objects of the UKAHPP and for no other purpose provided that nothing herein shall prevent the payment in good faith of reasonable and proper remuneration to any employee of the UKAHPP or the repayment of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.
    2. The Treasurer shall oversee that proper accounts are kept of the UKAHPP finances.
    3. A Bank Account or Accounts shall be kept in the name of the Association. The Board shall authorise in writing the Treasurer, Chairperson and two members of the Board to sign cheques on behalf of the UKAHPP.
  8. DISCLOSURE
    1. The UKAHPP will maintain a Conflict of Interest Policy with provision requiring all Board and Committee Members, and others persons appointed to discharge UKAHPP office, whether elected or otherwise, to complete a Declaration of Interests and a Confidentiality and Non-disclosure Declaration.
  9. DISSOLUTION
    1. The UKAHPP may be dissolved by the following procedure:
      1. The Board shall inform the membership of the reasons for the proposal to dissolve the Association;
      2. The Board will call an Extraordinary Meeting at which the matter shall be debated. A two- thirds majority of the votes cast is required to dissolve the Association.
      3. Disposal of any assets will be determined at the General Meeting. …………………………………….…………………………………………………………………….

      Agreed by Resolution of the Annual General Meeting 18 November 2000; amendments accepted by AGMs 26 November 2005; 10 November 2007; 28 February 2009; 27 March 2010; 2 April 2011; 14 April 2012; 29th March 2014; 16 April 2016; Board of Directors AGM 12 May 2018; AGM 11 May 2019 .