Approved by Membership Vote November, 1980
Amended by Membership Vote March, 1981
Major Revisions Approved by Membership Vote August 21, 1999
Amended by Membership Vote August 25, 2001
Amended by Membership Vote April 19, 2004
Amended by Membership Vote April 30, 2009
Name changed from Association of Directors of Psychology Training Clinics to Association of Psychology Training Clinics by Membership Vote December 9, 2009; name change effective March 1, 2010
Amended by Membership Vote January 27, 2014
Amended by Membership Vote September 9, 2015
Amended by Membership Vote March 22, 2024
ARTICLE I: PURPOSE
Section 1: Mission . The Association of Psychology Training Clinics (APTC) is a professional organization for directors of doctoral-level psychology training clinics and interested associates and affiliates. The organization is affiliated with the American Psychological Association (APA). APTC has established a multipurpose mission and specifically seeks to:
(a) promote high standards of professional psychology training and practice in psychology training clinics;
(b) facilitate the exchange of information and resources among psychology training clinics that provide doctoral-level practicum training in professional psychology; and
(c) interface with related professional groups and organizations to further the goals of APTC, including influencing the establishment of standards and guidelines on service delivery and training of future psychologists.
Section 2: Specific Goals and Objectives . To accomplish the purposes stated in the mission statement, the APTC commits to specific goals and objectives as follows.
(a) Provide regular forums for exchange of information and resources relevant to pre-internship, doctoral-level practicum training, research, and service in professional psychology (e.g., annual APTC membership meeting, meetings at the APA Convention, Bulletin or other APTC publications, Internet based information, email, and other written communications).
(b) Promulgate administrative and practice recommendations for the professional operation of psychology training clinics.
(c) Represent the views of psychology training clinic directors regarding doctoral-level training, research, and service in professional psychology to relevant organizations, such as (not all inclusive) member organizations of the Council of Chairs of Training Councils (CCTC), the American Psychological Association (APA) Education Directorate, the APA Research Directorate, the APA Practice Directorate, the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS), and the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internships Centers (APPIC).
(d) Advocate for the financial and other resource support of psychology training clinics in their respective academic communities.
(e) Establish and maintain standing committees and time- and task-limited task force working groups to support APTC’s mission, goals, and objectives.
(f) Promote ethical and legal standards of professional psychology training, supervision, service delivery, applied research, and administration as mandated by federal and state laws, the most current version of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, and other publications of standards for professional psychologists.
(g) Recognize and support a full range of activities in psychology training clinics, including graduate level training, service delivery, research, and community outreach in the specialty areas of clinical, clinical child, community, counseling, health, and school psychology.
Section 1: Members. Full APTC membership (“Members”) is open to directors of psychology training clinics associated with doctoral-level graduate training programs in professional psychology (i.e., clinical, clinical child and adolescent, community, counseling, health, and school psychology) at regionally accredited universities in the United States or Canada. Members, typically in a university faculty position, are directors in clinics that focus on training Ph.D., Psy.D., or Ed.D. graduate students, who are supervised by doctoral-level clinic supervisors. In addition, a training program may select a faculty member to represent the program to APTC in the temporary absence of a training clinic director.
Membership as an Associate Member is open Associate or Assistant Clinic Directors or others at the discretion of the Executive Committee (EC).
Membership as an Emeritus Member is open to former APTC Members with a long-standing commitment to APTC, upon petition to the EC, which may vote to grant them this status.
Membership as an International Affiliate is open to directors of university-based, training-focused clinics affiliated with graduate programs in professional psychology at universities outside the United States and Canada, provided the program grants the highest degree in the field for that nation.
Section 2: Dues. Members, Associate Members, and International Affiliates are required to pay annual dues, as established, altered, and monitored by the EC, to remain in good standing.
Section 3: Member Privileges. Members, in good standing may vote on all matters brought to APTC Members and may serve, if elected or appointed, on the EC, standing committees, or task force working groups. Emeritus Members, Associate Members, and International Affiliates do not have voting privileges, but may serve on standing committees and task force working groups if authorized by the EC. An Associate Member may petition the EC to be granted voting privileges as a Full Member. The EC may grant voting privileges to that Member based on: (a) the Bylaws intent that each university training clinic represented in APTC is designated only one voting Member of APTC and (b) the unique administrative circumstances of the petitioner’s university training clinic.
Section 1: Executive Committee. The APTC is governed by an Executive Committee (EC) of officers composed of an Immediate Past President, President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and three Members-at-Large, one of which is an Early Career Psychologist (within 10 years of earning the doctoral degree). All EC officers have full voting privileges on all matters under the authority of the EC. A two-thirds quorum of all EC officers is required for an EC vote to occur and be valid.
Full APTC Members in good standing may be nominated and elected to serve as President, Secretary, or one of three Members-at-Large for a 2-year term or Treasurer for a 4-year term. A single term is defined as beginning at the annual membership meeting held in conjunction with the annual APTC membership meeting in a given year and ends at the same membership meeting two years later or four years later for Treasurer. The EC may propose a former President for this role at any given time, to be confirmed by vote of the EC. Person(s) in the President Emeritus position(s) may serve in that position until they withdraw or the EC votes by simple majority that the term for that position has ended. The EC may vote by simple majority to not fill a vacated President Emeritus position on the EC.
Section 2: Nomination and Election Procedures. The EC is responsible for maintaining a nomination procedure that is disseminated to APTC membership by the Fall prior to the next scheduled annual APTC membership meeting . Nominated individuals must be notified of their nomination and agree to attend annual APTC membership meetings during their proposed term of office (i.e., two years for Secretary and Members-at-Large, four years for Treasurer, six years for President, inclusive of terms as President-Elect and Immediate Past President).
The EC is responsible for maintaining an election procedure that is disseminated to APTC Members. A simple majority of all votes cast prior to the next scheduled annual APTC membership meeting will determine the election to each of the EC positions receiving nominations. Elected individuals will assume their responsibilities at the next scheduled membership meeting held at the annual APTC membership meeting, typically held in March or April each year. If an annual APTC membership meeting cannot occur, the EC has the authority to develop, announce, and monitor alternate nomination and election procedures.
If an Immediate Past President resigns, is incapacitated, or is otherwise unable to serve, the remaining EC officers will, by simple majority vote, elect a successor from the EC or another APTC leadership position to serve the remainder of the departing EC officer’s term.
If a President-Elect, President, Secretary, Treasurer, or Member-at-Large officer resigns or is incapacitated, or is otherwise unable to serve, the remaining EC officers will, by simple majority vote, elect a successor from the APTC membership to serve until the next Bylaws-determined nomination period, when nomination and election procedures provide an avenue to fill the position. The EC may also decide to call for a special election nomination and voting schedule when the next Bylaws-determined process is deemed far enough in the future to impede the functions of the EC. The winner of this election will serve a term until the next regular election cycle for that position.
Section 3: Executive Committee Responsibilities. The EC is jointly responsible for overseeing all APTC activities and obligations. Updates and elaborations of the duties and responsibilities of EC officers (and persons in other leadership positions) may be found at https://aptc.org/.
The EC, through consensus, reviews and distributes specific responsibilities for all leadership positions no later than the annual membership meeting each year.
The EC has the authority to establish standing committees and task force working groups and to appoint chairpersons to these committees and groups. The need for each standing committee and task force working group is reviewed, and continued to be voted on, by the EC no later than the annual membership meeting. Standing committees may include, but are not limited to, Awards and Recognition, Bylaws and Documents, Collaboration and Liaison, Council of Past Presidents, Diversity, Membership and Resources, New Director Support, Programs and Conferences, Publications and Public Relations, Research, and Supervision. The EC has the authority to hire and authorize payment to specialists for the benefit of APTC, for example (not inclusive), conference planners and managers, accountants, and IT web-based system experts.
The President presides over EC meetings, the annual membership meeting and the annual APTC membership meeting, or authorizes a representative to do so, and appoints, in collaboration with EC officers, chair positions on standing committees and task force working groups.
The Treasurer is responsible for filing an annual United States Internal Revenue Service tax return, and providing appropriate information to regulatory, banking and credit card processing entities. The President and Treasurer are jointly responsible for authorizing APTC expenditures and recording and reporting income and expenses. The Treasurer provides a report of APTC finances at the membership meeting during the annual APTC membership meeting or within two weeks of receiving a request from another EC officer at other times of the year. The Treasurer, in collaboration with the Secretary, is responsible for maintaining a system for management of dues collected and owed by APTC membership. The Treasurer also assumes the title of Acting Secretary for banking purposes.
The Secretary is responsible for formal correspondence with APA and other organizations, as directed by the EC, for documenting the proceedings of EC and annual membership meetings and providing a report of these proceedings to membership, and for updating and maintaining the APTC website (in collaboration with IT web-based system experts). The Secretary is also responsible for maintaining a system for managing records of membership status in the organization and collaborates with the Treasurer as needed to maintain these records.
Each Member-at-Large (three positions), the Immediate Past President, and the President-Elect chairs a standing committee or task force working group and provides leadership for activities associated with that committee or working group. The President collaborates with and appoints each of these EC officers to chair a committee or working group or each can request specific leadership responsibilities for their respective terms.
Policies and procedures established by the EC are presented to APTC Members attending the annual membership meeting and via written and electronic communications, with opportunities given for discussion and debate. The EC is obligated to present to APTC Members major policy and procedure changes and substantive increases in dues at regularly scheduled meetings and in electronic or written communications at other times of the year. A timeline and procedure for voting on major policy and procedure changes and substantive increases in dues is given to APTC Members at the time the information is presented to them. A simple majority of EC officers casting votes settles the specific issue under consideration.
Section 1: Amendments. EC officers may propose amendments or alterations to APTC Bylaws. APTC Members also may propose Bylaws amendments or alterations for consideration by the EC. Proposed Bylaws changes are approved, by a simple majority vote of the EC, to be voted on by APTC Members. Approved Bylaw change proposals are presented to APTC Members, with voting procedures being made explicit at the time of presentation. APTC Members’ opinions and feedback will be solicited via written or electronic communications prior to the date of a vote. A simple majority of APTC Members casting votes is required to ratify and formally amend the Bylaws.
Section 2: Review. The EC reviews APTC Bylaws at a minimum of every five years. Amendments or alterations to Bylaws deemed necessary must comply with the process described in Section 1 of this article (IV).