Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Michigan Psychoanalytic Council (MPC, or the Council).

Section 2. The objectives of the Council shall be:

Article II - Membership

Section 1. Members shall be individuals who are certified in psychoanalysis or psychoanalytic psychotherapy, who wish to train and be certified in psychoanalysis or psychoanalytic psychotherapy, or who have a background and interest in psychoanalysis.

Section 2. Student members shall be undergraduate students, graduate students, or psychiatric residents.

Section 3. All members shall have the right to vote.

Article III - Officers and Board of Directors

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of eight officers and six members-at-large. It is the Council's highest authority.

Section 2. The officers of the Council shall consist of a President, President-Elect, Past President, Vice President for Certification, Vice President for Education and Training, Vice President for Programs, Secretary, and Treasurer. The President, President-Elect, Past President, and each of the Vice-Presidents will hold two-year terms of office; the Secretary and Treasurer will hold three-year terms of office. The President shall assume office after two years as President-Elect, and shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Council; the President-Elect shall serve in place of the President in the event of the President's unavailability.

Section 3. There shall be six members-at-large who are elected for three-year terms. Their terms shall be staggered to provide continuity to the Board of Directors. The Board may replace, by simple majority, any member who resigns from the Board, or who misses two consecutive Board meetings without reasonable cause.

Section 4. An individual may hold only one seat on the Board of Directors.

Article IV - Committees

Section 1. The committees of the Council 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, Executive Committee, or the Board of Directors. The President shall appoint committee chairpersons, unless otherwise specified in these By-Laws. The President shall serve ex-officio on all committees.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall be comprised of the President, President-Elect, Past President, Vice President for Certification, Vice President for Education and Training, Vice President for Programs, Secretary and Treasurer. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision over the affairs of the Council, performing duties and delegating responsibilities toward that end, in accordance with limitations specified in the Council By-Laws. Decisions of the Executive Committee cannot modify any action taken by the Board of Directors.

Section 3. The Training and Certification Committee shall consist of the Vice President for Education and Training as chair, and six members appointed by the Board for staggered three year terms. The Vice President for Certification shall be a standing member of the Committee.

The Training and Certification Committee shall make recommendations for the Council's training programs in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy; shall develop and administer the Council's training program; shall evaluate and admit applicants to the training programs; shall monitor the progress of candidates; and shall graduate candidates upon completion of the programs. Admission to and graduation from MPC programs shall be based on recommendations of the Training and Certification Committee and approval of the Board of Directors.

The Vice President for Certification, in consultation with the committee, shall make recommendations regarding standards for qualification in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy; shall devise appropriate application forms and procedures for evaluating applicants; shall evaluate the credentials of applicants; and shall make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the disposition of these applications.



All MPC candidates who apply for certification, and who meet the Council's standards for certification in psychoanalysis or psychoanalytic psychotherapy, shall be awarded a certificate of completion in psychoanalysis or psychoanalytic psychotherapy. The Council shall deem them a psychoanalyst or psychoanalytic psychotherapist.

The Vice President for Certification may also accept applications for certification in psychoanalysis from MPC members who have not graduated from its training program. The Training and Certification Committee shall then evaluate each application in terms of the strength of the applicant and the priorities and policies of the Council, and will make recommendations for disposition to the Board of Directors.

All Council psychoanalysts shall be training, teaching, and supervising analysts.

Section 4. The Program Committee shall consist of the Vice President for Programs and three members appointed by the Board, and shall be responsible for regular and special programs, and for advertising these programs to the community. The Publicity Chairperson shall be a standing member of the Committee.

Section 5. The Finance Committee shall consist of the Treasurer, as Chair, and at least two other members. The Finance Committee shall present an annual budget to the Board of Directors, and shall regularly monitor and review the Council's financial situation.

Section 6. There shall be a Membership Chairperson who shall review all applications of those wishing to join the Council, and make recommendations or dispositions to the Board of Directors.

Section 7. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall be appointed by the President and shall consist of a Chair and two members. Members of the committee who are nominated for office shall not participate when the slate for that position is developed.

Section 8. There shall be a Gender Issues Committee consisting of a Chair and two members.

Section 9. The Council defines itself as an interdisciplinary society for the accreditation and training in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and to this end will strive for broad disciplinary, gender, geographic, and affirmative action for minorities.

Article V - Meetings

The Council shall meet at least two times a year. The Secretary shall record minutes of the meetings. Meetings shall be conducted in accord with parliamentary procedure.

Article VI - Assessments

Dues, assessments, and fees shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

Article VII - Elections

The Nominations and Elections Committee shall conduct elections by issuing a call for nominations, by mail, by the Fall of the prior year, with the membership given 30 days to reply; and shall mail election ballots in January of the year, with the membership given 30 days to reply. The President Elect shall alternate between males and females, and Members-at-Large shall be comprised of three males and three females. Terms of office shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30.

Article VIII - Revocation of Membership

Section 1. Unless waived by the Executive Committee or the Board of Directors, membership shall be automatically revoked for failure to pay dues, assessments, and/or fees within 60 days of the due date.

Section 2. The Council shall generally revoke the membership of members whose professional licenses have been suspended or revoked by their State, who are found guilty of a felony, or who are found to be unethical by their national or state disciplinary associations, or who have given false information in completing Council forms. Members of the Council shall be bound by the ethics of their national disciplinary organizations, such as the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association of Social Workers.

Article IX - Amendments

Section 1. These By-Laws may be amended by majority vote of the membership who reply, by mail ballot, within 30 days after the date of mailing. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall count the votes and certify the results.

Section 2. Amendments proposed by the Board of Directors or 10% of the membership shall be processed for mail ballot within 60 days. Amendments proposed by less than 10% of the membership shall be handled at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

Section 3. These By-Laws shall be reviewed every three years.

Article X - Self-Study

The Council shall conduct a thorough self-study at least every three years, beginning in 1992.

Article XI - Dissolution of the Council

In the event of the dissolution of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Council, the net assets will be equally distributed between the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, Division 39 (Division of Psychoanalysis) of the American Psychological Association, and the National Association of Social Workers.