Association of Psychology Training Clinics
BYLAWS
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
Draft of Proposed Amendment Regarding Membership Criteria August 24, 2015
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 mid-year meeting, meetings at APA Convention, newsletter, Internet based
information, email, and 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 the
Council of Chairs of Training Councils, the APA Education Directorate, the APA Practice
Directorate, and the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internships Centers
(APPIC).
(d) Advocate for the financial and 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.
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(f) Promote ethical and legal standards of professional psychology training, supervision, service
delivery, applied research, and administration as mandated by federal and state laws, Ethical
Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002), 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.
ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
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. 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 to former APTC Members,
current Training Directors of clinical, clinical child, community, counseling, health, or school
psychology doctoral-level training programs, Associate or Assistant Clinic Directors, or others at
the discretion of the Executive Committee. Membership as an Emeritus Member is open to
former APTC Members with a long-standing commitment to APTC, who petition (and receive
from) the Executive Committee for Emeritus membership. Directors of university-based,
training-focused clinics affiliated with graduate programs in professional psychology at
universities outside the U.S. and Canada may join as International Affiliates, provided the
program grants the highest degree in the field for that nation.
Section 2: Dues. Members, Associate Members, Emeritus Member, and International Affiliates
are required to pay annual dues as established and monitored by the APTC Executive Committee
to remain in good standing.
Section 3: Member Privileges. Members in good standing may vote on all matters brought to
the APTC membership and may serve, if elected or appointed, on the Executive Committee,
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 Executive Committee.
ARTICLE III: GOVERNANCE
Section 1: Executive Committee. The APTC is governed by an Executive Committee
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). Members in good standing may be nominated and elected to serve
as President, Secretary, or Member-at-Large for a 2-year term or Treasurer for a 4-year term. A
single term is defined as beginning at the membership business meeting held in conjunction with
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the annual APTC mid-year meeting in a given year and ends at the same business meeting two
years later or four years later for Treasurer.
Section 2: Nomination and Election Procedures. The Executive Committee is responsible for
maintaining a nomination procedure that is disseminated to membership by 90 days prior to the
APTC mid-year meeting of a given year. Nominated individuals must be notified of their
nomination and agree to attend annual mid-year meetings during their proposed term of office
(i.e., two years for Secretary, and Member-at-Large, four years for Treasurer, six years for
President, inclusive of terms as President-Elect and Immediate Past President). The Executive
Committee is responsible for maintaining an election procedure that is disseminated to
membership. A simple majority of all votes cast 60 days prior to the APTC mid-year meeting of
a given year will determine election to each of the Executive Committee positions receiving
nominations. Elected individuals will assume their responsibilities at the membership business
meeting held at the annual APTC mid-year meeting, typically held in late winter to spring each
year.
If an Immediate Past President resigns or is incapacitated, the other Executive Committee
officers will, by simple majority vote, elect a successor from the Executive Committee to serve
the remainder of the departing officer’s term. If a President-Elect, President, Secretary,
Treasurer, or Member-at-Large officer resigns or is incapacitated, the other Executive
Committee officers will, by simple majority vote, elect a successor from the membership to serve
until the next annual nomination period, when nomination and election procedures provide an
avenue to fill the position.
Section 3: Executive Committee Responsibilities . The Executive Committee is jointly
responsible for overseeing all APTC activities and obligations. The Executive Committee,
through consensus, distributes specific responsibilities among its officers on a year-to-year basis.
The Executive Committee has the authority to establish standing committees and task force
working groups and to appointment chairpersons to these entities. The need for each standing
committee and task force working group is reviewed, and continuance voted on, by the
Executive Committee during the mid-year meeting. Standing committees may include, but not
be 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 President presides over Executive Committee meetings, the annual business meeting, and
the mid-year meeting or authorizes a representative to do so and appoints chair positions on
standing committees and task force working groups.
The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining a system for management of dues collected and
owed by Members, Associate Members, and International Affiliates, filing an annual IRS tax
return, and providing appropriate information to banking and credit card processing entities. The
President and Treasurer are jointly responsible for authorizing APTC expenditures and recording
income and expenses. The Treasurer provides a report of APTC finances at the annual business
meeting during the mid-year meeting or within two weeks of receiving a request from another
Executive Committee officer at other times of the year.
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The Secretary is responsible for formal correspondence with APA and other organizations, as
directed by the Executive Committee, for documenting the proceedings of Executive Committee
and general membership meetings and providing a report of these proceedings to membership.
The Secretary, in collaboration with the Treasurer, is also responsible for maintaining a system
for managing records of membership status in the organization.
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 appoints each of these Executive
Committee Members to chair a committee or working group or each can request specific
leadership responsibilities for their respective terms.
Policies and procedures established by the Executive Committee are presented to members
attending the annual business meeting and via written and electronic communications, with
opportunities given for discussion and debate. The Executive Committee is obligated to present
to the APTC membership 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 members at the time information is presented to them.
A simple majority of Members casting votes settles the specific issue under consideration.
ARTICLE IV: BYLAW AMENDMENTS, ALTERATIONS, AND REVIEW
Section 1: Amendments. Executive Committee officers may propose amendments or
alterations to APTC Bylaws. Members also may propose Bylaws amendments or alterations for
consideration by the Executive Committee. Proposed Bylaws changes are approved, by a simple
majority vote of the Executive Committee, to be voted on by Members. Approved Bylaw change
proposals are presented to members, with voting procedures being made explicit at the time of
presentation. Membership opinions and feedback will be solicited via written or electronic
communications prior to the date of a vote. A simple majority of Members casting votes is
required to ratify and formally amend the Bylaws.
Section 2: Review. The Executive Committee 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).