Bylaws of the Family Therapy Section Bylaws
of the National Council on Family Relations
Approved February 1996

Article I - Name
The name of this organization shall be the Family Therapy Section of the National Council on Family Relations.

Article II - Government
The constitution of the National Council on Family Relations shall govern the Family Therapy Section in all of its practices. The bylaws of this section shall not conflict with the constitution of the National Council on Family Relations. Every amendment to the Constitution of the National Council on Family Relations (hereinafter referred to NCFR) shall become effective and binding on this Section.

Article III - Purpose
The primary purposes of this Section are to:

1. Unite members of NCFR who share common interests, goals and purposes in marital and family therapy.

2. Improve the practice of marital and family therapy through the promotion of: a) open dialogue between clinicians and researchers relative to marital and family therapy theories, research, practice and training; b) the integration of theory, research and practice; and c) effective, efficient and ethical practice methods.

3. Encourage the further development of theory, research, practice and training in the field of marriage and family therapy.

4. Provide a forum, through the planning and sponsoring of relevant sessions during the Annual Conference of NCFR, for: a) presentations that integrate theory, research and practice; b) critical examination of new assessment methods and therapy techniques; and c) collaborative activities with family scientists in other NCFR sections.

5. Promote an interchange, at both a state and national level, between marriage and family therapists associated with NCFR and other related organizations which sponsor and promote activities for marriage and family therapists.

Article IV - Officers

Section 1 - Officers: The officers of the Family Therapy Section shall be the following 1) Chair - serving a two-year term; 2) Chair-elect - serving a concurrent two-year term as chair-elect to be followed by a concurrent two-year term as chair; 3) Secretary-treasurer - serving a concurrent two-year term; 4) Liaison - serving a concurrent two-year term; 5) Member-at-Large - serving a concurrent two-year term; and 6) Student/New Professional - serving a concurrent two-year term.

Section 2 - Duties of Officers

1. Chairperson - The chairperson shall serve on the NCFR Board of Directors and shall be the official representative of the Section in the activities of NCFR. The chairperson shall: a) appoint the student/new professional representative to the Membership Committee and an Advisory Committee if desired; b) convene and preside at all meetings of the Family Therapy Section, the Executive Committee, and the Advisory Committee, and shall call special meetings when necessary. The Chairperson shall be an ex-officio member of all Section committees, except for the Nominating Committee. The Chairperson shall be responsible for the preparation of the Section program for the Annual meeting. When there are sufficient funds in the section account the chairperson may be reimbursed up to $500 for both the spring and fall board meetings.

2. Chair-elect - The Chair-elect shall preside at meetings and act on behalf of the Chairperson in the event of the absence, incapacitation, resignation, death, or removal from office, of the Chairperson. The Chair-elect shall perform all such duties as requested by the Chairperson that are within the Chairperson's realm of authority to delegate. The Chair-elect shall be responsible for the section newsletter and insure that the section is represented in the NCFR Report.

3. Secretary/Treasurer - The Secretary-treasurer shall be responsible for keeping minutes of meetings and coordinating all communications, including newsletters, correspondence, and publicity of the Family Therapy Section. The Secretary-treasurer shall keep the Chair and Chair-elect informed of any and all changes in this list. Andy changes in membership status (i.e., deaths, termination of membership, or changes from student to full member status, etc.) should be reported by the National Office to the Secretary-treasurer and the Section Chair. The secretary-treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all Family Therapy Section assets, liabilities, and financial transactions and shall submit an annual budget of the section to the NCFR office by February 1 or each year. The Secretary-treasurer shall also be responsible for assuring that an accurate history of section is maintained.

4. Liaison - The liaison would provide the requisite connection between the Family Therapy Section of the National Council on Family Relations and sister organizations (e.g., AFTA, AAMFT, NASW, etc.). The liaison would functionally operate at two levels, namely that of providing: a) information regarding the various organizational happenings (e.g., upcoming conferences, etc.); and b) a mechanism by which the organizations can coalesce on issues of mutual concern or join projects.

5. Member-at-Large - The Member-at-Large shall be responsible for attending all meetings of the Executive Committee, and for performing all duties as requested by the Chairperson that are within the Chairperson's realm of authority to delegate.

6. Student/New Professional - The Student/New Professional shall be responsible for attending all meetings of the Executive Committee, representing the concerns of students and new professionals both within the section, as well as at large. The Student/New Professional shall perform all duties as requested by the Chairperson what are within the Chairperson's realm of authority to delegate.

Section 3 - Election of Officers

1. Nominations - Nominations Committee. A slate of at least 5 candidates will be nominated from the floor at the Annual Section Business Meeting in the Fall of the even-numbered years. From the slate of 5 candidates, a nominations committee consisting of three persons shall be elected by national ballot mailed to all Section members in the odd-numbered years, with at least two nominees for each office of Chair-elect, Secretary/Treasurer, Liaison, and Member-at-Large. Nominations may be added from the floor of the meeting. Nominees must give their consent, be active NCFR members, and be willing to serve before their names may be placed on the ballot.

2. Elections- Voting for Section officers shall be by ballot mailed to the entire Section by the National Office in the even-numbered years, and a majority of votes cast shall be necessary for election. All members of the Family Therapy Section (i.e., individual, student, emeritus, part-time, and organization) who have paid annual dues shall be eligible to cast one vote. Run-off Election - in the event of a tie vote, a run-off election will be held.

Section 4 - Terms of Office: The term of office of Chairperson, Chair-elect, Secretary-treasurer, Liaison, Member-at-Large, and Student-new professional shall be two years. The Chair-elect will, after serving two years in that position, assume the position of Chair for the subsequent two years. Officers shall assume office at the close of the Annual Section Business Meeting of even-numbered years. No person shall serve two consecutive terms in the same office.

Section 5 - Vacancies: In the event of a vacancy in the Chair due to absence, incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office, the Chair-elect shall assume the duties of the Chair. In the event of a vacancy in the Chair-elect, Liaison, Secretary-treasurer, Member-a-large, or Student-new professional, the Executive Committee shall appoint a member to fill the office for the unexpired term.

Section 6 - Removal from Office: Any officer who fails to perform her/his duties adequately may be relieved from her/his office by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. In the event of a vacancy in the chair position due to removal from office, the Chair-elect shall assume the duties of the Chair.

Article V - Membership and Dues

Section 1 - Eligibility: Any person or organization holding membership in NCFR shall be entitled to and shall receive admission to membership in the Family Therapy Section of the certification of current paid membership in NCFR and upon payment of Family Therapy Section dues.

Section 2 - Categories: There shall be two categories of membership - individual and organizational. Individual membership shall include the following: a) benefactor, b) colleague, c) associate, d) supporting, and e) student. Student members shall be registered full-tim in an institution of higher learning. A current fee statement verifying student status is required for student membership.

Section 3 - Dues: Dues for each category of membership shall be established by the NCFR Board.

Section 4 - Dues payments of all members are payable concurrently with NCFR dues and are paid to NCFR.

Article VI - Finances

Section 1 - Finances: The monies of the Family Therapy Section shall be administered by the Section's Executive Committee or the Section Chairperson. Neither NCFR or the Family Therapy Section shall be responsible for debts, except as authorized in writing by the Executive Committee of the Section.

Section 2 - Financial Report: An annual financial report shall be presented to all members of the section during the Business Meeting at the Annual Conference. Following the conference a report shall be submitted to NCFR by February 1.

Article VII - Family Therapy Section Meetings

Section 1 - Annual Business Meeting: The Family Therapy Section shall hold its Annual Meeting during the Annual Conference of NCFR.

Section 2 - Executive Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee of the Family Therapy Section shall meet during the NCFR Annual Conference and at other times during the year as the Chairperson deems necessary.

Article VIII - Committees

Section 1 - Executive Committee: The Executive Committee of the Family Therapy Section shall have the responsibility for implementing policies sand programs established by the membership of the Family Therapy Section. The Executive Committee shall act during the Annual Conference of NCFR. The Executive Committee shall consist of the following: Chairperson, immediate past Chairperson, Chair-elect, Secretary-Treasurer, Liaison, Member-at-Large, and the student/new professional. All terms of membership on the Executive Committee shall be for two years.

Section 2 - Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee of the Family Therapy Section shall have the responsibility for the preparation of a slate of nominees for Section officers to be presented to the Section members during the Business Meeting at the Annual NCFR conference. The Nominations Committee shall consist of three members elected from a slate of no less than five by national ballot mailed to all Section members in the odd-numbered years. The three persons receiving the most votes shall constitute the committee, with the person receiving the most votes to serve as Chair of the Committee.

Section 3 - Other Committees: There shall be such other committees as deemed advisable by the Executive Committee to fulfill the various functions of the Section. These special committees shall be appointed by the Chair in consultation with the Executive Committee. The student/new professional appointed to the Executive committee shall serve a s full member of any such committee.

Article IX - Termination of Membership
Termination of membership is administered by the NCFR Board of Directors.

Article X - Rules of Order
The rules contained in Keasey's Rules of Order, from the APA shall govern the Family Therapy Section in all parliamentary procedures in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these aforementioned bylaws.

Article XI - Amendments

Section 1 - Proposal: Any member of the Section may approach the Chair of the Section regarding suggested amendments to the bylaws. The Chair of the Section will propose the suggested amendment(s) to the Executive Committee and present them to the Section membership for a majority vote at the Annual Business Meeting.

Section 2 - Vote: Should a majority of those members at the Annual Business Meeting indicate, through their vote, that the props oed amendment(s) is/are necessary to the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the Section, relative to its ability to address the goals of the Section and meet the needs of its members, the amendment(s) to the Bylaws of the Family Therapy Section shall be distributed, by mail, to the Family Therapy Section membership. The proposed amendment(s) shall become effective if accepted by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Family Therapy Section voting by mail.