BYLAWS

THE SOCIETY OF CONSULTING PSYCHOLOGY
DIVISION 13 OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

(Revisions, January 2021)
(Approved, June 26, 2021)

ARTICLE I – NAME AND PURPOSE
1. The name of this organization shall be the Society of Consulting Psychology Division 13 (hereinafter referred to
as the “Society”), whereas the Society is also Division 13 of the American Psychological Association.
2. The purpose of this Society shall be:
a. Encouraging high standards of psychological consultation;
b. Stimulating the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and consulting experience;
c. Promoting scientific research on psychological problems, especially in the area of consulting psychology;
d. Supporting the advancement of consulting psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of
promoting human well-being;
e. Fostering supportive and cooperative relations with the American Psychological Association (APA) and with
allied associations;
f. Facilitating professional fellowship among psychologists.
g. Encouraging its members to uphold the provisions of the American Psychological Association’s Ethical
Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, which have been adopted as the ethical code of the Society.

Article II – CATEGORIES OF MEMBERSHIP AND AFFILIATION
1. The Society shall consist of four classes of membership: Fellow, Member, Associate Member and Affiliate.
2. Application Procedures
a. The Fellowship and Membership committees will use procedures and forms as approved by the Executive
Board.
b. Each applicant for membership in the Society must complete the application forms approved by the

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Society’s Executive Board. Whatever inquiries are deemed appropriate to determine an applicant’s suitability
for membership shall be made by the Society’s Membership Committee.
c. Applications for membership shall be acted upon by the Executive Board.

3. Fellows – Criteria
Fellows of the Society shall have met the standards set forth for Fellow status in the APA Bylaws. The minimum
standards for the Fellow status shall be:
a. a doctoral degree based in part upon a psychological dissertation conferred by a graduate school of
recognized standing;
b. prior status as a Member of this Society for at least one year, except in those instances wherein the Executive
Board chooses to recommend the direct election to Fellow status of an outstanding individual who is already a
Fellow of APA;
c. active engagement at the time of nomination in the practice of consulting psychology;
d. five years of acceptable professional experience in consulting psychology subsequent to the granting of the
doctoral degree; and
e. evidence of unusual and outstanding contribution or performance in the field of consulting psychology.
4. Members – Criteria
The minimum standards for Member status in this Society shall be:
a. A doctoral degree in psychology, and
b. full membership in good standing in the American Psychological Association (APA) or the American
Psychological Society (APS) or the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) or the Society of
Psychologists In Management (SPIM) or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), and
c. A major professional interest in psychological consultation

5. Associates – Criteria
The minimum standards for Associate Member status shall be: a major interest in psychological consultation with a
Master’s degree in Psychology or a Doctorate degree in a closely related field.

6. Affiliates – Criteria
In addition to the regular membership classes there shall be a class of Affiliates. Affiliate members may consist of:

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a. Student Affiliates who are accepted in Student Affiliate status within APA and who have an interest in the
affairs of the Society.
b. Professional Affiliates who are not members of APA or APS or SIOP or SPIM or CPA but who are engaged
in professional activities closely related to those of interest to the Society.
c. Foreign Affiliates who are recognized as Foreign Affiliates by APA and whose interests and activities are
related to those of the Society.
Persons recognized as Affiliates of the Society but who are not members of APA or APS or SIOP, or SPIM, or CPA
may not represent themselves as members of APA or APS or SIOP, or SPIM, or CPA respectively, or as having any
status other than Affiliate.
Affiliates shall have such rights and privileges as may be granted by the Executive Board of the Society, including
subscriptions to the Society’s publications. Affiliates shall not have the privilege of holding office in the Society or
of voting in Society matters. Affiliates may be charged dues as set by the Executive Board of the Society.
7. Any Member or Affiliate of the Society may be removed from the Society for cause by a vote of two thirds of the
entire Executive Board. Action such as unethical practices, unprofessional behavior, or conduct reflecting
unfavorably upon the Society or the field of consulting psychology is to be considered sufficient cause for expulsion
from the Society.
8. On all matters calling for action by the membership of the Society, each Member, Fellow, and Associate with
voting privilege shall have one vote.
9. Any Member who has reached the age of sixty-five years and who has been a Member of the Society of
Consulting Psychology for at least twenty-five years shall be exempt from further payment of dues, upon request for
such status. Such member shall retain all other rights and privileges of the Society.

Article III – OFFICERS

1. The officers of the Society shall be the President, President-elect, immediate Past President, Treasurer, Treasurer-
Elect, Secretary, five Domain Leaders and the Divisional Representative(s) to the APA Council of Representatives.

They will serve as the Executive Board of the Society. All officers of the Society shall be Members of the Society.
The President and Treasurer are required to be a full members of the Society and APA members.
2. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings, to act as Chair of the Executive Board of the

Society, to exercise supervision over the affairs of the Society with the approval of the Executive Board, to be an ex-
officio member of all committees, and to perform such other duties as are incident to the office or as may properly

be required by vote of the Executive Board. The President shall serve for a one-year term, which begins at the close
of the Mid-Winter board meeting.

3. The President-elect who serves for a one-year term shall automatically become President at the close of the Mid-
Winter board meeting. It shall be the responsibility of the President-elect to serve as a member of the Executive

Board, to perform such other duties as may properly be required by vote of the Executive Board or delegated by the
President and to perform the duties of the President in the event of the absence or incapacity of the latter. He or she

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shall also serve as a member of the Finance Committee.
4. The President who serves for a one-year term shall automatically become immediate Past President at the close of
the Mid-Winter board meeting, as the new President assumes office.
5. The Treasurer shall serve for a term of three years beginning at the close of the Mid-Winter board meeting at
which the election is announced. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to have custody of all Society funds, to make
disbursements authorized by the Executive Board, to see to the proper investment of Society funds as directed by the
Executive Board, and to exercise fiscal responsibility and control of all funds-generating activities of the Society.
The Treasurer shall maintain accurate and up-to-date records of the funds of the Society, and shall report them in
writing to the membership at the annual meeting and in other Society publications.
6. The Treasurer shall serve as a member of the Executive Board and see to the development of an annual budget for
the Society, to be presented to the incoming meeting of the Executive Board each August. The Executive Board
shall determine which of the fiscal functions of the Treasurer shall be delegated in whole or in part to the APA
Central Office. The Treasurer shall appoint a Finance Committee, reporting to the Treasurer, which shall provide
counsel, advice and such services as may be required by the Treasurer. The Treasurer-Elect role will begin in
February of the Treasurer’s final year of office. The Treasurer-Elect will assume responsibilities in support of the
Treasurer that include assistance in preparing the budget.
7. The Secretary shall serve for a term of three years beginning at the close of the Mid-Winter board meeting at
which the election is announced. The duties of the Secretary shall encompass both correspondence and record
keeping. The Secretary shall issue calls, notices and agendas of meetings and of other necessary business and shall
engage in such other correspondence as shall be directed by the Executive Board. The Secretary shall maintain
accurate and up-to-date minutes of the actions of the Society, its Executive Board, and shall report them in writing to
the membership both at the annual meeting and other Society publications.
8. The Secretary shall be responsible for the publication to the membership of any proposed amendments to the
Bylaws, as specified in Article IX – Amendments, and upon adoption of such amendments, shall see to the
distribution of the amended Bylaws to the membership. The Secretary shall serve as a member of the Executive
Board and as a member of the Archives Committee.
9. The Society Representative(s) to the APA Council of Representatives shall be elected to a term of three years.
The Representative(s) shall fulfill the duties outlined in the APA Bylaws and shall also serve as a member of the
Executive Board of the Society. If the Society Representative(s) shall be absent from a meeting of the APA Council,
the President shall appoint an alternate as permitted by the APA. The alternate must be an APA member or fellow.

10. Replacement of positions vacated by an Executive Board member being elected as President (or another position
on the Board) can be accomplished in several ways: (a) Leave the position vacant until the next election cycle,
should the time left in the term be no longer than three months; (b) Fill the position for the remainder of the term of
office by selecting from the pool of other candidates in the last election in order of those who received the next most
votes, then the next most, etc., or (c) Fill the position on an interim basis by appointment until the next election
cycle. To maintain consistency with the Society’s nominations and elections bylaws, the Nominations and Elections
Committee shall, in consultation with the President, select which of the above three alternatives best serves the
Society for Consulting Psychology and forward a suggestion for replacement for Executive Board approval.

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11. There shall be term limits on all elected and appointed positions such that any individual may be elected to only
two consecutive terms in the same role. An individual may serve in an unlimited number of other elected and
appointed roles as long as the terms for each position are limited to no more than two consecutive terms. Persons
serving more than two non-consecutive terms in one position, although allowable, should only be done if other
alternatives for the Society are not available or if it is in the best interest of the Society for such person to serve
again.

Article IV – EXECUTIVE BOARD
1. There shall be an Executive Board of the Society. Voting members of the Executive Board shall be the President,
President-elect, immediate Past-President, Treasurer, Treasurer-Elect, Secretary, the Society’s Representative(s) on
the Council of Representatives of the APA, and five elected Domain Leaders.
2. The major strategic objectives of the Society are organized around five domains: Community, Advocacy,
Research, Education and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I). The five domains are the means by which the
strategies and objectives of the Executive Board are organized. Each domain shall be headed by an elected Domain
Leader, who shall serve as part of the Executive Board of the Society. Domain Leaders shall serve for staggered
terms of three years each. Functionally, each of the five Domain Leaders shall be the liaison between the Executive
Board and other Society committees, task forces, or other entities assigned to the domain. Domain Leaders shall
guide and create synergy among committees, align their goals and processes with the objectives of the domain and
Society, and help obtain needed resources to fulfill the mission of the domain. Domain Leaders shall be responsible
for nominating the committee chairs within their domain; committee chairs shall be approved by the President, with
the advice of the Past-President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Treasurer-Elect, and Council Representatives.
3. The Executive Board shall have responsibility for the general supervision of the affairs of the Society, performing
the duties and abiding by the limitations specified in these Bylaws.
4. The Society President shall be the presiding officer at all meetings of the Executive Board.
5. The Executive Board shall meet no less than one time annually, and such other times as the will of the Executive
Board or other circumstances may dictate. All members of the Executive Board shall be invited to attend these
meetings. The chairs of other standing or ad hoc committees may also be invited to attend but shall not share in the
privilege of the vote. A quorum exists if at least 50% of the voting members of the Executive Board are present at
the meeting. The act of a majority of the voting members of the Executive Board present at a meeting at which a
quorum is present shall be the act of the Executive Board, under these Bylaws or Society Operating Procedures.

Article V – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
1. The Officers and Domain Leaders of the Society shall be elected by a plurality of the Members voting.
Consonant with the rules established by the APA, the Executive Board shall determine whether the Society shall
conduct its nomination and election procedures itself or use the facilities of the Central Office of the APA for any
part or all of the procedure.
2. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall be chaired by the Past-President of the Society, who shall form a

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Committee consisting of at least two other members who are past presidents of the Society. Additional members of
this Committee might include the President and President-elect.
3. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall issue to the Members a call for nominations for each position to
be filled. This call for nominations shall be sent to all Members. The contact information of the Chair of the
Committee (e.g., mailing address and e-mail address) shall be included with this communication. This call for
nominations may be sent independently or in conjunction with other official Society of Consulting Psychology
communications (e.g., the President’s letter). This call for nominations shall be sent sufficiently early in the year to
allow time for balloting and counting of ballots. In the event that the Nominations and Elections Committee decides
there are too few nominations resulting from the call for nominations to field a viable slate, they are free to explore
other options, such as those suggestions in Section 4 below, to generate additional names to ensure a full slate.
Additionally, no candidate can appear on an election slate for more than one office. If they are among the top
candidates for more than one position, the Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall discuss the
choice with the candidate, but the final decision rests with the candidate.
4. In order to promote appropriately diverse representation among the Elected Officers and Domain Leaders of the
Society or if the call for nominations produces too few nominations, the Nominations and Elections Committee may
place additional names on the final ballot beyond those received in response to the initial call for nominations.
Should this be necessary, it is suggested that the Chair solicit input regarding additional names to consider for the
slate from the Officers of the Society and SCP Committee Chairs. The members of the Nominations and Elections
Committee will then utilize a preferential voting system to develop the final slate. Should the nominations process
require the Nominations and Elections Committee to take these additional steps to develop a reasonable slate, voting
on the final slate to be presented to the Executive Board will be limited to members of the Nominations and
Elections Committee. After conducting due diligence, considering reasons such as unresolved ethical issues,
pending disciplinary action, membership not in good standing, personal impairment, etc., the Nominations and
Elections Committee may decide not to place a nominated candidate on the ballot. Such an action to remove a name
from the ballot must receive approval from the Society President. The Chair of the Nominations and Elections
Committee shall coordinate the process and be responsible for obtaining from each nominee a statement, either
verbal or written, of willingness to accept nomination and to serve if elected. The final slate shall be approved by the
Executive Board.
5. If the Society chooses to use the facilities of the Central Office of the APA to conduct the Society’s elections,
then the Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall certify to APA Central Office a final slate of at
least two persons, in alphabetical order, placed in nomination for each position, and shall do so by the date specified
by the APA for inclusion in the election ballot issued by the Society.
6. If the Society chooses to use the facilities of the Central Office of the APA to conduct the Society’s elections,
then the Society Secretary shall obtain the count of the votes for each candidate from the Central Office of the APA,
and these counts shall be referred to the Society Nominations and Election Committee who shall first inform all the
candidates who stood for election and then shall announce the election results to the membership of the Society.

Article VI – MEETINGS
1. The primary annual business/membership meeting of the Society shall take place at the annual Mid-Winter

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Conference.
2. An optional, second business/membership meeting shall take place at the annual convention of the American
Psychological Association, at the discretion of the President as approved by the Executive Board. The decision to
have this second meeting will be made on an annual basis at least four months prior to the convention and
announced to the membership at least four months prior to the convention. Written notice must be delivered to all
voting members not less than five and not more than 60 days before the date of the primary annual
business/membership meeting. But if the meeting will involve consideration of the removal of an Executive Board
member, a merger, consolidation, dissolution or sale, lease or exchange of assets, then the notice must be delivered
not less than 20 nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting.
3. The members of the Society holding one-tenth of the votes which may be cast at any meeting shall constitute a
quorum. If a quorum is not present, a majority of the members present may adjourn the meeting to another time
without further notice.
4. Any action which may be taken at a meeting of the members entitled to vote, may be taken by ballot without a
meeting in writing by mail, e-mail, or any other electronic means, provided that the number of members casting
votes would constitute a quorum if such action had been taken at a meeting, and provided that notice of the informal
action is delivered at least five days prior to the effective date to all of the members entitled to vote.
The act of a majority of the members having voting rights present and voting at a meeting at which a quorum is
present shall be the act of the members, unless the act of a great number is required by law.

Article VII – Committees
1. The standing committees of the Society shall consist of the following: Archives, Awards, Education and Training,
Nominations and Elections, Fellows, Membership, Professional Affairs, APA Program, Public Interest, Professional
Visibility and Media Relations and Organizational Renewal/Development. Special Committees or appointees shall
be established by the Executive Board as needed. Domain Leaders may also chair committees.
2. The standing committees on Awards, Fellows, Membership, Nominations and Elections, and Program shall
consist of three or more persons.
3. Ex officio Chairs of the committees shall be: Archives (Secretary), Nominations and Elections (Immediate Past
President), and Program (Chair-elect appointed by the President-elect and becomes Chair after one year), with all
other Chairs of Committees appointed by the President with the advice of the Executive Board.
4. The Archives Committee shall seek out and keep all current and historical materials pertaining to the Society,
especially its Newsletters, Bulletins, and issues of the Consulting Psychology Journal and other important
documents. It shall communicate with members of the Society, past and present, in order to secure as complete and
as historical a record as possible.
5. The Awards Committee shall be responsible for informing the professional public of the existence of award(s)
offered by the Society. The committee shall spell out the requirements for submitting appropriate materials
pertaining to these awards, sending them to a minimum of three raters, and, finally, rendering a decision as to the

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winners and the honorary mentions. The Awards Committee shall be chaired by a Past-President of the Society.
6. The Education and Training Committee shall stay abreast of developing needs, trends, and resources in its area of
concern, including post-doctoral training and Continuing Education. It shall make recommendations in these matters
to the Executive Board and the Society membership. In addition, it shall serve as a liaison to APA committees
concerned with education and training to explain the needs of consulting psychology.
7. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall carry out the function described in Article V of these Bylaws. It
shall be chaired by the immediate Past President and have at least two other members who are Past Presidents of the
Society.
8. The Fellows Committee shall carry out the functions as described in Article II as related to Fellows. All members
of the Fellows Committees shall be Fellows of the Society.
9. The Membership Committee shall carry out the functions described in Article II related to Fellow, Member,
Associate Member and Affiliates.
10. The Professional Affairs Committee shall work toward facilitating and professionalizing consulting activities
and familiarizing other professionals as to the nature and scope of consultation activities. It shall also address itself
to the professional role of the consulting psychologist and regulatory matters which might influence the nature and
scope of the practice of consulting psychology, including ethics.
11. The APA Program Committee shall make arrangements for the program and annual meeting of the Society in
accordance with Article VI and shall coordinate the program with the APA Board of Convention Affairs. An APA
Program Committee member will be appointed by each President-elect for a three-year term, during the second year
of which the individual shall serve as Chair of the Committee.
12. The Committee for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest (CAPPI) shall keep the Society
continuously aware of consulting psychologists’ concerns in the areas of social and ethical responsibility. It shall
encourage responsiveness of consulting psychology to social issues pertaining to public interest.
13. The Chair of each committee shall prepare a written report of its activities and shall see that such is presented to
the Executive Board at the Mid-Winter meeting and be available to the membership at the annual meeting.

Article VIII – Dues
1. The minimum annual membership dues for each member shall be the amount specified from time to time by the
Society’s Executive Board.
2. Any regular or special assessments other than the annual dues shall be decided by a majority vote of those
Members present and voting at an annual meeting or by a majority of those Members voting in a special mail ballot.

Article IX – Amendments

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1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be offered to the Members for vote if (a) recommended by the Executive
Board, (b) recommended by a majority of those present and voting at the Annual Business Meeting of the Society,
or (c) if petitioned for by one percent of the Members of the Society.
2. After proposed amendments to these Bylaws have been (a) presented and read at the preceding Annual Meeting,
or (b) mailed to the last known post office address of each Member at least two months prior to the final vote, or (c)
published on the Web-site or other publications of the Society at least two months prior to the final vote, the Society
shall adopt such amendments if a majority of the Members voting on the proposed amendments approve them.

Article X – Dissolution
The Society may be dissolved in accordance with the principles specified in the Bylaws of the American
Psychological Association. In addition, upon recommendation by the Executive Board, the Society may be dissolved
by a two-thirds affirmative vote of those Society’s Members voting on the ratification of such a recommendation. In
the case of the dissolution of the Society, any assets remaining in the Society’s treasury or investments after
payment of all corporate liabilities and obligations, or otherwise required to be held or transferred pursuant to law,
shall be distributed to the American Psychological Association.

Article XI – Replacement of President and/or President-elect
Should the President leave office for any reason, the President-elect shall complete the President’s term as Interim
President. It shall be the responsibility of the President-elect to serve as a member of the Executive Board and to
perform the duties of the President. The President-elect shall become the President upon the expiration of the term of
the latter. Should the President-elect leave office for any reason, the candidate receiving the next largest number of
votes in the election for that office shall complete the President-elect’s term. In the event that neither the President
nor the President-elect is able to serve, the Executive Board shall designate an Interim President. The offices of both
the President and President-elect shall then appear on the next election ballot.

Article XII – Replacement of lost Council of Representative seats
If the Society loses one or more of its seats on the APA Council as a result of that Association’s annual
reapportionment, and if the loss cannot be offset by the ending of a term or terms of outgoing Representatives to the
APA Council, then the Executive Board shall terminate the incumbency of the required number of Representatives
elected most recently in inverse order of their term in having been declared elected.

BYLAWS