Section 1. The objects of the International Association of Psychosexual Therapists shall be to advance psychosexual therapy as a science and profession and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare: by the encouragement of psychosexual therapy in all its branches in the broadest and most liberal manner; by the promotion of research in psychosexual therapy and the improvement of research methods and conditions; by the improvement of the qualifications and usefulness of psychosexual therapists through high standards of ethics, conduct, education, and achievement; by the establishment and maintenance of the highest standards of professional ethics and conduct among the members of the Association; and by the increase and diffusion of knowledge in psychosexual therapy through meetings, professional contacts, reports, papers, discussions, and publications; thereby to advance scientific interest and inquiry, and the application of research findings to the promotion of health, education, and the public welfare.

Section 2. In furtherance of these objects, the Association shall certify practitioners, accredit programs of education, approve providers of continuing education, register and train supervisors, publish scholarly and professional literature, convene the profession in meetings, and establish and maintain the standards under which each of these functions shall be performed.

Section 1. The Association is a nonprofit corporation and shall be governed by the law of the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated (the jurisdiction of incorporation) and by its Certificate of Incorporation.

Section 2. The Association is organized and shall be operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the corresponding provision of any future United States internal revenue law.

Section 3. No part of the net earnings of the Association shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, any director, officer, member, or other private person, except that the Association shall be authorized to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the objects set forth in Article I.

Section 4. No substantial part of the activities of the Association shall consist of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Association shall not participate in or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.

Section 5. The Association shall be non-partisan. It shall not endorse, oppose, or contribute to any candidate for public office, any political party, or any political organization, and shall not permit its name, its seal, or its credentials to be used in support of or in opposition to any of them.

Section 6. Nothing in Sections 4 and 5 shall prevent the Association from serving as a body for consultation upon matters of sexual health, from providing expertise to governments, regulators, courts, professional bodies, and the public, from publishing upon matters within its objects, or from stating the Association’s position upon a question of sexual health care.

Section 7. The Association maintains its non-partisan character so that it may be available for consultation upon matters of sexual health and public welfare without regard to the political alignment of those who seek it.

Section 8. Upon dissolution of the Association, its assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or shall be distributed to the federal government or to a state or local government for a public purpose. Any assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by a court of competent jurisdiction of the jurisdiction in which the principal office of the Association is then located.

Section 1. English shall be the official language in which the Association conducts its business.

Section 2. All official communications of the Association shall be issued in English. This includes communications to the membership, to applicants, to accredited programs and approved providers, and to any other person or body with which the Association corresponds.

Section 3. The governing documents of the Association, its standards, its policies, its registers, its publications, and its determinations shall be issued in English, and the English text shall be authoritative. Where any document of the Association is translated, the English text shall govern in the event of a discrepancy.

Section 4. Applications to the Association, and the evidence submitted in support of them, shall be submitted in English, and where a document is in another language the applicant shall supply a translation.

Section 5. The meetings, conferences, colloquia, and forums of the Association shall be conducted in English.

Section 6. This Article governs the conduct of the Association’s own business. It imposes no requirement upon the language in which a member practices, in which an accredited program teaches, or in which a member conducts any activity other than that of the Association.

Section 1. The Association shall be a member-service organization. Its governing body shall be self-constituting and shall be appointed as provided in Article VIII.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall adopt the Association's standards. Constituent bodies shall make determinations concerning individuals, programs, and providers against published criteria. Members shall receive the services of the Association, may hold its credentials, and shall be subject to its standards.

Section 3. Student Members shall elect a Student Representative as provided in Article X.

Section 4. In consideration of the foregoing, the Association undertakes to its members that it shall:

• (a)publish every standard against which a member, applicant, program, or provider shall be assessed, and shall apply no criterion that has not been published;
• (b)state its reasons in writing upon every determination affecting a member, applicant, program, or provider;
• (c)afford the rights of appeal and of response provided in Article XII;
• (d)consult the membership before adopting any amendment to a standard that would materially increase what is required of existing members, certified therapists, accredited programs, or approved providers, and shall state upon adoption what the consultation produced; and
• (e)report annually to the membership upon the activities of the Association during the preceding year and upon the state of the Association.

Section 5. The Membership shall hold an Annual Members Meeting at the Annual International Symposium on Sex Therapy. At that meeting the Executive Board shall report to the membership under Section 4(e), and the membership shall vote upon any proposed increase in the annual dues.

Section 6. Every member of every class present at the Annual Members Meeting shall be entitled to vote upon a proposed increase in the annual dues, and the question shall carry upon a majority of those voting. Members shall cast votes in person at the Meeting, and the Association shall not accept proxy or electronic votes. If the proposed increase is not approved, annual dues shall remain at the rate then in force, and the Executive Board may propose an increase again at a subsequent Annual Members Meeting.

Section 7. In addition to the vote provided in Section 6, members of every class may nominate candidates for the Annual IAPST Awards and shall vote upon them, in the manner the Executive Board shall publish; Student Members shall elect the Student Representative as provided in Article X; and Fellows shall determine by vote which candidates for Fellow Status to nominate to the Executive Board as provided in Article VII.

Section 1. The Association's membership shall consist of four classes: Certified Members, Full Members, Associate Members, and Student Members.

Section 2. Certified Members shall be those practitioners upon whom the Certification Board has conferred the credential of Certified Psychosexual Therapist, and who maintain that credential as provided in Article VI. Certified Members shall be entitled to use the title Certified Psychosexual Therapist and the post-nominal letters C-PST.

Section 3. Full Members shall be qualified practitioners of psychosexual therapy who do not hold, or have not sought, certification by the Association.

Section 4. Associate Members shall be professionals engaged in a field allied to psychosexual therapy who are not practicing as psychosexual therapists. An applicant shall hold a qualification appropriate to that field and shall be actively engaged in practice, research, or instruction within it. Fields allied to psychosexual therapy include medicine, nursing, pelvic health and physiotherapy, psychology, psychotherapy and counseling, social work, sexuality education, and research in sexual health. The Office of Membership shall determine whether a field is allied for the purposes of this Section.

Section 5. Student Members shall be persons enrolled as students at a college or university, or in a sex therapy training program.

Section 6. The Office of Membership shall determine applications for membership in any class based on criteria published by the Association. A refusal shall be given in writing and shall state its reasons.

Section 7. Members of every class shall have the right of access to the benefits of the Association appropriate to their class, as published by the Association from time to time, including the Listserv, the Virtual Colloquium, and, for Certified and Full Members, the Therapist Directory. That right is exercised as a privilege of membership. Each benefit is held on the terms of the policy that governs it, and access to it may be suspended or revoked in accordance with that policy. The Executive Board may adopt and amend those policies without amending these Bylaws. Members of every class shall be subject to the Code of Ethics and to the standards and policies of the Association.

Section 8. A member may resign by notice to the Office of Membership. Resignation shall not discharge an obligation already incurred, nor shall it terminate a proceeding then pending before the Ethics Committee.

Section 9. Membership shall lapse for nonpayment of dues as provided in Article XI. A lapse shall not constitute a resignation, and a member whose membership has lapsed may be reinstated.

Section 10. A former member may apply again for membership, save where a sanction of the Ethics Committee then in force prevents it.

Section 11. The persons designated as members in these Bylaws are not members within the meaning of the nonprofit corporation law of the jurisdiction of incorporation, save as that law may otherwise require. They shall hold the rights and obligations set forth in these Bylaws, including access to the benefits of their class, the votes provided in Article IV, attendance at the Annual Members Meeting, and eligibility for appointment to the constituent bodies of the Association.

Section 1. The credential of Certified Psychosexual Therapist shall be conferred by the Certification Board upon an applicant who has satisfied the requirements of this Article and of the standards of the Association.

Section 2. Certification shall require the completion of two components:

• (a)the educational component, consisting of a program of education accredited by the Association in accordance with the IAPST Standards for Accreditation; and
• (b)the supervised clinical component, consisting of the supervised clinical work completed in accordance with the IAPST Standards for Supervision.

Section 3. An applicant shall further hold authorization to practice a clinical mental health profession in the applicant’s own jurisdiction, or shall satisfy the equivalent requirement provided in the Standards where that profession is not licensed in that jurisdiction; and shall undertake to abide by the IAPST Code of Ethics.

Section 4. The requirements referred to in Sections 2 and 3 are stated in full in the IAPST Standards for Accreditation and the IAPST Standards for Supervision. Where those Standards are amended, the requirements for certification shall be amended accordingly, subject to Article IV, Section 4(d).

Section 5. A Certified Member shall maintain certification by maintaining membership without lapse; by completing not fewer than five IAPST continuing education credits (IAPST CEs) in each calendar year; by adhering to the IAPST Code of Ethics; and by not having any authorization to practice revoked or suspended for cause by a licensing or regulatory body. A Certified Member who practices in a jurisdiction that does not regulate the profession shall not lose certification for that reason. A Certified Member shall notify the Certification Board within thirty days of any revocation or suspension of an authorization to practice. An IAPST CE is a unit of continuing education approved by the Association and awarded under the IAPST Standards for Continuing Education. IAPST CEs may be earned only through the Virtual Colloquium, the Annual International Symposium on Sex Therapy, a provider of continuing education approved by the Association, or another educational activity approved by the Association.

Section 6. Certification shall be renewed annually. Upon renewal the Certified Member shall attest to having completed the continuing education required by Section 5 during the preceding calendar year, and shall retain evidence of its completion for not less than two years. The Association shall issue to the Certified Member a certificate stating the year for which the certification is valid, which the member may display.

Section 7. Each calendar year the Certification Board shall audit the continuing education of Certified Members selected at random, the number selected not to exceed ten percent of the Certified Members. A member selected shall produce evidence of the continuing education attested, and where the member does not, the Certification Board shall determine the matter in accordance with the IAPST Standards for Certification.

Section 8. Where the membership of a Certified Member lapses, the certification shall cease to be valid. The person shall not thereafter use the title Certified Psychosexual Therapist nor the post-nominal letters C-PST, shall not represent themselves as certified by the Association, and shall remove every claim of certification from their website, their professional materials, and any directory in which they appear, until the certification is reinstated.

Section 9. Where certification lapses, reinstatement shall be governed by the IAPST Standards for Certification.

Section 10. The Association shall register, as Registered Supervisors, those Certified Members who supervise the supervised clinical component of certification. Registration indicates that a supervisor is listed with the Association. It is not a certification, credential, or endorsement, and no person shall represent it as such.

Section 11. An applicant for registration shall hold the credential of Certified Psychosexual Therapist in good standing; shall have completed a supervisor training program approved by the Association; shall pay the annual registration fee; and shall identify and accept their own supervisees.

Section 12. A Registered Supervisor shall renew registration annually; shall attend not fewer than three of the four quarterly meetings of Registered Supervisors in each calendar year; shall maintain certification; and shall comply with the IAPST Standards for Supervision, including the use of the supervision agreement and the supervision log the Association prescribes.

Section 13. The Office of Membership shall determine applications for registration and renewal, and may withdraw registration where a requirement of this Part is not met. Where certification lapses, registration shall lapse with it.

Section 1. The Association may confer Fellow Status upon a Certified Member who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of psychosexual therapy. Fellow Status is a distinction of honor. A Fellow is a member of the Association, and Fellow Status is not a class of membership.

Section 2. A nominee for Fellow Status shall hold the credential of Certified Psychosexual Therapist; shall hold a doctoral degree in a clinical field concerned with mental or behavioral health, conferred by an accredited and recognized institution of higher education; shall have not fewer than five years of professional experience following the doctorate; shall have been actively engaged with the Association for not less than one year; and shall have demonstrated exceptional contribution to the field.

Section 3. Fellow Status shall be conferred by the Executive Board upon the nomination of the Fellows of the Association, who shall determine by vote which candidates to nominate. The IAPST Fellow Status Policy shall govern nomination, evaluation, and conduct of the process.

Section 4. A Fellow shall remain a Certified Member, and shall hold Fellow Status only so long as the person remains a Certified Member. A Fellow who retires from practice may retain Fellow Status without remaining a Certified Member, and the IAPST Fellow Status Policy shall state the class of membership, if any, that a retired Fellow shall hold.

Section 5. New Fellows shall be recognized at the Annual International Symposium on Sex Therapy.

Section 1. The Executive Board shall be the governing body of the Association and shall have full power and authority over the affairs and funds of the Association, within the limitations set by the Certificate of Incorporation and these Bylaws.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall consist of five voting offices: President, Executive Officer, Vice President, Secretary, and Member at Large. The Treasurer shall be an officer of the Association, shall be appointed and may be removed on the same terms as members of the Board under Sections 5 and 7, and shall attend meetings of the Executive Board without vote. The Student Representative shall attend meetings of the Executive Board without vote.

Section 3. The duties of the several offices shall be as follows:

• (a)The President shall preside over the Association and over the Executive Board, shall set the agenda of the Board, shall represent the Association externally, and shall nominate candidates to fill vacant offices subject to appointment by the Board.
• (b)The Executive Officer shall conduct the operations of the Association, shall manage its funds, shall maintain the Office of the Executive Officer with which Supervision Agreements are filed, and shall give effect to the determinations of the Board.
• (c)The Vice President shall act in place of the President, with all the powers and duties of that office, where the President is incapacitated or the office of President is vacant. Where the office is vacant, the Vice President shall so act until a President is appointed.
• (d)The Secretary shall record the minutes of meetings of the Board and shall maintain the records of the Board.
• (e)The Treasurer shall review and approve the accounts, budget, and filings of the Association, shall ensure that the Association remains in good standing in its jurisdiction of incorporation, and shall report upon its financial position at each regular meeting.
• (f)The Member at Large shall serve without portfolio.

Section 4. The offices of Executive Officer and Treasurer shall not be held by the same person. The Executive Officer shall manage the Association's funds, and the Treasurer shall approve its accounts.

Section 5. Members of the Executive Board and the Treasurer shall be appointed by the Board. The Treasurer and each member of the Executive Board other than the Founding President shall serve a term of three years, and may be appointed for additional terms without limit. A person whose term has expired shall continue to serve until a successor takes office.

Section 6. Subject to applicable law and to the Certificate of Incorporation, the Founding President shall hold office without limit of time, and shall cease to hold office only upon resignation, death, incapacity, or removal in accordance with Section 7. Solely to satisfy any limit that the law of the jurisdiction of incorporation places upon the term of a director, the service of the Founding President shall be treated as successive terms of five years, or of such shorter period as that law may require, each of which shall renew automatically upon its expiration, without any vote or other act of the Executive Board. This Section is personal to the Founding President and shall not apply to any successor in that office, who shall serve the term of three years provided in Section 5.

Section 7. Any member of the Executive Board other than the Founding President may be removed from office by unanimous vote of the remaining members of the Board where it appears that continued service in that office is not in the best interest of the Association. The Founding President may be removed only by such procedure as the Certificate of Incorporation or applicable law may authorize.

Section 8. The Executive Board shall hold regular meetings at least quarterly. A meeting may be held in person, by video conference, by telephone, or by any other means by which every participant may hear and speak to every other, and a member participating by such means shall be present for all purposes, including the determination of a quorum. The President may call special meetings, or any three members of the Board may request one.

Section 9. Three members of the Executive Board, one of whom shall be the President, shall constitute a quorum, and no vote shall be taken in the absence of the President. Where the President is incapacitated or the office of President is vacant, the Vice President shall act in place of the President for the purposes of this Section.

Section 10. Each member of the Executive Board shall have one vote. Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws, determinations shall be by a majority of those present and voting. Where the votes are equally divided, the President shall cast an additional and deciding vote.

Section 11. A member of the Executive Board shall disclose any interest in a matter before the Board, shall take no part in the deliberation or the vote upon that matter, and shall not be counted toward a quorum upon it. The Executive Officer shall take no part in any determination concerning that office, its performance, or its compensation. Where the President is disqualified upon a matter under this Section, the Vice President shall preside upon it, and the requirement of Section 9 that the President be present shall not apply to that matter. Where both the President and the Vice President are disqualified upon a matter, the remaining eligible members shall appoint one of their number to preside, and three eligible members shall constitute a quorum upon that matter.

Section 12. The Executive Board may act without a meeting where every member entitled to vote consents in writing, and such consent shall be recorded in the minutes.

Section 13. A member of the Executive Board may be compensated for services rendered to the Association where the Board shall so determine, provided that the compensation is reasonable, that the interested person takes no part in the determination, and that the determination is recorded in the minutes.

Section 14. The Executive Board may appoint committees for defined purposes. A committee of the Board shall not be a constituent body.

Section 1. The Association shall have the powers of a nonprofit corporation under the law of the jurisdiction of incorporation, to be exercised only in furtherance of the objects set forth in Article I and subject to the limitations set forth in Article II.

Section 2. Without limiting the generality of Section 1, the Association shall have authority:

• (a)to establish, maintain, and amend standards for certification, supervision, accreditation, and continuing education;
• (b)to confer, renew, suspend, and withdraw credentials, registrations, accreditations, and approvals;
• (c)to maintain and publish the registers specified in Article XIV, and no register of the membership;
• (d)to own, license, and protect the trademarked title Certified Psychosexual Therapist and the post-nominal letters C-PST, and to authorize their use;
• (e)to serve as a central body for consultation upon matters of educational or public interest concerning psychosexual therapy;
• (f)to convene the Annual International Symposium on Sex Therapy and such other conferences, colloquia, and meetings as the Executive Board shall determine, and to hold joint meetings with related societies subject to the approval of the Board;
• (g)to publish journals, books, and other materials in any medium, and to conduct and disseminate research;
• (h)to employ and compensate such persons as may be necessary to conduct the work of the Association;
• (i)to accept gifts, grants, devises, and bequests, and to raise funds in compliance with applicable law;
• (j)to acquire, hold, invest, and dispose of real and personal property, and to invest the funds of the Association in accordance with a policy adopted by the Executive Board;
• (k)to insure the Association, its property, its officers, its employees, and its volunteers, and to indemnify its officers to the extent permitted by law;
• (l)to enter into agreements, collaborations, and affiliations with other bodies whose objects are consistent with those set forth in Article I; and
• (m)to do all such other lawful things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the objects set forth in Article I.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall be authorized to adopt and publish such rules, standards, and policies for the transaction of the business of the Association as it shall deem necessary, provided that the same shall not conflict with these Bylaws or with the Certificate of Incorporation.

Section 1. The Association shall have five constituent bodies: the Ethics Committee, the Certification Board, the Accreditation Commission, the Office of Membership, and the Student Network.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall appoint members of the Ethics Committee, the Certification Board, and the Accreditation Commission. The Association shall publish the criteria for appointment to each body, including the required qualifications and term of service, and shall make appointments in accordance with those criteria.

Section 3. A person may serve upon more than one constituent body. No person who has taken part in a determination shall take part in the review of that determination.

Section 4. A constituent body may meet in person, by video conference, by telephone, or by any other means by which every participant may hear and speak to every other, and a member participating by such means shall be present for all purposes, including the determination of a quorum. A constituent body may act without a meeting where every member entitled to vote consents in writing.

Section 5. The Ethics Committee shall: receive complaints against members, investigate said complaints, and shall render findings. It shall determine complaints under procedures the Committee publishes, and the Executive Board approves.

Section 6. No member of the Executive Board shall sit upon the Ethics Committee.

Section 7. The Ethics Committee may issue a reprimand; impose conditions upon membership; suspend membership for a stated period; or expel a member from the Association. The Committee shall publish, with the approval of the Executive Board, a policy governing the reintegration of sanctioned members, which shall state the conditions a sanctioned member must satisfy, the time at which a suspended member may apply for reinstatement, the time at which an expelled person may apply again for membership, and the manner in which access to the benefits of membership is restored.

Section 8. The Ethics Committee shall not confer, suspend, or withdraw certification, shall not accredit programs, and shall not administer membership. Where a finding warrants an action within the authority of another body, including the suspension or withdrawal of a credential, the Committee shall recommend that action to the body holding that authority.

Section 9. The Certification Board shall determine applications for certification and shall confer the credential of Certified Psychosexual Therapist. It may grant, defer, or refuse an application.

Section 10. The Certification Board shall further determine renewal of certification, shall administer the audit of continuing education, and shall determine lapse and reinstatement, in accordance with the IAPST Standards for Certification.

Section 11. The Certification Board shall render no ethical finding, shall not accredit the programs whose graduates it certifies, and shall not administer membership.

Section 12. The Accreditation Commission shall accredit programs of education against the IAPST Standards for Accreditation, and shall approve providers of continuing education against the IAPST Standards for Continuing Education.

Section 13. In respect of each of its functions, the Commission may grant, defer, or refuse an application; impose conditions; place an accredited program or an approved provider upon probation; audit either; suspend an accreditation or an approval; and withdraw an accreditation or an approval.

Section 14. The Commission shall recognize institutions and their offerings and shall make no determination concerning any individual.

Section 15. The Commission shall maintain, and the Association shall publish, the register of accredited programs and the register of approved continuing education providers.

Section 16. The Office of Membership shall be an administrative function of the Association. It shall process membership applications; maintain membership classes and records; administer renewals; maintain the Registered Supervisor Verification System; administer the Therapist Directory; and moderate the Association's forums.

Section 17. Where the Office verifies a condition, it shall determine whether the condition is satisfied and shall not assess the quality of a member’s practice. A moderation decision of the Office shall not constitute a professional or ethical finding.

Section 18. The Student Network shall convene Student Members and shall provide for their communication with one another and with the Association. It shall hold no authority to determine any matter.

Section 19. Student Members shall elect a Student Representative for a term of two years, who shall attend meetings of the Executive Board without vote.

Section 1. The annual dues of the Association for each class of membership shall be determined by the Executive Board, provided that no increase in the annual dues shall take effect unless approved by the membership at the Annual Members Meeting in accordance with Article IV, Sections 5 and 6.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall determine the fees payable for certification, supervisor registration, accreditation of programs, approval of continuing education providers, and any other service of the Association, and shall publish them.

Section 3. The Executive Board may establish reduced dues and fee rates by country or region. The Association shall maintain and publish the list of countries to which a reduced rate applies.

Section 4. A member aged seventy years or more and retired from practice shall pay one half of the annual dues. A member adjudged permanently unable to practice by reason of disability, upon production of appropriate documentation, shall be exempt from dues. A member receiving a reduction or exemption shall retain every benefit of the member’s class.

Section 5. Where the annual dues are not paid by 31 December, membership may be renewed upon payment of the dues alone until 15 January, and upon payment of the dues together with a late fee until 31 January. From 1 February membership shall lapse.

Section 6. A person whose membership has lapsed may be reinstated upon payment of the dues then due together with a reinstatement fee. Where membership has lapsed for more than two years, reinstatement shall also require application to the Office of Membership; and where it has lapsed for more than five years, the person shall apply afresh for membership.

Section 7. Dues and fees shall not be refundable nor transferable, whether between members or between services, save where the Executive Board shall in a particular case determine otherwise.

Section 1. Every determination affecting a member, an applicant, a program, or a provider shall be given in writing and shall state its reasons.

Section 2. No determination shall rest upon a criterion that has not been published.

Section 3. A determination of the Office of Membership, the Certification Board, the Accreditation Commission, or the Ethics Committee may be appealed to the Executive Board, in writing, within thirty days after written notice of the determination. The appeal shall be decided upon the record. No person who took part in the original determination shall take part in the appeal. The determination of the Executive Board shall be final within the Association.

Section 4. A determination made by the Executive Board itself shall be final within the Association and shall not be subject to appeal. Before making a determination that would adversely affect a member, an applicant, a program, or a provider, the Executive Board shall give written notice of the matter and not fewer than fourteen days within which to respond, and shall consider any response received before determining the matter.

Section 5. A member may raise a concern as to the conduct of the Association, of a constituent body, or of any person acting for either, in writing to the Office of the Executive Officer. The Executive Officer shall acknowledge the concern within fourteen days and shall inform the member of the outcome.

Section 6. No member shall be disadvantaged for having raised a concern. Adverse treatment of a member by reason of a concern raised shall be a matter for the Ethics Committee where the person responsible is a member, and for the Executive Board where the person responsible is an employee, a contractor, or any other person acting for the Association.

Section 7. The Association shall not discriminate against any member, applicant, attendee, volunteer, employee, or representative of a program or provider on grounds of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Every such person shall be accorded respect. The IAPST Non-Discrimination Policy shall apply to the Association's conduct as it applies to its members.

Section 1. Every member of every class shall uphold the IAPST Code of Ethics and shall conduct themselves in a manner that preserves the integrity of the Association and of the profession.

Section 2. Allegations of misconduct shall be referred to the Ethics Committee.

Section 3. In addition to conduct that breaches the Code of Ethics, the following may result in a sanction under Article X, Section 7:

• (a)knowingly misrepresenting the Association, its credentials, its standards, or a determination of any of its bodies;
• (b)using the name, seal, or credentials of the Association without authority or contrary to these Bylaws; or
• (c)providing false information to the Association or to any of its bodies.

Section 4. No member shall be subject to discipline by reason of:

• (a)criticism of the Association, of its Executive Board, of its constituent bodies, or of its standards and policies;
• (b)disagreement with a standard, policy, or determination of the Association;
• (c)raising a concern in good faith under Article XII, Section 5, or reporting a matter in good faith to a regulator, a licensing body, or any other competent authority; or
• (d)the publication of scholarship, research, or professional opinion.

Section 5. Where a member resigns while a matter is pending before the Ethics Committee, the Committee may proceed and record its finding, and that finding shall be taken into account upon any subsequent application for membership.

Section 6. The Association shall publish the fact of a sanction only where the Ethics Committee shall so direct, and shall publish no more than the fact of the sanction, the provision breached, and the sanction imposed.

Section 1. The Association shall not publish a directory of its membership and shall not make a list of its members, or of any part of its membership, available to members, to other organizations, or to the public.

Section 2. No member shall be entitled to obtain a list of the membership, and the Association shall not provide one upon request. This Section applies to the membership as a whole and to any part of it, whether identified by country, by class, by specialism, or otherwise.

Section 3. Save as Section 12 permits, the Association shall not sell, license, rent, exchange, or otherwise transfer membership information to any third party.

Section 4. The Association shall maintain and publish the following registers and no others: (a) the Therapist Directory; (b) the Registered Supervisor Verification System; (c) the register of accredited programs; and (d) the register of approved continuing education providers.

Section 5. The Therapist Directory shall list those Certified Members and Full Members who have elected to appear in it, to the end that a member of the public may find a psychosexual therapist. Appearance shall be voluntary and by election of the member, and a listing shall appear only upon approval, which shall be given where the profile meets the standards set forth in the IAPST Therapist Directory Listing Policy. A member may withdraw a listing at any time. That Policy shall govern eligibility, content, approval, and removal.

Section 6. The registers named in Section 4(b), (c), and (d) shall list those who have applied for and been granted registration, accreditation, or approval. Appearance in those registers follows from the application and is not a separate election.

Section 7. The Association shall collect and hold information concerning members and others for the purposes of administering membership, certification, supervision, accreditation, continuing education, and the governance of the Association, and of sending the official communications of the Association described in Section 13, and for no other purpose.

Section 8. The Association shall hold such information securely, shall restrict access to those requiring it for the purposes stated in Section 7, and shall retain it no longer than those purposes require.

Section 9. A person may request access to the information the Association holds concerning them and may request its correction.

Section 10. A person may request deletion of information the Association holds concerning them where the law of that person’s jurisdiction confers such a right. The Association shall comply so far as it is able while meeting its obligation to maintain records of certification, accreditation, approval, and disciplinary matters.

Section 11. Where an approved provider of continuing education submits participant information under the IAPST Standards for Continuing Education, that information shall be held upon the terms stated in those Standards, which shall bind the Association.

Section 12. The Association shall disclose information concerning a member or other person only: with the consent of that person; by publication in a register specified in Section 4; to a service provider acting upon the instructions of the Association and under an obligation of confidentiality; to the extent provided in these Bylaws or in a policy adopted under them; or where required by law.

Section 13. The Association may use information concerning members to send the official communications of the Association, including notices, newsletters, and information concerning its meetings, programs, services, and publications, which members agree to receive upon joining. A member may decline any such communication that is not required for the administration of membership, certification, or registration. The Association shall not use or disclose information concerning members or others for the marketing of any product, service, or organization other than those of the Association, and shall not sell, license, rent, or exchange that information for any purpose.

Section 14. Where the Association verifies the membership, certification, or registration of a person upon enquiry, it shall confirm the fact thereof and the class or credential held, and nothing further.

Section 15. Where the Association transfers information across a border, it shall apply protections adequate under the law applicable to it.

Section 16. Where the law of a person’s jurisdiction confers rights in respect of personal data beyond those provided in this Article, the Association shall give effect to those rights so far as it is able.

Section 17. Where a breach affects information held under this Article, the Association shall notify the persons affected and any regulator to which it is answerable, without undue delay.

Section 18. A member who obtains the contact details of another member through the Listserv, the Virtual Colloquium, the Symposium, or any other activity of the Association shall use them for the purpose for which they were shared and for no other.

Section 19. No member shall compile, circulate, or publish a list of members, nor use information obtained through the Association to market to members.

Section 20. A breach of Section 18 or Section 19 shall be a matter for the Ethics Committee.

Section 1. The Association shall maintain its corporate records, minutes, and financial records as required by the law of its jurisdiction of incorporation.

Section 2. The fiscal year of the Association shall be determined by the Executive Board.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall adopt and maintain financial controls, including the separation of functions provided in Article VIII, Section 4.

Section 4. The Executive Board shall approve an annual budget before the commencement of each fiscal year.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall report to the Executive Board upon the financial position of the Association at each regular meeting, and shall present the annual accounts to the Board.

Section 6. Expenditure not provided for in the approved budget, and exceeding such amount as the Executive Board shall from time to time determine, shall require the approval of the Board before it is incurred.

Section 7. The Association shall obtain an independent financial review or audit annually where its annual revenue exceeds such threshold as the Executive Board shall determine, and in any event not less than once in every three years. The result shall be reported to the Board.

Section 8. The Association shall indemnify each member of the Executive Board and each member of a constituent body against liability incurred in the good faith performance of their duties, to the extent permitted by the law of the jurisdiction of incorporation, and may maintain insurance for that purpose.

Section 1. Where these Bylaws differ from the Certificate of Incorporation, the Certificate shall govern. Where a standard or policy adopted by the Association differs from these Bylaws, these Bylaws shall govern.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall adopt, amend, and rescind the standards and policies of the Association. Each shall be published and shall state its version and the date upon which it takes effect.

Section 3. These Bylaws may be amended by a majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Executive Board for which notice of the proposed amendment shall have been given. Where the votes are equally divided, the President shall cast an additional and deciding vote.

Section 4. Where a proposed amendment would materially increase what is required of members, certified therapists, accredited programs, or approved providers, the Executive Board shall consult in accordance with Article IV, Section 4(d) before adopting it.

Section 5. The current version of these Bylaws shall be published upon the website of the Association, together with the date of adoption and the date upon which it takes effect.

Section 1. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws, with the Certificate of Incorporation, or with any special rules of order the Executive Board may adopt.

Section 1. The official corporate seal of the Association shall be as follows: