1. The following by-laws have been agreed upon by the six member associations of the World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (hereafter referred to as the WCCBT) and will come into effect on 7th January 2019.
These bylaws were developed by a sub-group of the World Congress Committee (WCC) and represent the agreement reached by the six WCC member associations in 2018 to build on and extend the remit of the WCC that successfully worked at a global level to oversee and support the organization of the tri-annual World Congress.
2 Mission
The World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (WCCBT) is a global multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the promotion of health and well-being through the scientific development and implementation of evidence-based cognitive behavioral strategies designed to evaluate, prevent, and treat mental conditions and illnesses.
3 Aims
The aims of the WCCBT shall be to:
(a) Support the development and profile of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (CBT) Worldwide.
(b) Develop a Worldwide Network to Share News, Information, and Issues in CBT.
(c) Promote CBT and Evidence based Treatments for Psychological Disorders and to Improve Wellbeing across the Globe.
(d) Develop and Support Effective Implementation of CBT through Training.
(e) Facilitate and Support Research in CBT.
4 Incorporation and Authority
It is the intention to legally incorporate WCCBT in a country proposed by the WCCBT Board and supported by member associations of the WCCBT at the earliest opportunity and no later than the World Congress in 2022. Until that time the following By-laws proposed by the WCC Sub-committee shall remain in force until amended by the General Assembly of the WCCBT. The rules contained in the most recent edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern the WCCBT.
5 Membership and Benefits
5.1. Membership of the WCBCT is comprised of the following associations:
Asian Cognitive and Behavior Therapy Association (ACBTA)
representing Asia
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
representing North America
Australian Association for Cognitive and Behavior Therapy (AACBT)
representing Australia
European Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (EABCT)
representing Europe
International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy (IACP)
representing Cognitive Therapy
Latin-American Association of Analysis, Behavioral Modification, and Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (ALAMOC)
representing Latin America.
5.2. Member associations shall
5.2.1 Subscribe to the goals of WCCBT as stated in the Mission Statement.
5.2.2 Represent all forms of behavioral, cognitive, and cognitivebehavioral therapists, students and trainees that educate,advocate on behalf of, promote, an disseminate behavioral and cognitive therapies, broadly conceived.
5.2.3 Be a not-for-profit organization.
5.2.4 Must have existed as an association for at least one year.
5.3 Members shall have the following benefits:
5.3.1. Reduced fees for their members at the WCCBT congress;
5.3.2 The ability to place information on the WCCBT website and in the newsletter, subject to adopted guidelines.
5.3.3 The ability to hold national or regional conferences with the sponsorship and consultation from the WCCBT.
5.3.4 The ability to vote on all matters related to WCCBT.
5.3.5 The ability to have representatives on the Board of Directors.
6 Governance: Board of Directors and Officers
6.1 The Board of Director shall consist of two representatives from each of the six current member associations of the WCCBT detailed in article 5.1, making a total of 12 directors.
6.2 The two representatives from each of the six member associations of the WCCBT will be nominated by their own association annually and their term of appointment will be determined by their association. It is recommended that representatives serve no more than two consecutive three year terms. Every effort will be made to ensure that the two representatives appointed by each of the six member association are drawn from a variety of members or member associations comprised within its membership.
6.3 The following Officers shall be drawn from the Board of Directors: President, President-elect, Past- President, Secretary, Treasurer
6.6 The Board of Directors will elect Officers to the Board from the nominees. In doing so, the Board should give due consideration to ensure that Officers are drawn across the six member associations and are from a variety of member associations within the six member associations of the WCCBT.
6.7 The President will be elected for a maximum term of three years as President from the General Meeting held at the triannual World Congress. They will serve one year as President Elect and a further year as Past-President after their term as President has finished. The secretary, treasurer, and two reps-at large will also serve no more than two consecutive three-year terms. To ensure continuity, Board and officer terms will be staggered so that they do not occur in the same year, with no more than 4 elections or reelections in any year.
6..8 All members of the Board of Directors have one vote in any election process. The President will not normally vote but shall have the determining vote in the event of a tie.
6.9 The responsibilities of the WCCBT Board of Directors and its officers are elaborated in the policies and procedures of the WCCBT.
7 Meetings of the WCCBT
7.1. Meetings of the Board
7.1.1. The Board of Directors shall meet at least every other month via tele or video conferencing and at least once a year in person in geographically broad places across member associations. Meetings of the Board will also occur in person at each of the triennial World Congresses.
7.1.2. A quorum shall be 50% of the Board plus one.
7.1.3. Meeting schedules must be set at the beginning of each year. The agenda and supporting materials for each meeting must be circulated at least two weeks in advance.
7.1.4. Meetings may be called by the President, or by 50% plus one member of the Board of Directors.
7.2 General Meeting of Members
To ensure accountability of the Board of Directors, and to facilitate communication, a General Meeting of all Members and the constituents that they represent, will be held every three years at the World Congress.
7.2.1 The agenda for the General Meeting will include at minimum:
- Opening/Introductions
- President’s Report
- Treasurer’s Report
- Reports from Officers
- Calls for nominations for future World Congresses
- Any other business
- Closing
7.2 The General Meeting of members shall be organized by the WCCBT and facilitated by the member association that organizes the World Congress that year.
7.2.3 The General Meeting of members shall be held in the host country of the World Congress.
7.2.4 The hosting member association is encouraged to organize some hospitality, such as a social event, to help to promote the congress to all Member associations.
7.3 Other Scientific Meetings
7.3.1 WCCBT member associations may arrange training events or mini-conferences between World Congresses. Such activities may be endorsed by the WCCBT Board of Directors and use the affiliation of the WCCBT, subject to compliance with By-laws.
7.3.2 To help to ensure the success of World Congresses, the WCCBT Board of Directors will not endorse any local or regional conferences held within two months and the same geographical region as the WCCBT congress.
8 Revenue and Budget
8.1 Initially the WCCBT will be financially supported by the member association’s contributing to the activities of the Confederation (administration, website, communications, etc.) in kind.
8.2 An outline plan to generate revenue and develop a budget to fund the activities and cover the costs (e.g., office space and duties, incorporation, legal fees etc.) of the World Confederation will be submitted by the WCCBT Board for approval at the first General Meeting in July 2019.
8.3 The host association of the World Congress will be responsible for facilitating the General Meeting of Members and funding the meeting rooms and the facilities (e.g. audio- visual equipment) necessary for the WCCBT general meeting.
8.4 Costs incurred by the Board of Directors of the member association(s), such as travel and accommodation, will be paid by the member association they represent or by the board member, or a combination thereof.
8.5 The Board will receive a complimentary registration for any WCCBT congress they attend in order to fulfil their responsibilities.
8.6 No Board member or officer shall receive compensation from WCCBT for services rendered in that capacity.
9 By-law Changes
Changes to these by-laws can be proposed by the Board of Directors, as necessary, but must only be implemented following a two-thirds majority vote of the member associations. Any changes to the by-laws must also be reported to the membership at the next General Meeting of members.
December 31st 2018