About statute

1.2. In its activities, the Association follows the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, the Law of Associations and other laws of the Republic of Lithuania, decrees of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the present articles.
1.3. The Association is a legal entity from the day of registration of its articles, having independent balance, the seal with its name, its logo and an account in one of the banks registered in Lithuania, also accounts in foreign states.
1.4. The period of activities of the Association is not limited in any way.
1.5. The Association may:
1.5.1. conclude agreements and take obligations,
1.5.2. join unions of associations (confederations) and leave them,
1.5.3. join international organizations,
1.5.4. manage and use the property and funds belonging to it,
1.5.5. found units of mass media,
1.5.6. found enterprises and organizations.

2. Goals and Tasks of the Association

2.1.Activities of the Association cover the territory of the East European countries.
2.2.The goals and activities of the Association are as follows:
2.2.1. to unite East European psychotherapists, psychologists and persons of other professions interested in existential and phenomenological psychology and psychotherapy;
2.2.2. to promote scientific research in existential psychology;
2.2.3. to organize theoretical and practical seminars, conferences, symposia devoted to psychological analysis of existential problems of human life;
2.2.4. to help maintain and develop professional competence of the members of the Association in the field of existential therapy;
2.2.5. organize and promote cooperation between East European specialists of existential psychology and therapy in exchange of knowledge and information and organizing joint programs of research, training, etc.;
2.2.6. to cooperate with other organizations uniting persons interested in existential psychology and therapy, and also with the European Association for Psychotherapy;
2.2.7. to organize publishing, to promote publication of literature on existential psychology and therapy, to publish theoretical informational journal of the Association.

3. Members of the Association, Their Rights and Obligations

3.1. Members of the Association may be persons or legal entities of the Republic of Lithuania and other states who have expressed their wish to become a member of the Association and support goals of the Association, abide by these articles, participate in its activities and paying membership fee.
3.2. Application for membership in the Association is submitted to the Board of the Association which, after the application is discussed at the meeting of the Board, decides on it by 2/3 of the votes available at the meeting. Members of the Association are issued a membership card.
3.3. Membership in the Association may be of three types: actual, associated and organizational. Actual, associated and organizational members of the Association have different rights and obligations.
3.4. Actual membership is available to persons of the Republic of Lithuania and other states who possess the qualification of existential psychotherapist, or professional psychotherapists following principles of existential psychotherapy in their practice. Only actual members have the right to be elected to managing and revision bodies of the Association, also to the Ethical Committee of the Association and to appeal decisions of the conference of the Association and its Board to court.
3.5. Associated membership is available to persons of the Republic of Lithuania and other states who are interested in existential psychology and psychotherapy and submit an application for the membership in the Association.
3.6. The persons who have expressed their wish to become actual members of the Association may obtain this status in two ways: by the accelerated or usual procedure.
3.6.1.The accelerated procedure of acquiring actual membership in the Association is available to those who: 1) have the Diploma of Psychotherapy from the Humanistic and Existential Institute (HEPI); 2) have the European Psychotherapy Certificate issued by the European Association for Psychotherapy; 3) teachers, trainers and supervisors of HEPI.
3.6.2. The usual procedure of acquiring actual membership in the Association is available to any person who has professional education background that complies to the standards of the Association linked to the certification standards of the European Association for Psychotherapy, and also practises psychotherapy. Persons applying for actual membership by the usual procedure have to submit a questionnaire on their professional status.
3.7. All persons applying to become members of the Association must submit copies of the documents listed in the application form.
3.8. Organizational membership is available to legal entities of the Republic of Lithuania and other states which unite existential psychotherapists and other persons interested in existential psychology and psychotherapy. Concessions and privileges available to the members of the Association are not extended to members of organizations – organizational members of the Association, but do not have individual membership in the Association.
3.9. All individual members have the right to:
3.9.1. receive all information about the activities of the Association;
3.9.2. participate in all events hosted by the Association and get concessions and privileges extended to members of the Association;
3.9.3. make use of the information accumulated by the Association;
3.9.4. leave the Association.
3.10. All individual members of the Association have the obligation to:
3.10.1. abide by the articles of the Association and the requirements of the Code of Ethics;
3.10.2. protect the honour and reputation of the Association;
3.10.3. pay the membership fee in time;
3.10.4. consistently maintain one‘s professional qualifications.
3.11. Members of the Association may be commended or sanctioned by decisions of the meeting of the members of the Association or the Board of the Association.
3.12. A member may be excluded from the Association by a decision of the Board for breach of the articles of the Association and for non-payment of the membership fee (exceeding 6 months in the current year). After the membership is terminated, the membership fees or any other funds and property handed over to the Association are not returned.
3.13. The President of the Association manages the list of the members of the Association which has to be available to every member of the Association.

4. Management of the Association

4.1. The top managing body of the Association is the conference of actual members.
4.2. The conference of the members of the Association is held at least once a year.
4.3. An extraordinary conference may be called up if this is requested by 1/5 of actual members of the Association, by the decision of the Board or by the Controller of the Association.
4.4. The conference of the members of the Association is legitimate if attended by not less than one half of the actual members of the Association. Its decisions are approved by simple majority of votes. Decisions about amendments or additions to the articles of the Association, founding of enterprises and mass media belonging to the Association, reorganization or liquidation of the Association require not less than 2/3 of the votes of actual members participating in the conference. A member of the Association may authorize (in writing only) another member to vote on his behalf.
4.5. In case a conference of the members of the Association has no quorum, the second conference must be called up not later than in one month. This second conference has the right to take decisions on the issues of the agenda of the failed conference without considerations about the number of participating members.
4.6. The conference of the members of the Association is competent to:
4.6.1. adopt, amend and make additions to the articles of the Association;
4.6.2. establish goals and main tasks of the Association;
4.6.3. elect the Board of the Association, the Ethical Committee and the Controller and to establish the procedure of their revocation;
4.6.4. approve reports of the Board and of the Controller;
4.6.5. approve accounts of income and expenditure of the Association;
4.6.6. establish the amount of entrance and membership fees and the procedure of their payment;
4.6.7. adopt and amend the Code of Ethics of the Association;
4.6.8. found enterprises and mass media belonging to the Association;
4.6.9. carry decisions to join other unions or associations;
4.6.10. reorganize or liquidate the Association.
4.7. During periods between conference activities of the Association are managed by the Board. The Board is elected at a conference of the Association (or by members of the Association sending their votes by mail) for a period of three years by simple majority of votes. Candidates for the Board are nominated by meetings of the members of the Association in separate countries. The mandatory quorum is one half of the members plus one. The quotas for countries are established by the Board basing on the following quantity criteria: 10-20 members of the Association – 1 member of the Board, 20-30 members of the Association – 2 members of the Board, more than 30 members of the Association – 3 members of the Board. Only actual members may be nominated as candidates. Every organizational member of the Association may delegate one representative to the Board of the Association. This representative must hold actual membership in the Association. The Board consists of at least 7 members.
4.8. The Board is competent to:
4.8.1. call up a conference of the members of the Association and compile its agenda;
4.8.2. present its report for the approval by the conference;
4.8.3. elect the President, the Vicepresident and the Treasurer of the Association of the members of the Board; the President and the Vicepresident are elected from different countries;
4.8.4. appoint the Administration of the Association (Secretary General as head of the Administration, Chief Financial Officer, secretary) and establish ways and sizes of their remuneration; the members of the Administration may not be elected members of the Board;
4.8.5. implement decisions of conferences;
4.8.6. approve regulations of the Ethical Committee;
4.8.7. admit new members to the Association;
4.8.8. found sections of the Association;
4.8.9. deal with other matters of the Association activities, except those assigned to the competence of the conference.
4.9. Meetings of the Board are held as necessary, but not less than once a year. The meeting of the Board is legitimate if attended by no less than ½ its members, and carried decisions are legitimate if voted for by no less than half of its members. All members of the Board have equal voting rights. In case votes are even, the vote of the President of the Association decides.
4.10. The President is the head of the Board of the Association. In cooperation with the Secretary General he/she calls meetings of the Board, signs documents of the Association, represents the Association. In the absence of the President, his duties are taken over by the Vicepresident. The President is elected for one period, each time from a different country that has not less than 10 members of the Association.
4.11. The Secretary General of the Association is competent to:
4.11.1. organize current activities of the Association and spread information to the members of the Association about it and its events;
4.11.2. submit a report about own activities to the Board of the Association not less than once a year;
4.11.3. administer the property of the Association;
4.11.4. hire the staff necessary to perform activities as set by the articles of the Association;
4.11.5. organize elections of the Board of the Association;
4.11.6. in cooperation with the President of the Association, to organize activities of the Board of the Association, call its meetings, set their agenda.
4.12. The Chief Financial Officer of the Association is responsible for and administers funds and accounting of the Association, regularly informing the Board about it.
4.13. The Controller is elected for three years by the conference of the members of the Association and controls and inspects financial activities of the Association. He/she may be a person with appropriate qualifications or a legal entity having the right to provide audit services. The Controller cannot be the member of the Board.
4.14. The Controller must:
4.14.1. review annual balance and other financial accounting documents of the Association;
4.14.2. by assignment of the conference or the Board, to perform financial and accounting reviews of the Association and report findings to the nearest conference or meeting of the Board;
4.14.3. to submit the report of the annual review of the financial activities of the Association to the conference.
4.15. The Chief Financial Officer must present financial and accounting documents to the Controller as per latter‘s requirements.
4.16. The Controller is responsible by law for concealing deficiencies of the activities of the Association.
4.17. The Ethical Committee comprising of 5 elected members of the Association is entitled to deal with the matters of complying to the standards of professional ethics. It establishes the rules of its activities that have to be approved by the Board. One of he members of the Committee is elected the Chairman by the members of the Committee.
4.18. Seeking to implement goals set by the Articles, the Association may found territorial branches. A branch is not a legal entity and acts on behalf of the Association as a legal entity. Branches may be founded by decisions of the Board of the Association and abide by the articles of the Association and according to authorisation by the conference. Activities of branches contradictory to these articles is suspended by the decision of the Board till the conference of the members of the Association, which carries the final decision regarding further activities of a branch. In case of termination of the activities of the branch, its funds and property is transfered to the Association.

5. The Funds of the Association and Their Use

5.1. The Association may have as its property real estate, equipment, transport vehicles, also any other property required for implementation of the goals and tasks set by its articles. This property may be acquired for the funds belonging to the Association, also through donation, inheritance or some other ways.
5.2. Sources of income of the Association are:
5.2.1. entrance and annual membership fees;
5.2.2. funds assigned by the state or municipal institutions for specific projects;
5.2.3. funds and property donated by persons and legal entities;
5.2.4. inheritance transfered to the Association upon testament;
5.2.5. profit of the enterprises founded by the Association;
5.2.6. interest accrued in banks for the funds on the accounts of the Association;
5.2.7. other legally acquired funds.

6. Reorganization and Liquidation of the Association

6.1. By decision of the conference the Association may be reorganized through joining other associations or dividing into several associations.
6.2. In the process of reorganization, its property is evaluated. The final evaluation report is presented by the Controller in writing.
6.3. The rights and obligations of the reorganized Association are transferred to associations that will work after reorganization. The procedures and terms of transfer of rights and obligations is set by the conference of the members.
6.4. The Association may be liquidated by decision of the conference or by decision of a state institution assigned by the laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
6.5. If the decision about liquidation is carried, the conference or the institution that decided to liquidate the Association appoint the liquidator, establish his powers, terms of liquidation, procedures of inventory check and property transfer. With appointment of a liquidator, the Association becomes the Association in Liquidation, all functions of the Board are trasferred to the liquidator.
6.6. After liquidation of the Association, the liquidator must compose the Act of Liquidation, remove the Association from the register and return the registration certificate to the managing entity.
6.7. With termination of activities of the Association, its funds and property, after settling all debts, is transferred to another non-profit organization of similar type and activity.

Amended articles were approved at the conference of the East European Association for Existential Therapy on September 21, 2012.