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IMHPJ Constitution
Includes revisions approved by the IMHPJ membership through January 2022.

Article I. Name
This association shall be called International Mental Health Professionals
Japan and its acronym shall be IMHPJ.

Article II. Mission Statement
IMHPJ is an interdisciplinary network of individuals and organizations providing
mental health care and related services to people of various nationalities living
in Japan. Together, we encourage a high standard of professional
performance. IMHPJ provides peer support and facilitates networking withrelated organizations while providing quality continuing education in Japan anda forum for discussion about professional ethics. IMHPJ may also carry out
other activities for the purpose of promoting mental health in Japan as
resources allow and considered appropriate by the board.

Article III. Objectives
The purpose of the association shall be to improve the quality of mental healthand related services for the many nationalities in Japan by:
Section 3.01 Providing members with opportunities for networking among thepeople and organizations providing mental health services to the members ofthe various nationalities in Japan;
Section 3.02 Maintaining an up to date directory of IMHPJ members;
Section 3.03 Providing a forum for discussing and making coordinated joint
efforts related to important issues or events;

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Section 3.04 Encouraging a high standard of professional performance formental health professionals; andSection 3.05 Providing opportunities for continuing education for members andnon-members.

Article IV. Qualifications for Membership
Section 4.01 Practicing professionals, students and volunteers in the various
disciplines having an interest in the provision and advancement of mental
health and psychosocial services to the people of the various nationalities living
in Japan are eligible for membership in the association. All members must be
residents of Japan, for at least 8 months out of each IMHPJ membership year.
Section 4.02 Members of the Association are expected to practice inaccordance with the highest relevant standards.
(a) All members agree to support the goals, and participate in theactivities of the organization, as they are able.
(b) All applicants for membership, including Affiliate Members asapplicable, are required to pledge to abide by the IMHPJ Code of Ethics,
as a condition of membership, and are subject to its provisions, as acondition of membership.
(c) All Members and applicants for Membership are required to make full
disclosure of credentials in their initial and renewal applications asneeded to substantiate qualifications for membership and clinicalpractice, and to inform the Association of any relevant changes incredentials. This disclosure shall include relevant professional education,
special training and experience, documented by resume and copies of
diplomas or transcripts, certifications, licenses, etc., as necessary, toverify qualification for membership and clinical practice, and shall include
any history of loss of licensure or other disciplinary action, including any
pending professional reviews or actions to limit practice. It shall be theresponsibility of the applicant or member to so inform the Association.
Any misrepresentation of credentials shall be cause for denial ofmembership.
Section 4.03 There are four categories of membership: Clinical Members,
Associate Clinical Members, Affiliate Members, and Alumni Members.
A. Qualifications for Membership
1. Clinical Members:

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a. Master’s Degree or higher, or equivalent professional
training, in a field of clinical mental health from an institution
which is recognized by a regional or national accreditation
body. Such training should include both theoretical courses inthe specific mental health field and supervised clinical work
experience.
b. AND EITHER:(i). Have completed 750 direct client contact hours ofcounselling and/or psychotherapy, with a minimum of
200 hours of supervision, OR;(ii). have completed at least 450 direct client contact
hours of counselling and/or psychotherapy with aminimum of 100 hours of supervision and continue towork under supervision.
2. Associate Clinical Members:a. Master’s Degree or higher, or equivalent professional
training, in a field of clinical mental health from an institution
which is recognized by a regional or national accreditation
body. Such training should include both theoretical courses inthe specific mental health field and supervised clinical work
experience.
b. Have completed at least 150 direct client contact hours ofcounselling and/or psychotherapy, with a minimum of 50 hours
supervision.
c. Are continuing to work under supervision at a level whichmakes it ethically reasonable to work with clients (see Ethics
Code section 2.5: Professional Competence).
3. Affiliate Members:a. Professionals in allied fields, paraprofessionals, graduate
and undergraduate students, volunteers, and others who havea professionally connected and/or related interest or
involvement in mental health and related fields of clinicalpractice.
4. Alumni Members:
a. Have been a member of IMHPJ for at least one year before
switching to this category.
b. And either:1). No longer live in Japan. Or,

42). Do not expect to be in Japan for 8 months of the year
for which they are paying dues.
B. Privileges of the different types of Membership:
1. Clinical Membershipa. Clinical Members shall have the privilege of voting on all
issues and in all elections placed before the collective
membership by the Board.
b. Clinical Members shall have the right to participate in allother activities and functions of the Association, and may beelected or appointed to the Board or its committees, as
specified and otherwise limited by this Constitution.
c. Clinical Members may be listed as Clinical Members in theMembership Directory, with education, clinical credentials andpractice data included. If they accept clients from the generalinternational population then they can also be listed in the
Therapist Directory.
2. Associate Clinical Membership:a. Associate Clinical Members shall have the privilege ofvoting on all issues and in all elections placed before thecollective membership.
b. Associate Clinical Members shall have the right toparticipate in all other activities and functions of the
Association, and may be elected or appointed to the Board or
its committees, as specified and otherwise limited by thisConstitution.
c. Associate Clinical Members may be listed in theMembership Directory as Associate Clinical Members, witheducation, clinical credentials and practice data included. Ifthey accept clients from the general international population
then they can also be listed in the Therapist Directory.
3. Affiliate Membership:a. Affiliate Members shall be eligible to vote on all issues andin all elections placed before the collective membership, butshall not be eligible to vote on issues placed by the Board, atits discretion, solely before the Clinical and Associate Clinical
Membership.
b. Affiliate Members shall have the right to participate in allother activities and functions of the Association, and may beelected or appointed to the Board and its committees, as
specified and otherwise limited by this Constitution.

5c. Affiliate Members may be listed in the Membership
Directory as Affiliate Members, with education,
professional/occupational credentials and contact information
included.
4. Alumni Membership:a. Alumni Members shall be eligible to vote on all issues andin all elections placed before the collective membership, butshall not be eligible to vote on issues placed by the Board, atits discretion, solely before the Clinical Membership andAssociate Clinical Membership.
b. Alumni Members shall have the right to participate in allother activities and functions of the Association, except thatthey may not be elected or appointed to the Board or its
committees.
c. Alumni Members may be listed in the Membership Directoryas Alumni Members, with their current address and priormembership status.
Section 4.04 Decisions upon Application for Membership:(a) The Board, or its designee(s) reviews and decides upon applications
for membership in accordance with the above-stated criteria.
(b) The Board is authorized to interpret the qualification criteria formembership in order to decide upon applications for membership incircumstances requiring special consideration. Such interpretations shallbe made by the full Board.
(c) Membership decisions of the Board or its designee(s) can beappealed to the Board for reconsideration at the applicant’s request. All
appeals shall be decided by the full Board, and its decisions upon appeal
shall be final.
(d) When the application documents are in a language other than English
or Japanese, all application forms and supporting documents must be
provided in the original language with English and/or Japanesetranslation.

Article V. Board of Directors
Section 5.01 Composition:
The Board will have no fewer than six and no more than nine directors andconsist of at least five officers, including President, Vice President, Secretary of

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the Board, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer. The officers of the Board
shall constitute its Executive Committee. At a minimum the positions ofPresident, Vice President, and Membership Secretary will be held by Clinical
Members or Associate Clinical Members, the balance of its members will be
General Members. One of these General Members must be an Ethics Chair
and be either a Clinical or an Associate Clinical member. When a new
President is installed, the outgoing President will become an additional General
Member for a one-year term. The Board may appoint or decommission
additional officers from among its General Members, at its discretion.
Section 5.02 Election of the Board:
IMHPJ members will elect the President and the other Board Members fromamong the general membership of the association by secret ballot during anannual election which is to be held following the annual conference, using
electronic voting. The Secretary of the Board will issue a call to the general
membership for nominations for vacant positions at least one (1) month prior to
the election. Nominations may be made during that time by emailing thesecretary or at the annual conference, after which nominations will be closed.
Nominees must indicate their willingness to serve to be eligible for election.
Members may only vote once, voting for one candidate for the position of
President and for as many candidates for other Board positions as there arepositions open. Ballots which contain more than the requisite number of names
will be considered void. Candidates shall be elected by majority of votes cast.
In cases of tie votes, a run-off election will be held as soon as is practicable.
The results of the election will be announced as soon as is practicable. The
President of the newly-elected Board shall convene its first meeting as soonafter as is practicable. The Board shall elect the remaining officers from amongits members as soon as practicable.
Section 5.03 Duties of Officers and of the Board of Directors(a) Roles and Responsibilities of the Board of Directors:
The Board shall establish the policies of the association and shall havefull charge of its property and business, except as limited by its
Constitution and By Laws, and shall make those policies known andavailable, and be fully accountable to the general membership for its
management of the association’s property and business. While Board
members will make different contributions based on their individualinterests and abilities, all are expected to:(i) help define the long term vision for IMHPJ as well as short term
goals and objectives;(ii) promote IMHPJ and encourage appropriate people to join;

7(iii) share information of relevance to the Board or IMHPJ
membership in a timely manner (i.e.: contact information forpotential new members, legal or other changes that may affect
IMHPJ Members, etc.);(iv) attend all Board meetings; and(v) reside in Japan for the entire term of office.
(b) Role and Responsibilities of President–The President shall:(i) provide leadership to accomplish the goals and objectives set by
the Board;(ii) convene and conduct meetings of the executive committee andthe Board of Directors;(iii) facilitate communication between subcommittees, Board
Members, and the Membership;(iv) be an ex-officio member of all committees, aware of theirprogress and needs; and(v) communicate with the membership at least twice a year,
informing the membership of the Board’s activities.
(c) Role and Responsibilities of Vice President–The Vice President shall:(i) assist the President and perform the duties of the President in the
President’s absence;(ii) be responsible for coordinating and supervising the yearly
conference, which will include an ethics-related workshop or reviewof the Code of Ethics (as per Code of Ethics 3. Implementation ofthis Code of Ethics); and(iii) in conjunction with the Treasurer, create the budget for the
conference and provide a post-conference financial report.
(d) Role and Responsibilities of Treasurer–The Treasurer shall:(i) collect membership dues;(ii) have custody of and be accountable for IMHPJ funds, depositing
IMHPJ funds only in authorized IMHPJ accounts;(iii) keep accounts of the general funds and give a financial report at
all regular Board meetings;(iv) coordinate the creation of a yearly budget to the board at eachconference for the subsequent year;(v) in conjunction with the Vice President, create the budget for the
conference and provide a post-conference financial report; and8(vi) arrange for a yearly independent audit and present the results of
the audit to the Board.
(e) Role and Responsibilities of the Secretary of the Board–The Secretaryshall:(i) keep a record of all business transacted at Board meetings andsubmit copies of the minutes of each meeting to all Board members
in a timely manner; and(ii) manage the Election of the Board of Directors.
(f) Role and Responsibilities of Membership Secretary–The Membership
Secretary shall:(i) maintain an up-to-date membership list for web membership andtherapist search lists;(ii) provide the membership email list to anyone carrying out IMHPJ
business upon request;(iii) supervise the maintenance of a membership database;(iv) respond to requests for information about membership andmembership issues; and(v) make the initial determination about membership category for all
applicants based on the membership qualifications set forth in theconstitution. If any applicant objects to the Membership Secretary’s
determination, the Membership Secretary will form an ad hoc
committee of 3 clinical members to review the decision. This
committee’s decisions can be appealed only to the full Board.
Section 5.04 Subcommittees:
The Board shall establish subcommittees as it may deem necessary to carryout its functions, and shall appoint their members and specify their rules ofprocedure. The Board shall be responsible for the decisions and actions of its
committees, and shall exercise oversight of their work. Board members shouldbe members of at least one subcommittee for their entire term of office.
Section 5.05 Meetings:
The full Board of Directors will meet at least twice a year to carry out IMHPJ
business on behalf of the general membership, to include the setting oforganizational goals and creation and execution of plans for theirimplementation. Members of the Executive Committee will communicate andmeet as needed to implement the plans approved by the Board. Meetings ofthe Board of Directors shall be convened by the President with adequate priornotice to the members or by the request of one-third of the members of theBoard, either by vote or petition. Meeting dates, times, and locations will be9decided by the President. Board members may be reimbursed for necessarytransportation expenses over 1,000 yen for each meeting, as approved by the
Board.
Section 5.06 Quorum:
A quorum of the membership of the Board, Executive Committee or any
subcommittee of the Board shall be required to enact the business of theBoard, Executive Committee or any subcommittee of the Board, respectively. A
quorum shall consist of at least one half the membership of the Board,
Executive Committee or subcommittee.
Section 5.07 Terms of Office:The terms of office for all members of the Board shall be for two years andshall be staggered so that approximately half of the membership is electedeach year, as determined by the Board, to provide for continuity of functioning.
Officers shall be selected at the first Board Meeting after the elections and takeoffice immediately. Members of the board may serve a maximum of threeconsecutive terms.
Section 5.08 Limitations:No person shall hold more than one elected office of the Board concurrently.
Section 5.09 Midterm Resignations and Replacements:
In the event that any Board member, other than the President, does notcomplete their term of office, the president shall appoint a replacement fromamong the general membership of the association to serve out that term. If thevacated position is an office, the members of the board shall elect an officer
from among its members to fill that position, by secret ballot. If the President
does not serve out their term, the Vice President shall become President, andthe members of the board shall fill the vacant Vice President position by secretballot.

Article VI. Dues
Members shall be assessed such dues as are established by the Board of
Directors. Dues for IMHPJ membership shall be assessed yearly for thecalendar year and prorated in a schedule determined by the Board. All
membership dues are non-refundable.

Article VII. Annual Conference

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The Board of Directors shall plan, prepare and convene an annual conferenceof the general membership for purposes of continuing professional educationand the holding of its annual meeting, at which time its Board of Directors shallbe nominated and recommendations of the general membership can be madeto the Board, and the Board’s recommendations may be voted upon by thegeneral membership. A majority of those voting on an issue presented at theGeneral Meeting shall carry a motion.

Article VIII. Chapters
A Chapter may be formed by and for IMHPJ members living in a specified large
discrete region of Japan to meet the objectives of IMHPJ and the needs of
IMHPJ members on a local level.
Each chapter will have an identifying geographical name followed by the words“Chapter of IMHPJ”.
Each chapter will function autonomously within the letter and spirit of the
IMHPJ Constitution, by-laws, and policies.
Each chapter will have the authority to organize and carry out activities andfund-raising events, hold elections for its own officers, and enact chapter
policies as long as such things are not in conflict with the letter or spirit of theConstitution, by-laws, or policies of IMHPJ.
Each chapter may maintain an autonomous budget and levy local dues.
Chapter finances must be managed clearly, openly, and be available for review
by Chapter members or National Board Members upon request. Financial andbudget records should be kept for at least 10 years.
While non-IMHPJ members may attend Chapter events at the discretion of theevent organizer, non-IMHPJ members may not take on formal or informal
leadership roles or organize events in the Chapter.
Each Chapter may have a Representative, elected by its own members, to thenational board. The representative may attend and vote at any and all nationalboard meetings. The Representative will act as a liaison between chapter
members and the national board by expressing area opinion to the nationalboard and making known to the district the viewpoint of and actions taken by
the board. The term of office shall be the same as for members of the IMHPJ
Board – two years. No member may serve more than 5 consecutive terms as
Chapter representative.

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Transportation to Board meetings for Chapter Representatives will be paid forby the Representative or out of the Chapter budget.
Each Chapter Representative will maintain records of local policies andprocedures, contact information for local media and key local non-IMHPJ
resources, locations for events, and other pertinent information to be madeavailable to local members and passed on to the next Representative.
Each Chapter will be asked to solicit new members.
Any Chapter may sponsor, organize, or contribute to the annual conferencewith the approval of the Vice President.
Each Chapter will be responsible to report to the national board on a regularbasis the activities and events transpiring within its area.
All Chapter events shall be open to all IMHPJ members, regardless of locationof residence. Events may be publicized in the IMHPJ newsletter or through
IMHPJ- mail.
Each Chapter is strongly encouraged to form a local Disaster Response Planand offer training in disaster response to local members on a regular basis.

Article IX. Amendments and By-Laws
Amendments to this constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by the Boardor proposed to the Board by any member of the association. Proposed
Amendments and By-Laws shall be submitted to the general membership for
consideration by majority vote of the Board, and shall be approved by majorityof members voting.

Article X. Severability
If any provision of the constitution or its by-laws is held invalid, such invalidity
does not affect other provisions or applications. To this end the provisions ofthese by-laws are declared to be severable.

Article XI. Dissolution of the Association

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IMHPJ can be dissolved by two-thirds vote of general members voting. All
outstanding debts will be paid prior to disposal of remaining funds, which shallbe dispersed by vote of the general membership. Such action shall not conflictwith any Japanese law.

BY-LAWS
Article I. Use of the Membership and Resource Directories
Section 1.01 The Membership List and Membership Directory may be freely
distributed and copied but may not be used for commercial purposes without
the prior written permission of the board.
Section 1.02 The Resource Directory or any other official product of IMHPJ
may only be copied and/or distributed by IMHPJ.
Section 1.03 The membership list and directory may be used as a basis for a
mailing list only with the prior permission of the Executive Committee and only
for notices or information directly related to IMHPJ and its purposes.
Section 1.04 Private membership data, being Membership data not included in
the Membership Directory, including home address, private telephone number,and private email address, may not be distributed or used for commercial
purposes.

Article II. IMHPJ Mail
IMHPJ shall maintain an email list to provide immediate notification to on-line
members about important events and issues. Any IMHPJ member may submit
information or a request for information to the administrator of the IMHPJ email
list. Information must be related to IMHPJ or its purposes. The IMHPJ email
administrator may screen submissions and decline to send out any message
that they consider:
1) inappropriate or clearly unrelated to IMHPJ and its purposes; or2) detrimental to the effective functioning of the organization.
The Board of Directors will approve the appointment of the IMHPJ email
administrator.