MOTIS

Bylaw

BYLAW OF ASSOCIATION

“Metacognitively Oriented Treatments International Society”

 

ARTICLE 1: Name and registered office 

An association named “Metacognitively Oriented Treatments International Society” is established. The association will use the acronym “MOTIS”.

The association has its registered office in Piazza dei Martiri di Belfiore, 4, Rome.

The official language of MOTIS is English. The official language concerning the registration, tax activities and all the other legal questions is Italian. The Articles of Association are officially registered in the Italian version. In the case of legal disputes, the official language will be Italian.

ARTICLE 2: Aims and activity

The Association operates in the health and social fields, is non-profit making and does not pursue economic aims on its own behalf. MOTIS promotes all those activities which can study in further depth the theoretical, research and clinical aspects of the metacognitive approach to psychological distress. The aims of the Association are:

  • To promote training of operators, the application and the dissemination of the theoretical and clinical aspects of the metacognitive paradigm.
  • To establish contacts and collaboration between the members, fostering the promotion of initiatives that are useful to achieve the association’s purpose.
  • To promote the development of the scientific bases and forms of integration with other psychotherapeutic techniques.

The aims of the Association are pursued by supporting the following activities:

  • Organization of national and international conferences, congresses, workshops, meetings and courses, aimed at disseminating the metacognitive paradigm.
  • Didactic and research activity in the area of metacognition, through establishing courses led by accredited professionals and the development of research projects and collaborations.
  • To foster publishing, with the publication of works in magazines, bulletins and on the website of the Association, for the dissemination of the main scientific outcomes on the metacognitive paradigm.
  • To issue and renew certificates of training or standards of quality for therapists, supervisors, training courses, institutions and clinical centres.
  • To exchange knowledge, ideas and skills between members and other groups.

In order to achieve the aims described above, the Association will use all the economic instruments allowed by the legislation currently in force for non-profit companies.

Carrying out activities other than those laid down by this article is prohibited.

ARTICLE 3: Members

Members are individuals or legal entities involved in the fields of psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychology and that share the aims of the Association. Becoming a member entails taking on all the rights and obligations deriving from the Articles of Association.

The admission and the qualification of members are agreed by a majority of the Board of Directors.

There are two categories of Members:

  • Ordinary Members: those who have taken part in the deed of incorporation of the Association (Founders) and anyone who is interested in metacognitive functioning in Psychotherapy can become an ordinary member of MOTIS, who may come from different areas of study. The person who intends to become a member must present to the Board of Directors an application written on an ad hoc form. The applicant will become an ordinary member after their application has been accepted by the Board of Directors and the payment of the annual membership fee. The membership fees which are established by the General Meeting must be paid;
  • Honorary Members: anyone who has acquired particular merits and has stood out in the field of metacognitive functioning can be recognized as an honorary member. Their membership is free and they do not have voting rights, nor can they hold positions within the association.

There is a standard discipline of membership and the conditions of membership. Temporary membership of the association is explicitly prohibited.

Membership may be lost due to:

  • Voluntary resignation. Each member may withdraw from the association at any time whatsoever giving written notification to the Board of Directors and this withdrawal shall have immediate effect.
  • Withdrawal by discharge. Discharge takes place, on the decision of the Committee, when two years have passed without payment of the annual membership fees.
  • Striking off by expulsion. The Board of Directors, if the Member were to commit actions deemed dishonourable inside and outside the association, after hearing the member concerned, can temporarily suspend or expel the Member. The member who has been struck off cannot be readmitted.

ARTICLE 4: Capital

The association has a fund exclusively for achieving the purposes of the association and meeting its running expenses. The capital will be made up from the surplus income of the previous years, the membership fees, funding and from income from any activity by the association.

The membership fee is set at Euro … and must also be paid in Euro. The payments of the membership fee must be made annually.

ARTICLE 5: Bodies of the Association

The bodies of the Association are:

  • the Members’ Meeting
  • the Board of Directors

All the bodies shall be elected by the Members’ Meeting and shall remain in office for two years and until the election of their successors. They carry out the tasks laid down for the role without any remuneration.

ARTICLE 6: General Meeting of the Members

The General Meeting is the deliberating body of the Association. The President chairs the Meeting, and in their absence, the Deputy President or another person designated by the Meeting.

The General Meeting is made up by the members up to date with the payment of the membership fees. Each member has the right to one vote and may be represented at the Meeting, by written proxy, by another Member. Each member may hold a maximum of two proxies.

The Ordinary General Meeting meets every year. The Meeting may take place at the same time as a conference with the physical presence of the members; or online, on condition that the identification of the participants, their constant possibility of speaking and the protection of data (in this case the General Meeting is agreed as meeting at the registered office of the Association) are guaranteed. The conditions are established by the Board of Directors and, in the case of disputes, the decisions are taken by a simple majority.

The Meeting is convened by the President by email and publication of the notice on the Association’s website, containing the address of the venue, the date and the time on first and second call and the items on the Agenda; it is sent to the members not less than thirty days before the date fixed.

The meeting has the task:

  • of examining any subject whatsoever of its competence on the Agenda and of establishing the directives for the Association’s activity, as well as discussing and passing resolution on the reports of the Association’s activity;
  • of appointing the members of the Board of Directors;
  • of establishing the amount of the annual membership fee on the basis of the proposal of the Board of Directors;
  • of approving the final and estimated budget;
  • of approving modifications to the Articles of Association.

The General Meeting passes resolution by majority. The Meeting, even if online is valid on first call, with the presence of half plus one of the members with the right to vote and on second call whatever the number of Members present.

The decisions of the General Meeting, taken validly, are compulsory also for the members who disagree or who were not present. They will be recorded in the minutes of the Meeting, taken and signed by the President and by the Secretary.

ARTICLE 7: Board of Directors 

The Association is managed by a Board of Directors, made up of six members who remain in office for two years and who may be re-elected, for the same office, only for a second term of office. It is made up of the President, the Deputy President, the Secretary, the Treasurer and two Directors with functions of coordinators of the training and certification activities and scientific and research activities.

The Board of Directors has the task of:

  • Implementing the directives established by the Meeting and promoting every initiative for the achievement of the association’s purposes
  • Taking all the measures necessary for the ordinary and extraordinary administration, the organization and the running of the Association
  • Drawing up the annual programme of activities of the Association and relative estimated budget
  • Drawing up the final budget of the Association for the purpose of submitting it for approval to the Meeting
  • Calling the General Meeting
  • Passing resolution on the admission of new Members
  • Passing resolution on the establishment of the membership fees to submit to the General Meeting
  • Appointing the President and Secretary from its members;

The meeting of the Board of Directors is called by the President. The call is sent by email sent at least one month before the date fixed for the meeting, containing the address of the venue, the date and the time of the meeting and the items on the Agenda. The meeting may also be held online; in this case the Board of Directors will be agreed as held at the registered office of the Association.

For the meetings of the Board of Directors to be valid, the presence of at least the majority of the members of the same is necessary. The meetings are chaired by the President or, in the event of their absence, by the Deputy President or by a person designated by the members of the Board. The functions of the Secretary are carried out by the Secretary of the Association or, where he or she is prevented from so doing so, by a person appointed by the President.

The decisions are made by the majority of the votes of the attendees; if the votes are evenly divided, the person chairing the meeting shall have the casting vote. The decisions are recorded in minutes approved by the Board and signed by the President and by the Secretary.

ARTICLE 8: President 

The President represents the Association before any judicial and administrative authority and before third parties. The President, and if he or she is prevented from so doing so, another member of the Board of Directors within the limits of their powers, has the official signature of the association and implements the decisions of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE 9: Treasurer 

It is the task of the Treasurer to record all the movements of the Association, collect the membership fees, pay expenses, draw up the annual statement of account, prepare a financial statement of account for the annual general meeting for the approval of the budget.
Only the Treasurer and the President are authorized to sign for the expenses borne by the Association. In the event that neither the President nor the Treasurer is available, another member of the Board of Directors may be authorized within the limits of their powers.

ARTICLE 10: Secretary 

The Secretary has the task of ensuring the operating continuity of the Association. They keep the documentation of all the activities, coordinates the various initiatives and activities, call the meetings and keep the register of Members up to date.

ARTICLE 11: Year 

The years end on 31 December of each year; at the close of each year the budget will be drawn up which must be presented to the General Meeting for approval.

ARTICLE 12: Winding-up 

The winding-up of the Association and the donation of the capital are decided by the General Meeting with a majority of 70% of those entitled to vote.

In the event of termination of the Association, its whole capital and any assets shall be donated to associations having a similar or related purpose.

ARTICLE 13: Reference 

For everything that is not explicitly set forth in these Articles of Association, the provisions of Italian law on the subject apply.