Name
Purpose and Missions
A. To provide a professional forum for individuals who are committed to:
- the delivery of psychological services to consumers in sport, exercise, and health contexts.
B. To support and disseminate new and relevant knowledge about research and practice in sport, exercise, and health psychology.
C. To establish and uphold professional standards for the competent and ethical practice of sport psychology.
D. To foster societal awareness of the relevance, and advocate the use, of sport psychology theory, research, and practice to enhance physical activity performance, health, and well-being.
Section 2: AASP incorporates information and expertise from exercise and sport sciences and from psychology. The Association is comprised of three interrelated focus areas: Performance Enhancement/Intervention, Health and Exercise Psychology, and Social Psychology.
Section 3: Performance Enhancement/Intervention focuses on research, theory, and practice intended to improve performance in exercise and sport. This area is also concerned with the effects of sport psychology interventions on the well-being of participants in exercise and sport.
Section 4: Health and Exercise Psychology focuses on the role of psychological factors in sport and exercise, particularly as they relate to disease development and remediation, coping with stress, and health promotion. A primary concern is with the close relationship between mental health and physical health.
Section 5: Social Psychology addresses research, theory, and intervention focusing upon individual and group processes in sport and exercise settings. This area applies social psychological principles in examining factors related to the sport participant, coach, team, and spectator.
Organization
Section 1: AASP is organized into four interrelated divisions designed to pursue the Association’s missions. These divisions are Science and Education, Publications/Information, Professional Standards, and Public Relations and Outreach.
Section 2: AASP is a nonprofit corporation initially incorporated in 1986 in North Carolina.
Section 3: The AASP headquarters will be at a location designated by the Executive Board.
Section 4: The administration of the Association shall be conducted by an Executive Board.
Membership
Section 1: Membership in the Association shall be of the following types: professional member, student member, and affiliate member. Professional and student membership categories will have equal privileges of voice and vote. Only active fellows and fellow emeriti can vote on issues relating to certification standards, ethical principles, and professional standards.
Section 2: A roll of all members of the Association shall be kept by the secretary-treasurer.
Section 3: Applicants for the different categories of membership shall meet the following minimum requirements.
Professional Member: Persons with a master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited institution in a field related to sport psychology (e.g., physical education, psychology, counseling, etc.).
Early Professional Member: Persons who are in the first two years after completing all degree requirements for a masters or doctoral degree from an accredited university in a field related to sport psychology (e.g., kinesiology, psychology, counseling). This transitional membership category is valid for two years only and is not renewable.
Student Member: Persons enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program related to sport psychology in an accredited institution.
Affiliate Member: Persons with an interest in sport psychology.
Fellow: Persons who shall have: Demonstrated high standards of professional development by committing directly to the goals and long-range activities of the Association as evidenced by activities such as presentations at Association conferences, membership on Association committees, and contributions to Association publications. A doctorate from an accredited institution in a field related to sport psychology.
- Been a member of the Association for at least five consecutive years.
- Distinguished themselves through significant contributions to academic and professional practice knowledge in sport and exercise psychology as evidenced by a distinguished record of academic publications, applied publications, the development of outstanding educational materials and programs, and/or via major contributions to sport organizations (e.g., design, implement and sustain over times a sport psychology program in a National Sport Governing Body, influence sport policy at the nation or international level).
- Received approval by the Fellow Review Committee.
- Members wishing to be considered for fellow status should send the following information to the president-elect: (a) a completed fellow application form, (b) a curriculum vita and (c) two letters of recommendation from AASP members at least one of which is from a fellow of the Association.
Active and Inactive Fellow Status: Active fellow status requires current AASP membership and attendance at an AASP conference within the last three years. Failure to meet these criteria will result in inactive fellow status.
Fellow Emeritus: Persons who shall have been an active fellow of AASP within five years of their retirement and presently work less than 1000 hours a year in any area related to sport psychology, can apply to become a Fellow Emeritus of the organization. Individuals desiring Emeritus status must complete a yearly membership application on line. Upon completing the yearly application, the Fellow Emeritus Status would receive complimentary membership for that year. This membership includes all benefits, except for the receipt of the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.
Dues
Annual dues are payable to the secretary-treasurer and the cost of dues shall be determined by the Executive Board. Dues are paid for the fiscal year (Jan. 1-Dec. 31) and are not prorated.
Officers
Section 1: The officers of the Association shall consist of President, President-Elect, immediate Past-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Science and Education Division Head, Publications/Information Division Head, Professional Standards Division Head, Public Relations and Outreach Division Head, and Student Representative.
Section 2: The terms of the President, President-Elect, Past-President, and Student Representative shall be one year. The terms of the Secretary-Treasurer and four Division Heads shall be three years.
Section 3: If the office of President should become vacant, the unexpired term shall be filled by the President-Elect. Should the office of President-Elect become vacant, it shall be filled by the Secretary-Treasurer until the Association elects a President-Elect. Nominees shall be recommended by the Executive Board and the election shall occur in the next Newsletter or at the annual conference, whichever comes first. Any other vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the President of the Association.
Section 4: The following policies shall regulate the election of the officers. The Newsletter will request that Association members send to the secretary-treasurer their recommendations for possible candidates to run for the offices eligible for election. The Executive Board will evaluate the recommendations and determine a slate of two individuals for each office. All professional and student members of the Association are eligible for office except at least one year must pass before the immediate past-president may run again. All nominees shall submit a biography and position statement. These statements should be sent directly to the president who will arrange for their publication in the forthcoming newsletter. AASP elections can be conducted by any legal means including electronic or written ballot. A majority vote is considered a simple majority of those voting.
All voting will be completed ten weeks prior to the Conference, with all candidates being notified of the results by the President a minimum of eight weeks prior to the Conference. The person receiving the largest number of votes shall be elected. A tie shall be broken by a majority vote of the Executive Board. The elected Officers shall assume their official duties immediately following the annual conference. The election of officers serving three-year terms shall be staggered and voted on starting with the following sequence: Publications/Information Division Head and Professional Standards Division Head (2001), Science and Education Division Head (2002), and Secretary-Treasurer and Public Relations and Outreach Division Head (2003)and so forth thereafter.
Section 5: The following are the duties of the various officers:
President: The President shall preside at all Association and Executive Board meetings and shall make arrangements for the conducting of all Association and Executive Board meetings. The President shall coordinate the activities of all Association divisions and coordinate the election of all new officers. The president shall be authorized to sign checks in the absence of the Secretary-Treasurer and to assign other Association duties to members in the event of unforeseen circumstances that affect the Executive Board structure or function. The President is responsible for appointing a parliamentarian. The President shall deliver a formal address to the membership at the annual conference.
President-Elect: The President-Elect shall, during the absence of the President, perform all duties of the President and, if the office of the President becomes vacant, the President-Elect shall succeed the President for the unexpired term of office. The President-Elect shall perform such other duties as assigned by the President and the Executive Board.
Past-President: The Past-President shall be responsible for the program at the annual conference and for arranging the annual conference. The Past-President shall coordinate the activities relating to the annual conference.
Secretary-Treasurer: The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep written records of all Executive Board meetings and Association business meetings, keep a record of all monetary transactions, be authorized to sign checks on behalf of the Association, submit an annual report to the Executive Board and the members of the Association on the receipt and disbursement of funds, and prepare the annual budget in conjunction with the Executive Board. This person shall also be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of a membership database, coordinating the recruitment of members, and assist in coordinating registration procedures for the annual conference.
Division Heads: Each Division Head shall be responsible for the coordination of activities residing within the usual domain of his or her designated division. These shall include providing leadership for the division, program planning, budget preparation, and the appointment and supervision of ad-hoc committees as needed. Establishment of ad-hoc committees requires approval of the President.
Student Representative: The Student Representative shall represent the interests of the students, recruit student members, provide a liaison between the Executive Board and the students, be responsible for planning and directing the student meeting at the annual conference, and perform whatever other duties the president requests.
Executive Board
Committees
Section 1: The Executive Board may appoint and dissolve committees that serve the missions of AASP and represent the focus areas of the organization with appropriate professional and student membership. Professional member appointments will last for three years with initial membership being adjusted and rotated so that no more than two terms expire each year. Length of student member terms will be determined by the committee chair as appropriate.
Section 2: There shall be a Fellow Review Committee consisting of five active Fellows who will serve staggered terms. The President will appoint members to the committee and ask one of them, preferably a Fellow who is in her or his third year of service, to chair the committee. The President’s appointments to the committee will require the approval of the Executive Board. Fellow applicants/nominees must achieve the support of at least four committee members to be awarded Fellow Status.
Persons interested in being considered for fellow status shall submit appropriate materials (including the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of two Association members who could serve as potential references) to the President-Elect. Any Association member can encourage qualified people to apply for fellow status.
Section 3: There shall be a Past-Presidents’ Council (PPC) comprised of the Past-Presidents of the Association. The PPC shall be chaired by the immediate Past-President. At the request of the Executive Board, the PPC will advise the Executive Board on issues of importance to AAASP. In addition, the PPC will assume any duties as assigned by the President.
Section 4: There shall be a Certification Review Committee comprised of five professional members. The function of this committee shall be to review all applicants for certification and determine who meets the criteria for “Certified Consultant, AASP.” The chair of the committee will be recommended for a three-year term by the Professional Standards Division Head with approval by a majority vote of the Executive Board. Committee member appointments will last for three years with initial membership being adjusted and rotated so that no more than two terms expire each year. All committee members will be recommended by the Professional Standards Division Head with approval by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
Section 5: The President may appoint and dissolve other special committees at his or her discretion. Such committees will automatically be dissolved upon the President’s retirement or resignation from office, subject to the approval of the Executive Board.
Meetings
Section 1: The exact time and place of the annual conference shall be determined by the Executive Board. A general business meeting shall be held during each annual conference. Special meetings of the Association must be called by the President whenever requested by a majority of the Executive Board or by two-thirds vote of the membership.
Section 2: The Association shall conduct scientific sessions devoted to various applied aspects of sport psychology at each annual conference. Attendance at business meetings is restricted to the membership.
Section 3: Arrangements for the annual conference shall be made by the Executive Board with the assistance of the Science and Education Division and whomever else the Executive Board or Past-President shall deem needed. The Past-President shall be in charge of the overall coordination of the conference.
Section 4: The Association may sponsor or co-sponsor meetings with other organizations. Sponsorship shall be granted upon approval of the Executive Board.
Publications
Section 1: There will be three newsletters a year: winter, summer, and fall. Newsletters should contain content such as the following: President’s message, description of the Association, membership information, messages from the divisions, committees, and student representative, information relevant to the annual conference, announcement of other relevant conference dates, interviews with prominent sport psychologists, election information, relevant articles, job openings, and so forth.
Section 2: A scholarly journal will be sponsored by the Association and edited by a member of AASP. Regular member fees will include receipt of the journal.
Funds
Amendments
Dissolution
Section 1: The Association shall not be dissolved while 10 fellows dissent. No proposal for dissolution shall be considered unless four weeks notice in writing is given each member of the Association.
Section 2: In the event of the dissolution of the Association, the assets of the Association shall be distributed to the organization(s) engaged in activities similar to those for which this Association was established, provided that such organization(s) are exempt from taxation under regulations of the United States Internal Revenue Service. The Executive Board shall be responsible for selecting the organization(s) in accordance with the stipulations contained in this section.
Section 3: Intent to dissolve and Articles of Dissolution shall be filed with the Secretary of State, State of North Carolina, pursuant to Chapter 55A, North Carolina State Statues.
This constitution was ratified by a simple majority vote of the membership of the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology on Friday, October 10, 1986, Jekyll Island, GA.