Constitution
1.1 Recognising that counselling and psychotherapy has become universally established as an approach to the solution and management of individual, couple, and family problems, issues, and concerns related to mental wellness; and 1.2 Recognising that counsellors are members of many different professional groups with different training standards and with different techniques; and 1.3 Committing ourselves to the goal of assisting other human beings to achieve greater psychological well-being; 1.4 It is decided to form an Association.
2.1 The name of the Association (hereinafter called “The Association”) shall be the Singapore Association for Counselling. 2.2 The place of business of the Association shall be at the Work Central Offices Pte Ltd, 190 Clemenceau Ave #06-01, Singapore 239924 or at any other address as may from time to time be decided by the Executive Committee, subject to the approval of the general membership and the Registrar of Societies.
- Be a member in good standing
- Holds the Master Clinical Membership for a minimum of ten (10) years.
- Has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of counselling knowledge or practice either by research, teaching, publications or clinical work (Published journal papers, chapters, books, conference presentations, established clinical practice, teaching awards etc).
- Has performed distinctive service to the Association (Executive committee, Subcommittees, Organising committees, Standing committees etc).
- Be a member in good standing
- Holds the Clinical Membership for a minimum of five (5) years.
- Holds the registration on the SAC Register of Counsellors for a minimum of four (4) years.
- Has conducted one hundred (100) hours of training / supervision in counselling.
- Has completed an SAC recognised course in counselling or its equivalent.
- Holds current registration on the SAC Register of Counsellors.
- Be a member in good standing.
- Has completed an SAC recognised course in counselling or its equivalent.
- Is working towards registration on the SAC Register of Counsellors.
- Holds an undergraduate / postgraduate degree in Counselling, Human Services, Psychology, Social Work or its equivalent.
- Is working in a counselling-related position.
5.1.1 The Association shall organise and maintain the SAC Register of Counsellors.
5.1.2 The Register of Counsellors Board shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. The function of the Register of Counsellors Board is to register counsellors who are practising or would like to practise in Singapore. The Register of Counsellors Board shall comprise the following:
- Two (2) SAC Fellow, Master Clinical or Clinical Members who shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.
- Four (4) Registered Counsellors who shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.
- The Honorary Secretary or Assistant Honorary Secretary of the Association.
- At the discretion of the Executive Committee, up to four (4) members from outside the Association, representing relevant government agencies and Ministries, when it deem necessary.
5.1.3 The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Register of Counsellors Board shall be decided by members of the said Board at the beginning of each term. The Executive Committee shall be formally informed of the decision.
5.1.4 The Honorary Secretary or Assistant Honorary Secretary of the Association shall not occupy the office of Chairperson or Vice Chairperson of the Register of Counsellors Board. 5.2 REGISTRANTS OF THE SAC REGISTER OF COUNSELLORS5.2.1 The intended registrant shall be a Clinical member of the Association in good standing; or is currently an applicant for Clinical membership of the Association; and shall satisfy the Register of Counsellors Board that they have approved training and experience in counselling in accordance with the requirements set out in 5.2.2.
5.2.2 The intended registrant shall be a graduate from an accredited institute of higher learning and has also completed recognised training courses in counselling theory. The counselling content (of a minimum of three hundred (300) contact hours altogether) must include:- Counselling Theory, which includes the principles, concepts, and practice of counselling and orientation to basic counselling models;
- Counselling Content Areas may include: Human Growth and Development, Helping Relationships, Group work, Psychometric Assessments and Research, Career and Lifestyle Development, Professional Orientation and Ethics, Marriage and Family Work and other specialization topics.
- Counselling Practicum or Internship as part of the degree programme, which includes a minimum of one hundred (100) hours in the practice of face-to-face counselling under supervision of an SAC Registered Counsellor or SAC Registered Clinical Supervisor, or a Clinical Supervisor approved by the institute. The supervision will consist of at least one (1) hour of supervision for each ten (10) hours of counselling practice.
- Applicant must complete six hundred (600) hours of face-to-face counselling within a minimum period of two (2) years, subject to a maximum of three (3) years. This time period need not start immediately after graduation, but must consist of one (1) block period of time that is completed within seven (7) years upon graduation. The recording of hours will begin only when coursework has been completed, and that only hours clocked within the most recent three (3) years from the date of intended membership application will be accepted. The supervision must be provided by a SAC Registered Counsellor or SAC Registered Clinical Supervisor or its equivalent. The supervision will consist of at least one (1) hour of supervision for each ten (10) hours of counselling practice.
5.2.3 Registrants are entitled to style themselves as SAC Registered Counsellors and use the post nominal letters: RegCLR
5.3 RENEWAL OF REGISTRATION5.3.1 The registration of a SAC Registered Counsellors shall be renewed every two (2) years.
5.3.2 For each two-year period registered as a SAC Registered Counsellor, the registrant shall complete fifty (50) hours of continuing professional development (CPD) as described below.- The continuing professional development (CPD) is based upon actual hours accumulated through Formal Learning and/or a combination of Formal Learning and accepted CPD hours attributed to Professional Contribution Activities illustrated in 5.3.2.(2)
- The fifty (50) hours of continuing professional development (CPD) activities can consist solely of Formal Learning or a combination of Formal Learning and Professional Contribution Activities. Formal Learning is defined as participation in workshops, seminars, or training in counselling or a closely related field. Up to twenty five (25) hours of the CPD requirement can be met through Professional Contribution Activities including: (i) Regular service in professional committees related to counselling or a closely related field within governmental or non-governmental organizations. Involvement in each committee is accepted for five (5) CPD hours regardless the actual hours of involvement and/or (ii) Conducting professional training in counselling or a closely related field. Each training workshop/module conducted is accepted for five (5) CPD hours regardless the actual training hours and/or (iii) Authorship in professional or academic articles. Each article published in a professional publication is accepted for three (3) CPD hours and each article published in a peer-reviewed academic journal is accepted for ten (10) CPD hours.
- Either a photocopy of the certificate of attendance or a written letter confirming the participation or service rendered suffice as evidence of involvement in the continuing professional development (CPD) activity.
- The evidence of the fifty (50) actual hours is to be presented to the Register of Counsellors Board.
5.3.3 For each two (2)-year period registered as a SAC Registered Counsellors, the registrant shall submit on the prescribed form a declaration that he/she has completed at least four hundred (400) hours of clinical work as described below.
- Clinical work shall consist of the provision of counselling (individual, couple, family, group, etc.) and/or crisis/hotline counselling and/or counselling skills training and/or clinical supervision. These hours may be provided via face-to-face, or video means and up to 30% from provision of crisis/hotline counselling and counselling skills training.
5.3.4 Notwithstanding 5.3.2 and 5.3.3, each SAC Registered Counsellors shall maintain active membership in the Association at the level of Clinical Member or above during the period of registration.
5.4 REMOVAL FROM THE REGISTER5.4.1 A registrant may be suspended or removed from the SAC Register of Counsellors in accordance with 5.4.2 or 5.4.3.
5.4.2 A registrant may be removed from the SAC Register of Counsellors by written notice from the Register of Counsellors Board if the registrant does not complete the continuing education requirement and/or the clinical work requirement as stipulated in 5.3.2 and 5.3.3. 5.4.3 A registrant shall be automatically suspended or removed from the SAC Register of Counsellors if the registrant:- Ceases to meet qualifications specified in 5.2
- Is found by the Board or the Association to have engaged in immoral, dishonorable, unprofessional, or unethical conduct, and such conduct is deemed to compromise the integrity of the Register; or
- Is found to be guilty of an unlawful act involving conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty or good morals by a court of competent jurisdiction.
5.4.4 A registrant who has been removed from the SAC Register of Counsellors in accordance with 5.4.2 may be reinstated when he/she is able to satisfy the Register of Counsellors Board that he/she has met the requirements set out in 5.3.2 and 5.3.3.
5.4.5 The period which 5.4.4 could take effect is two (2) years from the time of removal from the SAC Register of Counsellors, after which a new application for registration has to be submitted. 5.4.6. A registrant who does not maintain his/her clinical membership with the Association as stipulated in 5.3.4 will have his/her registration suspended. 5.4.7 A registrant who has his/her registration suspended according to 5.4.6 for more than six (6) months will be permanently removed from the SAC Register of Counsellors. 5.5 PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY5.5.1 All registrants must show evidence of professional indemnity coverage when they apply for new registration or renew their registration with the SAC Register of Counsellors.
7.1 The subscriptions payable by the members shall be prescribed at the Annual General Meeting of members from time to time. 7.2 Any member whose subscription is in arrears after due notice has been sent to the member’s address as shown in the Register of Members, membership will be automatically terminated. Terminated membership may at the discretion of the Executive Committee be reinstated with an admin fee levied, provided the request for reinstatement occurs within the calendar year of membership being terminated. 7.3 The election of a member shall not become effective until the appropriate subscription payable on such election has been paid. 7.4 Any member may resign from the Association by informing the Executive Committee in writing that the member wishes to resign. The member shall cease to be a member at the termination of the period covered by the member’s current subscription unless the member shall withdraw the member’s resignation before that date
(a) The President.
(b) The 1st Vice-President.
(c) The 2nd Vice-President.
(d) The Honorary Secretary.
(e) The Assistant Honorary Secretary.
(f) The Honorary Treasurer.
(g) The Assistant Honorary Treasurer
(h) Two (2) to Four (4) Committee Members.
(i) Representative from professional organisations related to counselling may be invited to sit in the Executive Committee.
9.2 All office bearers shall hold office for a term of not more than two (2) years and shall be eligible for re-election except for the post of Honorary Treasurer. The Honorary Treasurer shall be eligible for re-election only after a lapse of one (1) term of office. The President shall be eligible for re-election upon the completion of the initial term in office. After which he/she shall be eligible for re-election only after a lapse of at least one (1) term of office.
9.3 THE PRESIDENT:
The President shall take office at the declaration of the ballot at the Annual General Meeting. The President of the Association shall be the Chairman of the Annual General Meeting and of the Executive Committee.
9.4 VICE PRESIDENT:
The Vice President shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and will deputise in the absence of the President.
9.5 HONORARY SECRETARY:
The Honorary Secretary shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall be responsible for the following duties:
(a) Secretary of the Annual General Meeting and of the Executive Committee.
(b) Keeping a membership register.
(c) Issuing notices and to convene the Annual General Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting.
(d) Attend to all correspondences of the Association.
9.6 ASSISTANT HONORARY SECRETARY:
Shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall assist the Honorary Secretary.
9.7 HONORARY TREASURER:
The Honorary Treasurer shall not hold office for more than one (1) term of two (2) years and the Treasurer’s duties shall be:
(a) The maintenance of a record of payments of subscriptions;
(b) The banking of moneys and payments of accounts properly rendered to the Association;
(c) The co-signing of cheques drawn on the bank account of the Association with either the President or the Honorary Secretary as the second signatory;
(d) The advising of the Executive Committee on financial matters including the current financial position of the Association, its assets and its liabilities;
(e) The submissions annually of the draft budget to the Executive Committee and the presentation for its approval of duly certified accounts for the preceding years; and
(f) The presentation to the Annual General Meeting for its approval of duly certified accounts for the preceding years.
9.8 ASSISTANT HONORARY TREASURER:
Shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and shall assist the Honorary Treasurer.
9.9 ELIGIBILITY FOR NOMINATION
All those who have been members of the Association for at least one (1) year shall be eligible to stand for office.
9.10 The Executive Committee shall have powers to co-opt additional members for the proper administration of the Association (“Co-opted Committee Members”), subject to the limit of three (3) Co-opted Committee Members, but such Co-opted Committee Members shall have no voting rights within the Executive Committee.
9.11 Any office-bearer resigning from office shall tender his/her resignation in writing to the Executive Committee and shall not be deemed to have resigned until his/her resignation is accepted by the rest of the Executive Committee. Any Executive Committee Member absenting himself/herself from three (3) meetings consecutively without satisfactory explanations given no later than one (1) week after the third absence to the Executive Committee shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Executive Committee.
9.12 Subject to Clause 9.11, if an elected seat is vacated during the Term of Office, the Executive Committee shall, within two (2) months of that seat’s vacation, fill it by co-opting a Member (“Co-opted Elected Member”) on a unanimous vote of the Executive Committee. Unlike Co-Opted Committee Members as described in Clause 9.10, a Co-opted Elected Member will have voting rights within the Executive Committee. If a non-elected seat is vacated during the Term of Office, the Executive Committee shall, within two (2) months of that seat’s vacation, decides whether to fill the seat. Executive Committee should fill the seat by co-opting a Member on a unanimous vote of the Executive Committee. Such Co-opted Committee Members shall have no voting rights within the Executive Committee.
13.1 Gambling of any kind and playing of paikow or mahjong, whether for stakes or not, is forbidden on the Association’s premises. The introduction of materials for gambling or drug taking and of bad characters into the premises is prohibited. 13.2 The funds of the Association shall not be used to pay the fines of members who have been convicted in court. 13.3 The Association shall not attempt to restrict or in any manner interfere with trade or prices or engage in Trade Union activity as defined in any written law relating to Trade Unions for the time being in force in Singapore. 13.4 The Association shall not indulge in any political activity or allow its funds and/or premises to be used for political purposes. 13.5 The Association shall not hold any lottery, whether confined to its members or not, in the name of the Association or its office-bearers, committee or members.
14.1 If the Association at any time acquires any immovable property, such property shall be vested in trustees subject to a declaration of trust. Any trustee may at any time resign his/her trusteeship. If a trustee dies or becomes a lunatic or of unsound mind or moves permanently or is absent from Singapore for a period of one (1) year, he/she shall be deemed to have resigned his/her trusteeship. If a trustee is guilty of misconduct of such a kind as to render it undesirable that he/she continue as a trustee, a General Meeting may remove him/her from his/her trusteeship. Vacancies in the trusteeship may be lesser than five (5) or greater than two (2). Notice of proposal to remove a trustee from his/her trusteeship or to appoint a new trustee to fill a vacancy must be given by affixing in the premises of the Association a document containing such proposal at least two (2) weeks before the meeting at which the proposal is to be discussed. The result of such a meeting shall then be notified to the Registrar of Societies.
15.1 The Constitution may be amended by a two-third majority of the total votes cast at the Annual General Meeting provided notice of the amendment has been given in writing to all members at least one (1) month before the meeting and they shall not come into force without the prior sanction of the Registrar of Societies. 15.2 The Association may only be dissolved by the decision of three-fifths of the members present at the Annual General Meeting provided that notice of dissolution motion has been given in writing to all members at least three (3) months before the meeting. 15.3 In the event that the required quorum for dissolution cannot be mastered at the General Meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned for one (1) month at a place and time to be appointed and should the number present personally be insufficient to form the required quorum, then those present shall be considered a quorum for the purpose of dissolution. 15.4 In the event of Dissolution, any fund or property of the Association shall, after discharge of all debts and liabilities of the Association be made over to any society having similar aims, or failing that, shall be applied to some professional, educational or charitable purpose, in either case the decision lying with the General Meeting at which the Association is dissolved. 15.5 Notice of dissolution shall be given within seven (7) days of the dissolution to the Registrar of Societies.
In the event of any dispute arising amongst the members, they shall table the matter for resolution before an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held in accordance with the constitution. If the members fail to resolve the matter at the Extraordinary General Meeting, they shall bring the matter before a court of law for resolution.