I. General provisions

1. The Certification Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) is appointed by the Main Board from among the candidates proposed by the Programme Council.
2. The Committee consists of 3 to 12 people, who elect from among themselves a chairperson, a deputy chairperson and a secretary.
3. The Committee may proceed with a minimum of 3 members.
4. Only persons holding a PTPPd supervisor certificate may be members of the Committee.
5. The election of Committee members takes place according to the following procedure:
   1. The Programme Council provides the Main Board with a list of up to 12 candidates, at least 2 months before the end of the Committee’s term,
   2. The Main Board approves the proposed candidates by secret ballot,
   3. at the Committee’s request, the Main Board may add further persons to its membership (if it does not exceed 12 members) at any time during the Committee’s term. A member is appointed in accordance with the procedure described in § I, points 4 a and b.
6. The Committee’s term lasts 3 years.
7. The Main Board may dismiss a Committee member before the end of the term:
   1. at the member’s own request,
   2. at the Committee’s request justified by the member’s three unexcused absences from Committee meetings in a calendar year,
   3. due to the loss or suspension of the PTPPd Supervisor Certificate.
8. The Programme Council proposes a new candidate to the Main Board to replace the dismissed Committee member.
9. The Certification Committee operates in accordance with the rules approved by the Main Board.
10. The Committee’s main tasks include:
    1. Reviewing applications for the award of psychotherapist and supervisor certificates,
    2. Applying to the Main Board for the award of a psychotherapist or supervisor certificate; the application should contain the candidate’s personal data.
    3. Submitting annual reports to the Main Board and the Programme Council.

II. Working procedure of the PTPPd Certification Committee

1. Committee meetings are held as applications for certificates come in, in the presence of a majority of Committee members, including the chairperson or deputy chairperson.
2. Committee meetings are convened by the chairperson or deputy chairperson.
3. The Committee chairperson notifies the Main Board of three unexcused absences of a Committee member within a calendar year.
4. Committee meetings are minuted by the secretary. The minutes, signed by the chairperson and the secretary, remain in the Committee’s records, and a copy is forwarded to the PTPPd Main Board office. All materials that are the subject of the proceedings are attached to the minutes.
5. Committee decisions are taken by open vote by a simple majority; in the event of a tie, the chairperson’s vote is decisive.
6. A candidate applying for a certificate sends all required documents to the Committee secretary via the PTPPd Main Board office.
7. Applications for the award of a psychotherapist or supervisor certificate are processed as follows:
   1. the Committee secretary checks the completeness of the submitted documents and their compliance with the criteria for obtaining the relevant certificate, and then presents the application at a Committee meeting,
   2. in the event of formal deficiencies and/or any ambiguities, the Committee may ask the candidate for clarification,
   3. the Committee appoints a reviewer to assess the candidate’s submitted work; the reviewer prepares a written review,
   4. after receiving the review, the Committee decides on this basis whether to invite the candidate to the certification examination; the supervisor recommending the candidate may take part in the examination in an advisory capacity.
   5. if the review does not qualify the Candidate for the examination, then, after discussion within the Committee, the Reviewer prepares a letter justifying the Candidate’s non-qualification for the certification examination. Notification of the refusal to qualify the Candidate for the examination is sent by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt no later than 30 days after the Committee meeting. The notification should contain a justification, as well as instructions on the possibility of lodging an appeal against the Committee’s decision with the Main Board within 30 days of receiving the negative decision,
   6. after the procedure is completed, the Committee chairperson notifies the candidate of its outcome; in the case of a positive decision, the candidate is informed that the application for the certificate has been submitted to the PTPPd Main Board. Notification of a refusal to award the certificate is additionally sent by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt no later than 30 days. The notification should contain a justification, as well as instructions on the possibility of lodging an appeal against the Committee’s decision with the Main Board within 30 days of receiving the negative decision.
   7. the documentation submitted by certificate candidates, correspondence with them, supervisors’ opinions, reviews and examination minutes are, after the procedure is completed, transferred to the archive of the PTPPd Main Board office.
8. A person related to the candidate may not take part in the Committee meeting reviewing that candidate’s application.
9. The costs of fees for: checking the candidate’s materials by the secretary, writing the review, taking part in the examination, and travel costs, are covered by the examination procedure fee. The amount of the fees for the listed activities is set annually by the Main Board in consultation with the Committee chairperson.
10. During the summer period of 01/07–31/08, no examination meetings are held and the Committee’s processing may be slowed down due to the holiday break.

III. Appeal procedure against decisions of the Certification Committee

1. The review of an appeal concerns:
   1. the formal side of the qualification procedure before the Committee,
   2. the substantive assessment of the materials submitted by the candidate.
2. When reviewing an appeal, the Main Board, in justified cases, appoints a reviewer from outside the Certification Committee.
3. Representatives of the Certification Committee may take part, without a deciding vote, in the Main Board meeting devoted to reviewing the appeal. The Main Board may decide to invite the candidate and/or the supervisor recommending them – without a deciding vote – to the appeal meeting.
4. As a result of the appeal procedure, the Main Board formulates the following conclusions:
   1. it upholds the negative decision of the Certification Committee,
   2. it refers the matter for review by the Programme Council, excluding members of the Certification Committee
5. After reviewing the appeal, the Programme Council requests the Main Board to uphold or overturn the decision of the Certification Committee.
6. The Secretary of the Main Board notifies the candidate of the outcome of the appeal procedure. Notification that the Main Board has upheld the Committee’s negative decision must contain a justification.
7. After the appeal procedure is completed, all documentation is transferred to the archive of the PTPPd Main Board office.

IV. Final and transitional provisions

1. These rules are approved by the PTPPd Main Board after consultation with the Programme Council and the Certification Committee.
2. Proposals to amend these rules may be submitted by: the General Assembly, the Main Board, the Programme Council and the Certification Committee.
3. These rules enter into force on the day of their approval by the PTPPd Main Board.