CSP MEMBERSHIP Features & Benefits Of CSP Memberships

GENERAL INFORMATION ON CSP MEMBERSHIP

The Center continues to draw people from different backgrounds who gain sustenance from a person centered way of being and doing. As individuals we grow through our interactions in community. It is part of our study of what it means to be a person.

Membership in Center for Studies of the Person provides the identification, recognition and sense of value that comes from:

  • Being affiliated/associated with Center for Studies of the Person.

  • Contributing to the accomplishment of its goals and supporting its activities.

  • Being a part of a larger movement to support and promote the spread of Person Centered Approach (PCA) practice around the world.

  • Having a sense of connection with the PCA movement that is bigger than what you have by yourself.

There are three categories of membership:

  • Voting Members take on a higher level of commitment to supporting CSP in the achievement of its objectives. They are the core of our community.

  • Associate Members also support CSP, but at a lower level of commitment than full membership. They are an important part of our community.

  • Student Members We welcome student memberships as a way to facilitate exposure to person centered approaches and their application in people’s personal and professional lives.

Members who are not physically able to attend Center for Studies of the Person events can support CSP’s objectives through their activities and way of being in the world, wherever they are located.

We encourage those who are interested in learning more about becoming a full member of CSP to get to know us or our members by:

  • Joining our meetings in person or on Zoom.

  • Attending one of our programs or events, such as the Annual Carl Rogers Conference or the La Jolla Program.

  • Attending an international Forum or a Person Centered Approach meeting or conference.

  • Contacting one of our members directly and initiating a dialogue about your interest in the Center…That member will be able to guide you through our membership options and the process for becoming a full member.

HOW TO BECOME A CSP MEMBER

There are two ways of becoming a member, depending on the membership status requested.

Associate members. To become an Associate Member, fill out the required information and complete the payment process. Your membership will be official once you send us your photograph and a short biography.
Student members. To become an Student Member fill out the required information and complete the payment process. Your membership will be official once you send us your photograph and a short biography.

Voting members. The process for joining CSP as a Voting Member can be summarized in seven steps:

  1. Select a CSP member to act as your sponsor. A sponsor must be one of our Voting Members, not one of our Associate or Contributing Members.
    • We suggest you select the member to whom you feel most connected.
    • his is an important decision, as sponsors function as mentors to new members, providing guidance and organizational savvy as you settle into our community and our rather unique organization.
  2. Contact that member and ask if they are willing to sponsor you. They will want to understand your hopes, present circumstances and background. Please write an application letter to your sponsor, including the following:
    • Telling something about yourself – professional and personal and why you are interested in joining CSP.
    • What you hope to be able to contribute to CSP through your membership.
    • What you hope to gain from being a member of CSP.
    • How person-centered approaches affect your personal and professional life: why this way of living and working is important to  you.
  3. Your sponsor member will then attach your membership request to their letter endorsing your application, which they will send to all other Voting Members. In that letter the sponsor will state their reasons for their recommendation, their knowledge of you, and other information they consider relevant.

  4. CSP Members will be asked to reply to your request for membership.
  5. Know that you, and every member, take on responsibility for yearly financial support (dues) of $360 to CSP. Dues are our major source of funding.
  6. The process of approval by a majority of members generally takes several weeks. Your sponsor will keep you informed.
  7. To complete your joining you will need to pay your dues. We require also that you send a biography and photo for inclusion on our website. This presentation of yourself need not be too long, it can be as formal as you wish. You can review our CSP Members as examples.

SPONSORSHIP DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Sponsorship of a candidate for membership is an important process for the wellbeing of our organization. They precede the application process and continue past the acceptance of the new member. Sponsors can either respond to a request for membership, or suggest to a suitable candidate that they may want to consider applying for Voting Membership at CSP. In either case it is up to the prospective member to select a sponsor they feel comfortable with.

Once the sponsor is approached by the person requesting sponsorship, the sponsors duties are as follows:

  1. Have a conversation with the applicant to gain a better understanding of the applicant’s interests and fit as a voting member. The sponsor may feel that an Associate Membership may better meet the prospective member’s needs at this time. The sponsor
  2. Solicit that the member write a letter of interest in joining the center, as described above.
  3. Attach the sponsor’s letter of recommendation and forward to the voting members.
    • There are important reasons for limiting the circulation of the sponsorship correspondence and the subsequent chain of member replies, to voting members. Members with a longer history in CSP are aware of situations where membership requests were not approved. In some instances prospective members reapplied at a later date prior to being accepted – which may have been the case with one or more of our current members.
    • Correspondence regarding the application should be confidential to insure privacy for the applicant, and to allow members to fully express their thoughts and feelings.
  4. Our current process is to confirm the acceptance of the new member once a majority of the voting members – one more than half – have replied positively. In the less likely event that there are negative responses, we will have to deal with this as a community or refer to the board for decision.
  5. Once the board has confirmed the member’s acceptance, the sponsor will circulate a letter to all the members – voting and associate – announcing our new member and inviting members to welcome the new member via a reply-all response. These confirmations are important to build and support our connection as a community.
  6. The new membership will not be official until payment is received, or a plan for payment of dues is arranged with the Treasurer, and a photo and biography are received by CSP.
  7. It is the sponsor’s responsibility to go over with the member all the benefits that come with membership, including website listings and links. These are detailed under our membership section for Voting Members. For the first year, the sponsor should continue to communicate with and monitor the new member’s adaptation into our community to insure the best experience possible for the member and the community.

VOTING MEMBERS

ASSOCIATE MEMBER

STUDENT MEMBER

A Man Posing With Two Women in White

$360/year

Rights

  • Can attend CSP quarterly and annual meetings.

  • Sponsor a project under CSP.

Benefits

  • Extensive bio with photo

  • Links to member’s papers & websites.

  • Can post videos that member would like to share.

  • Use of Center for Studies of the Person facilities and conference room for personal / CSP / PCA related activities.

  • First choice on Zoom meetings.

  • Member discount on all purchases.

  • Access to member only section on website.

  • A recorded 10-15 minute Zoom interview regarding your passions, interests, reasons for joining CSP

Two Women With a Man Smiling Portrait

$100 /year

Benefits

  • Can attend CSP quarterly and annual meetings, without right to vote

  • Being affiliated/associated with Center for Studies of the Person

  • Associate member discount on all purchases

Website Listing

  • Photo, short biography, under associate members section

  • Link to member’s website

  • A recorded 10-15 minute Zoom interview regarding your passions, interests, reasons for joining CSP

A Woman in a Coral Top Holding a File

$35 /year

Benefits

  • Can attend CSP quarterly and annual meetings, without right to vote

  • Being affiliated/associated with Center for Studies of the Person

  • Student member discount on all purchases

Website Listing

  • Photo, short biography, under student members section

  • A recorded 10-15 minute Zoom interview regarding your passions, interests, reasons for joining CSP