Objectives of Clinical Pastoral Education
- To become aware of oneself as a minister and the ways one’s ministry affects persons.
- To develop the skills to provide intensive and extensive pastoral care and counselling to person(s) in their crises, celebrations, and other life situations.
- To understand and utilize the clinical method of learning (Action-Reflection-Action).
- To utilize the support, confrontation, and clarification of the peer group for the integration of personal attributes and pastoral functions.
- To utilize individual and group supervision for personal and professional growth and for developing the capacity to evaluate one’s ministry.
- To develop the ability to make effective use of one’s religious/spiritual heritage, theological understanding, and knowledge of the behavioral sciences in pastoral ministry to persons and groups.
- To become aware of how one’s attitudes, values, and assumptions, strengths and weaknesses affect one’s pastoral care ministry.
- To become aware of the pastoral role in interdisciplinary relationships and work effectively as a pastoral member of an interdisciplinary team.
- To become aware of how social conditions and structures affect the lives of self and others and to effectively address these issues in ministry.
- To develop the capacity to utilize one’s pastoral and prophetic perspectives in a variety of functions such as: preaching, teaching, leadership, management, pastoral care, and as appropriate counseling.
- Objectives of a pastoral specialty, if selected are to develop:
- Familiarity with the theories and methods for the ministry specialty.
- One’s own philosophy and methodology for the ministry specialty.
- Pastoral competence in the practice of the specialty.
Where Will Students be Ministering?
As an accredited CPE Program, Our Lady of the Lake Health’s program exists in different settings. These include our hospitals, behavioral health facilities, children’s hospitals and nursing homes.
A Typical Day in CPE
CPE units may be full time or part time. A unit of CPE includes 300 hours of clinical ministry and 100 hours of educational time (didactics, classes, reading seminars, case conferences, individual, and group supervision). Extended (part-time) CPE units are typically 18 to 32 weeks in duration and the time commitments will be half time or less per week, depending upon the way the program is structured. Full time CPE units are 10 to 12 weeks in duration and allow for intensive engagement and immersion into the ministry setting.
Educational seminars include didactic seminars presentations by subject matter experts, reading reflection seminars, theological reflection seminars, and peer group meetings or interpersonal relations group sessions. These educational experiences allow for mutual sharing, caring, support and relationship building with their training peers. Ministry opportunities may include providing worship and memorial services, and devotionals for peers, staff, and patients or parishioners. Field trips, workshops, and clinical observations may be periodically included.
How Do I Apply?
To apply to Our Lady of the Lake's Clinical Pastoral Education Program, click here.
Applications for clinical pastoral education may be obtained from any of the ACPE accredited CPE Programs, such as Our Lady of the Lake Health CPE, from many participating seminaries, from the National ACPE office in Atlanta, Georgia, or the ACPE website. Our Program requires an application fee and a deposit. The deposit is applied to the tuition for the CPE unit if the student is accepted. An admissions interview is a part of the application process.
