Clinical Pastoral Education Requirements for Employment as a VA Chaplain

In order to qualify for VA Chaplaincy, an individual must have completed 2 units of Clinical Pastoral Education, or demonstrate equivalent training. Units of CPE completed and certified by the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy, National Association of Catholic Chaplains and The Association of Clinical Pastoral Education count toward this requirement.

Equivalent training is not less than 800 hours of supervised ministry in a health care setting, such as a hospital or nursing home, which incorporated both ministry formation and pastoral care skills development

To be considered equivalent to CPE, training must include the following components:

1. It must be a formal educational program, with curriculum, theological reflection, and evaluation components, which includes a component of performing health care ministry.

2. The program must include 400 hours of supervised education, training and ministry for equivalency to one unit of CPE.

3. The educational supervisor(s), preceptor(s), teacher(s), or coach/mentor(s), responsible for the program must be qualified to provide the supervision.

4. The educational model must include an action/reflection component (that may vary from one program to another) that may have included but not be limited to: verbatims, case conferences, worship seminars, spiritual assessments, theological reflection, and group process.

In describing supervised ministry that you would like to be considered as "equivalent training" please include the following information for each period of training

To be considered equivalent to CPE, training must include the following components:

1. It must be a formal educational program, with curriculum, theological reflection, and evaluation components, which includes a component of performing health care ministry.

2. The program must include 400 hours of supervised education, training and ministry for equivalency to one unit of CPE.

3. The educational supervisor(s), preceptor(s), teacher(s), or coach/mentor(s), responsible for the program must be qualified to provide the supervision.

4. The educational model must include an action/reflection component (that may vary from one program to another) that may have included but not be limited to: verbatims, case conferences, worship seminars, spiritual assessments, theological reflection, and group process.

In describing supervised ministry that you would like to be considered as "equivalent training" please include the following information for each period of training

Please provide supporting documents along with your narrative description of the training. Examples of supporting documents include: Written evaluation of your performance in the program, showing that you successfully completed the training, signed by the supervisor or an appropriate individual; or a certificate, letter, or other document verifying completion of the training.

Excerpt from the Website of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy

230. Objectives of CPE
CPE is designed to provide theological and professional education utilizing the
clinical method of learning in diverse contexts of ministry. There are professional
benchmarks of expected outcomes from CPE which formulate the competency
objectives. They are as follows:

Professional Competencies:
230.1 To develop the ability to make use of the clinical process and the
clinical method of learning. This includes the formulation of clinical data,
the ability to receive and utilize feedback and consultation, and to make
creative use of supervision.

230.2 To develop the self as a work in progress and to cultivate the
understanding of the self as the principal tool in pastoral care and
counseling. This includes the ability to reflect and interpret one’s own life
story both psychologically and theologically
(see Accreditation Manual, p.14).

230.3 To demonstrate the ability to establish a pastoral bond with persons
and groups in various life situations and crisis circumstances.

230.4 To demonstrate basic care and counseling skills including listening,
empathy, reflection, analysis of problems, conflict resolution, theological
reflection and the demonstration of a critical eye so as to examine and
evaluate human behavior and religious symbols for their meaning and
significance.

230.5 To demonstrate the ability to make a pastoral diagnosis with special
reference to the nature and quality of religious values
(see Accreditation Manual, p. 15).

230.6 To demonstrate the ability to provide a critical analysis of one’s own
religious tradition.

230.7 To demonstrate an understanding of the dynamics of group behavior
and the variety of group experiences, and to utilize the support,
confrontation and clarification of the peer group for the integration of
personal attributes and pastoral functioning.

230.8 To demonstrate the ability to communicate and engage in ministry
with persons across cultural boundaries (see Accreditation Manual, p. 15).

230.9 To demonstrate the ability to utilize individual supervision for
personal and professional growth and for developing the capacity to evaluate
one’s ministry.

230.10 To demonstrate the ability to work as a pastoral member on an
interdisciplinary team.

230.11 To demonstrate the ability to make effective use of the behavioral
sciences in pastoral ministry (see Accreditation Manual, p. 15).

230.12 To demonstrate increasing leadership ability and personal authority.

230.13 To demonstrate familiarity with the basic literature of the field:
clinical, behavioral and theological.


Excerpt from the website of The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
www.acpe.edu

WHAT IS CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION?
Clinical Pastoral Education is interfaith professional education for ministry. It brings theological students and ministers of all faiths (pastors, priests, rabbis, imams and others) into supervised encounter with persons in crisis. Out of an intense involvement with persons in need, and the feedback from peers and teachers, students develop new awareness of themselves as persons and of the needs of those to whom they minister. From theological reflection on specific human situations, they gain a new understanding of ministry. Within the interdisciplinary team process of helping persons, they develop skills in interpersonal and interprofessional relationships.

THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN CPE INCLUDE:
The actual practice of ministry to persons
Detailed reporting and evaluation of that practice
Pastoral Supervision
A process conception of learning
A theoretical perspective on all elements of the program
A small group of peers in a common learning experience
A specific time period
An individual contract for learning

For More Information visit:
Department of Veterans Affairs National Chaplaincy Center

Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisors At UAMS Medical Center

George Hankins-Hull, Dip. Th., Th.M., is the Director of Pastoral Care and Clinical Pastoral Education at UAMS Medical Center. He is a Diplomate in The College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy and a Board Certified Clinical Chaplain




George Buck, Ph.D., is a Diplomate in The College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy and is dually certified as a Pastoral Psychotherapist and as a CPE Supervisor. Chaplain Buck supervises the Part-Time and Extended Units of CPE.



For further information about the Clinical Pastoral Education training programs at UAMS Medical Center Contact George Hankins Hull ghull@uams.edu

CPE Training at UAMS

CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION TRAINING AT UAMS

The CPE program at UAMS Medical Center has a history that extends over twenty years. Chaplain interns and residents serve as hospital chaplains providing pastoral care and counseling to inpatients, families and hospital staff. Each chaplain in training is assigned to a number of floors and units, providing an opportunity for the trainee to experience the full range of care settings in a modern medical facility. The trainees are required to provide 24 hours on call coverage for the Medical Center. In addition, each trainee is required to present case studies, attend didactic seminars, provide written reflections upon reading reviews, meet with their supervisor for individual supervision sessions, conduct a weekly ecumenical worship service and take part in group relations seminars.

The UAMS Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program consists of a three components:

CPE Residency Program—one year September through August,
Full-Time Summer Program—11 weeks
Part-Time Extended Program--September through May

The CPE program focuses on the development of self-awareness, formation of pastoral identity, professional functioning, and the ability to address issues from a competent clinical and pastoral perspective.

The residency program is designed for the ordained person with a seminary degree and at least one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education. On occasion, a lay person may qualify for admission. CPE residents and interns serve as ecumenical chaplains, under supervision, to assigned areas throughout the UAMS Medical Center and clinics. The setting provides a rich base for clinical experience and opportunities for continued personal, professional and pastoral development.


The Clinical Setting:
While seminary settings provide an academic environment for the study of pastoral theology in contrast the CPE center provides the clinical basis for learning. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Medical Center is the state’s only academic Medical Center and is responsible for training more than 80 percent of the physicians in Arkansas as well as the majority of other medical professionals.

UAMS centers of excellence include the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.

UAMS Medical Center is a Level 1 Trauma Center and comprises some 400 inpatient beds.

The news magazine, U.S. News and World Report, has named the UAMS Medical Center as one of America's Best Hospitals for nine consecutive years.

Accreditation
The Clinical Pastoral Education Program at UAMS Medical Center is accredited by the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP) an international, theologically based covenant community, offering accreditation and certification to individuals and programs that meet standards of expertise in Pastoral Counseling, Pastoral Supervision and psychotherapy.

CPSP confers Diplomate, Pastoral Counselor, Board Certified Clinical Chaplain and Board Certified Associate Clinical Chaplain credentials to individuals who demonstrate competence, meet its standards, aspire to its principles, and commit to its discipline.

Objectives of CPE
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) programs provide an opportunity for ministers, seminarians and lay people to develop pastoral competency within a particular pastoral setting (usually a hospital, parish, hospice, or retirement home). The CPE approach to training is based upon an "action-reflection" model of learning. Pastoral trainees function as ecumenical chaplains providing pastoral care in assigned areas and use their experience in pastoral encounters as a basis for their learning.

CPE focuses on the development of personal and pastoral identity and the growth of professional competence as a minister. Specific objectives of CPE are:

• To become aware of one's self as a minister and of the ways one's ministry affects people.
• To become a competent pastor of people and groups in various life situations and crisis circumstances and to develop the maturity to provide intensive and extensive pastoral care and counseling.
• To utilize the clinical method of learning.
• To utilize the support, confrontation, and clarification of the peer group for the integration of personal attributes and pastoral functioning.
• To become competent in self-evaluation and in utilizing supervision and consultation to evaluate one's pastoral practice.
• To develop the ability to make optimum use of one's religious heritage, theological understanding, and knowledge of behavioral sciences in pastoral ministry to people and groups.
• To acquire self-knowledge to a degree that permits pastoral care to be offered within the strengths and limitations of one's own person.
• To develop the ability to work as a pastoral member of an interdisciplinary team.
• To develop the capacity to utilize one's pastoral perspective and competence in a variety of functions such as preaching, teaching, and administration as well as pastoral care and counseling.
• To become aware of how one's attitudes, values, and assumptions affect one's ministry.
• To understand the theological issues arising from experience and to utilize theology and the behavioral sciences to understand the human condition.

Clinical Pastoral Education Curriculum

The UAMS Clinical Pastoral Training programs follow the standards set by the CPSP, the accrediting organization. A typical unit of CPE requires a minimum of 400 hours of supervised ministry in a clinical setting.

Chaplains in training are assigned to at least one area of pastoral responsibility for clinical pastoral work. Pastoral placement is negotiated with each trainee. Evening, weekend, and overnight assignments may be assigned depending on the clinical requirements of each unit.

Training Seminars

The UAMS CPE training program includes the following seminar components:

Case Study Review
Case studies are the principle learning tool in CPE and each trainee is required to present a case study of an actual pastoral encounter. Each member of the peer group will provide feedback on the particular case presented. The goal of the case study is to promote peer consultation and to foster pastoral competence.

Group Relations or Interpersonal Relationship Group
The peer group learning experience has a dual focus. First, it provides opportunities for trainees to explore various personal and professional issues that may arise during their ministry. Second, it allows an experiential study of group formation and development utilizing the group experience itself as an educational tool.

Didactics
Various inter-disciplinary presentations are provided for the group's learning. CPE Supervisors and other professionals present information on pastoral, ethical, and health care issues. Trainees may also have the opportunity to offer a didactic of their own choosing.

Reading Reviews

Specific reading assignments will be issued during each unit of CPE and the peer group will meet at regular intervals to review the assigned reading materials.

Individual Supervision
Trainees meet one-on-one with a supervisor to review pastoral work, reflect on personal and professional growth, and evaluate progress toward individual learning goals which are established at the beginning of each unit. Individual supervision may be arranged upon trainee’s request.

Action Reflection in a Group Learning Process
The Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program at UAMS Medical Center engages in an action reflection model of learning, central to the CPE experience. The chaplain interns are involved in direct patient care and it is that experience and reflection on the actual pastoral encounter that fosters the chaplain’s learning. At UAMS Medical Center trainees are involved with people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. Trainees are assigned to specific areas, function as ecumenical chaplains, and are responsible for providing pastoral care to patients, families and staff. Trainees attend interdisciplinary meetings and participate with other professionals in providing patient care. Chaplain interns also share on call responsibilities, which provide learning opportunities in the midst of a developing health care crisis.

Key concepts in the action reflection learning process include:

1. Learning from experience, both personal and professional, through case study reflection, peer feedback, and the supervisory encounter in such a way as to shape future action.

2. Working with a peer group, to be held accountable and to hold others accountable, for personal and professional development.

3. Gaining awareness as a pastoral care giver while developing pastoral identity and authority.

For more information contact George Hankins Hull
Director of Pastoral Care & Clinical Pastoral education
Telephone %01-686-6888
email ghull@uams.edu

Presidential Address by James Gebhart, CPSP President

I want to call attention to our name, to look at it still another time for perhaps a deeper meaning. This is a question of our identity. One of the earliest challenges you had in your clinical training was in response to that question “Who are you?” It became a maddening question asked by that supervisor, that committee, that fellow student. But we had to return to it again and again. And so I ask you still again. Our name: The College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy. Much is imbedded in those words.

Today there is only time to focus on the first two words: College and Pastoral. Perhaps next year we might address the last two words regarding the science and art of pastoral practice. We will see.

But first, this word College. Our founders were very wise to have chosen this name. Or perhaps divinely inspired, which is a bit of a stretch knowing them as we do today. Perhaps both. But is the right name at the right time and the right place. The College.

You might pause and notice that no other pastoral organization embraces this term, much less begins with it. Others feature a national or geographic focus of activity: The American Association of Pastoral Counselors; The Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education; The National Association of Jewish Chaplains; The National Institute of Business and Industrial Chaplains; The National Association of Catholic Chaplains. Still other groups define themselves by administrative function: The Association of Clinical Pastoral Education; The Association of Professional Chaplains. Now these titles are all appropriate, all well and good and honorable. They accurately identify a focus. But it is no accident that we, in our life together, began from an entirely different point of view. It was never envisioned that we would be limited by the boundaries of this continent. That is very obvious as you simply look around you at this international audience. And likewise our identity was never framed in terms of political or administrative function as these were the bane of the founders and the point of the original reformation.

And so another name was chosen. The College. There had been another College once, the College of Chaplains, of which I was a Fellow for twenty-five years. I was at first astonished that the old College would give up this name. But then it made sense. Their primary new identity was to be an association to certify chaplains and not a company of persons intent on living together.

We are The College. The Latin origin is both collegium from which come our words colleague or collegiality, and collegia referring to a corporate partnership. Once in a while someone objects to this name thinking it refers to a school of higher education that grants a degree. But this is only a more recent definition; its historic definitions are much more clear. They include: “a self governing society of scholars for study and instruction” (e.g., the College of Surgeons); “a company or assemblage of persons with a common purpose;” “a gathering of clergy living together” (e.g. the College of Cardinals); and “an association of churches or religious leaders each equally empowered.”

Read the full text of this Address