College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy First Philippine Chapter

Dr. Raymond Lawrence with Rev. Aguirre and the CPE supervisory team at Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center

In April and May of 2011 Dr. Raymond Lawrence, General Secretary of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy, and CPSP Diplomate and chair of the Accreditation Committee Dr. Cesar G. Espineda visited the Philippines to provide training and assessment for the clinical pastoral training being done.

On April 20, 2011, in a ceremony in Asin, Benguet, Philippines, Dr. Raymond Lawrence formally inaugurated the first CPSP Philippine Chapter, Baguio City. At the same event, Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center and the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary were designated as training centers of the CPSP in the Philippines. Dr. Ryan Clark, professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at the Seminary, and Ms. Celia Munson, the training coordinator for Bukal, represented these institutions at the event.

This new Chapter, the second Chapter in Asia after Hong Kong, is the culmination of work by Rev. Joel S. Aguirre, who has worked for several years seeking to improve clinical pastoral care, counseling, and chaplaincy in the Philippines. As part of this, in 2010 the CPE program of Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary was partnered with Bukal Life Ministries to form Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center, an ecumenical faith-based ministry in Baguio City, Philippines. From the beginning the goal of Bukal Life has been to provide clinically competent counseling and training within a faith context.

Read this full article on the Pastoral Report the online Journal of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy

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Clinical Pastoral Education

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