Clinical Pastoral Education

The 2008 Plenary of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy will be held March 31 through April 2, 2008, at the Wyndham Riverfront in North Little Rock Arkansas. Carolyn Cassin is an internationally recognized expert in end of life care, organizational management, and the efficient, effective delivery of healthcare services. Long considered a leader in the national healthcare community, in 1983 she helped guide the first Medicare reimbursement for hospice successfully through Congress. Since then, Carolyn has taken on the challenge of advancing both the quality and accessibility of hospice care. She has consulted with many principal healthcare leaders and advocates, including President Bill Clinton, Senator Bob Dole, Governor John Engler, Senator Carl Levin and Representative Leon Panetta. In 2002, Carolyn joined Continuum Hospice Care in New York City. Almost immediately and for the first time in its history, she led the hospice to profitability. In only four years, av...

We write on behalf of the Executive Committee of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP) to inform you of the current struggle between CPSP and the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) and to request your assistance and consultation. It has become clear in the past year that the ACPE has shifted its position vis-à-vis the CPSP from one of rigorous competition to one of a vicious campaign to discredit CPSP altogether. Our first thought was to counter this new campaign with a laundry list of ACPE shortcomings and failures. We are quite capable of this. Such a response would escalate the conflict far beyond what is now taking place. The thought of two religious groups fighting each other for the right to do the same kind of work frankly is unacceptable. We imagine what would be gained, for example, were the Methodists to launch a campaign to discredit the Presbyterians, and the latter responding in kind. The end result would be a disgrace to both parties...

In May of 2006 the ACPE Board of Representatives at it's spring meeting in Atlanta, a motion was adopted that ACPE accredited centers can no longer offer CPSP units of CPE training.The following reasons were presented as to the rational for the motion: MOTION # 43: ACCREDITATION OF DUALLY ALIGNED (CPSP AND ACPE) CENTERS Whereas, the Accreditation Commission has consistently received reports from students and seminaries of a lack of informed consent about the contrast of ACPE CPE and CPSP CPE; And whereas, the Accreditation Commission has experienced a lack of consistent application of the program standards of CPSP CPE programs, And whereas, the Accreditation Commission finds a lack of transparency with the organization of CPSP, its curriculum processes, And whereas, the Accreditation Commission has received reports ofACPE CPE centers who hire CPE Supervisors who have membership inboth organizations being dropped from the ACPE roster and offering only CPSP CPE after telling the hosp...

In its recent meeting with the Department of Education the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education reported that it had 254(1) accredited centers while claiming to have 350(2) accredited centers on the associations website. In the same vein the association’s website indicates there are about 600 CPE Supervisors(3) while reporting in its various newsletters that its active pool shrank from 588 to 536. The ACPE is currently unable to fill positions in some “19 centers across the country and this does not take into account multi-supervisor Centers who might currently be short staffed.” Notes: (1) Transcript ACPE/DOE December 2006 Hearing: “Currently, this Commission accredits 254 centers along with their programs. Recognition by the Secretary enables ACPE and its accredited centers and programs and/or students of these programs to participate in non-HEA programs, such as the International Exchange Visitors Program administered by the Department of State and the Veterans Educational Be...

Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) certification process experienced as "subjective and adversarial, without definable processes for advocacy and mentoring of candidates." REPORT OF THE ACPE PRESIDENTIAL TASK GROUP ON TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION AUGUST, 2006 Regarding certification: While our certifiers provide high quality and dedicated assessment, our standards for certification are open to subjective interpretation and often reflect differing understandings. Dominant and emerging concepts in supervisory education lack articulation and uniform understanding. The certification experience is sometimes surprising and painful and is occasionally perceived by candidates as failing to reflect the core values of our organization. The presenter's report, while typically reflecting a high level of insight and skill on the part of the writer, remains a tool of arguable value that demands a great deal of work from one person. At its best, the report clarifies and fo...

THE EFFECTS OF WAR ON PASTORAL CARE & COUNSELING by John DeVelder Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Joanne Martindale was the keynote speaker at the COMISS* Network Forum on Sunday, December 2, 2006 in Arlington, Va. Joanne, in civilian life, is the Director of Pastoral Care at Ancora State Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey. She supervises a staff of thirteen Chaplains. She has been active in the National Guard and has been called up for service in Iraq twice since the war began. She has been home from her last tour of duty for almost a year. While in Iraq Joanne was stationed in an installation near Tekrit, North of Baghdad. LTC Martindale was one of six out of 800 soldiers in her camp to receive the Bronze Star for exceptional service. LTC Martindale was asked to speak on the topic of The Effects of War on Pastoral Care and Counseling. Joanne began her story by talking about the effect of war on herself and family. Joanne and her husband Bob Cholke are raising two boys, ages ele...

The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education seeking Re-Recognition by the Department Of Education counseled to cease & desist a practice which "has frequently created problems and put students at risk" Department of Education evaluator, Ms. Jones, who recently attended meetings with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education directs ACPE to end a practice which "has frequently created problems and put students at risk." The issue, as outlined in the December 2006 edition of the ACPE North Central Region News, is as follows: There have been many occasions when ACPE supervisors, despite having clear guidelines in the Accreditation Manual and duly designated colleagues with whom to consult about accreditation processes, have initiated units in satellite or component sites that have not been assessed and approved by those charged with that task. Colleagues on accreditation committees have felt themselves held hostage there after by appeal to students' w...