What is CPE?

Clinical Pastoral Education is professional training for pastoral care/counselling work. An action-reflection model of adult education, CPE is based on the interaction between a student's pastoral work and reflection within a supervised peer group. Those with whom one works are the “living human documents”, and are therefore, “the textbook for the course”. Through their reflection on pastoral encounters, peers and teaching supervisors provide helpful feedback to the student in developing self-awareness as a pastoral care/counsellor. This allows the pastoral encounter to speak in a formative way. The CPE environment provides the student the opportunity to reach out in new ways, to take risks to grow in his/her personal and pastoral identity. CPE provides a safe and educational environment for this process.

Brief History of Clinical Pastoral Education

In the 1920's Dr. Richard Cabot developed clinical pastoral education (CPE) as a method of learning pastoral practice in a clinical setting under super-vision.

Anton T. Boisen developed the concept to include a case study method of learning which he called ‘The Study of the Living Human Document'. As CPE developed, other fields of learning – medicine, psychology and the behavioural sciences – opened their doors to integrate this knowledge into pastoral practice.

CPE grew and developed over the years and in 1967, the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), an Inter-Faith Organisation, was formed. ACPE has many training Programmes in hospitals, institutions and universities throughout the United States.

Thus ACPE became the standard setting, accrediting, resource agency in the field of clinical pastoral education. It accredits centres of clinical pastoral education to offer Programmes and certify teaching supervisors to run these Programmes.

• ACPE accredited centres offer clinical pastoral education in the following -
• training for pastoral care/counselling,
• training for those who wish to work in institutions and journey with people of all faiths and belief systems,
• training for certification as a teaching supervisor of clinical pastoral education;
• training for other specialised ministries.

Universities and colleges give academic credit for clinical pastoral education according to the credit system of each university/college.

CPE IN SINGAPORE, 2005

In 2004, the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood and the Board of Management of Mount Alvernia Hospital approved and funded clinical pastoral education Programmes to be formally established in Singapore. They invited Una Boland, a founder member of ACPE (Ireland) and the director of CPE in Cork University Hospital, Ireland, to come to Singapore. She was asked to establish ACPE (Singapore) and to set up and run the CPE Programme in Mount Alvernia Hospital, Singapore.

Levels of Training

1. Level I

Level I CPE consists of at least two units totalling 800 hours of education.

Objectives

The objectives of CPE Level I provide the opportunity for development of the personal and pastoral identity of the student and to assist the growth of the student's professional competence in pastoral care/counselling.

Goals

• The development of the student's understanding of him/herself as pastoral care counsellor and how this work affects others.
• To help the student use the clinical method of learning (action/reflection) both in individual supervision and in the peer group situation to learn the skills necessary for pastoral work.
• To increase the student's theological/spiritual understanding of issues arising from his/her experience.
• To help the student become more aware of how his/her attitudes, values and assumptions affect his/her pastoral work.

2. Level 2

This is a more intense level of CPE. It follows on basic training and consists of at least two more units totalling 800 of education.

The objectives of Level 2 CPE provide the opportunity for studying at a more advanced level so as to prepare students for specialised placements, research and/or teaching/supervisory CPE training.

• To develop the ability to make use of theological/spiritual understanding and knowledge of behavioural sciences in pastoral care/counselling.
• To acquire self-knowledge to a degree that permits pastoral care/counselling to be offered within the strengths and limitations of one's own person.
• To develop the ability to work as a pastoral member of a multi-disciplinary team and to assume a leadership role when necessary.
• To develop one's pastoral understanding and skill in a variety of functions such as teaching, administration, leadership, pastoral care/counselling.
• To be competent in self-evaluation and the use of peer group evaluation of pastoral work.
• To show an increased ability to deal with theological/spiritual and moral issues.

Candidates are assessed by ACPE (Singapore) before being admitted to each grade of the following supervisory training process.

3. Teacher/Supervisor in training

The level of those admitted to learn the art and skill of teacher/supervisor.

4. Associate Teacher/Supervisor

The level of one qualified to supervise a programme within an established training centre.

5. Teacher/Supervisor

The level of one qualified to work independently.

For course schedule and application, please refer to here

Internship

The internship programme is designed for those persons seeking a more intense and comprehensive CPE training experience. This is a nine-month, three unit CPE programme that offers students an opportunity to work in a pastoral placement, reflect and learn in greater depth and intensity.