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VA Clinical Pastoral Education Requirements for Chaplains

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 trainingPlease 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 Psychotherapy230.

Objectives of CPE:

CPE is designed to provide theological and professional education utilizing theclinical 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 theclinical 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 theunderstanding of the self as the principal tool in pastoral care andcounseling. 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 personsand 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 behaviorand the variety of group experiences, and to utilize the support,confrontation and clarification of the peer group for the integration ofpersonal attributes and pastoral functioning.

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

230.9 To demonstrate the ability to utilize individual supervision forpersonal and professional growth and for developing the capacity to evaluateone’s ministry.

230.10 To demonstrate the ability to work as a pastoral member on aninterdisciplinary 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 practicePastoral 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 periodAn individual contract for learning

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

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