PROFESSIONAL CHAPLAINCY

“The painful irony is that the minister, who wants to touch the center of men’s lives, finds himself on the periphery; often pleading in vain for admission….He never seems to be where the action is.” I wonder if this says more about Henri Nouwen than it does about the minister’s involvement in critical and crisis situations. “ The minister, the story tells us, is sitting among the poor, binding his/her wounds one at a time, waiting for the moment when he/she will be needed. The minister is called to be the wounded healer, the one who must look after his/her wounds and at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others.” --- Henri Nouwen. In his article titled “Wounded Healers”, Thomas Maeder quotes a child of psychiatrists (both parents): “I Think my parents were crazy, I think that, somehow, being psychiatrists kept them in line. They used it as a protection. They’re both quite crazy, but their jobs give them really good cover.” It is no secret that the so-called “helping...

For nearly a decade the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) has erroneously promoted itself as the only legitimate provider of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and, therefore, the only provider of CPE to qualify for Medicare Pass-through payments. Statements to this fact have been made by Lerrill White an ACPE supervisor and former ACPE President Bill Baugh. In addition former ACPE President James Stapleford further complicated the issue with the misleading comments that recognition by the Department of Education was a necessary qualifier to receiving such payments. The comments by these well known ACPE leaders carry authority and are misleading both to the ACPE membership and to the public at large. It is regrettable then that the ACPE Board of Representatives has failed to take any corrective action to publicly correct the erroneous comments made by some of the organizations most prominent members. One might conclude that the ACPE membership is not well served by its...

The College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy is unique among the national pastoral care training, certifying and accrediting agencies in that CPSP is a covenanting community. At the heart of the CPSP community is a covenant of mutual accountability grounded in the concept that people are more important than institutions. Believing that life is best lived by grace, the CPSP community places a premium on the significance of relationships between its members. What other organizations attempt to legislate for by standards CPSP is by nature, a community of professional accountability. The CPSP advantage is that people come first. The Covenant of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy Spiritual pilgrims We, the CPSP members see ourselves as spiritual pilgrims seeking a truly collegial professional community. Our calling and commitments are, therefore, first and last theological. We covenant to address one another and to be addressed by one another in a profound the...

OPEN LETTER TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION (ACPE) The ACPE has lately been taking the low road in its competition with CPSP. Its information and announcements have been marked by faulty claims and aggression. I urge the leadership to consider taking the high road of competitiveness supported by a gracious collegiality. The larger community needs a healthy, decent ACPE that travels the high road. We in CPSP especially need for the ACPE to travel that road. We share a crucially important common task. There is plenty of work for both communities. Besides that, ten, twenty, fifty, or a hundred years from now, when small-minded persons take over the leadership in the CPSP, some of us might ourselves seek another, kinder community, one that fosters justice truth, and a generosity of spirit. Raymond J. Lawrence General Secretary College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy

Keep a breast of Chaplaincy, Pastoral Care and Spiritual Care job openings by visiting Chaplaincy-Jobs at: http://chaplaincy-jobs.blogspot.com/ Chaplaincy-Jobs is a listing of current chaplaincy and pastoral care job openings automatically updated on a daily basis. Good luck with the job search.

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), pre...

Reflections On John Edgerton’s National Clinical Training Seminar Presentation by Linda Walsh I was grateful to be at the NCTS. John Edgarton is a master storyteller - using visions of scary woods, dogs and loving relatives to lure us into the experiential and effective lesson of the Narrative as a vehicle for transformation and liberation. Each patient's story unlocks a subversive message of hope...a liberation process to transcend the sorrow. He urged his audience to search the patient's biography to discover the "Holy", like a muse, to reflect that God has been there all along. John's compelling personal disclosure woven through contextual references personalized, for me, the responsibility we carry in this spiritual role. In therapy we expose our own story and awareness - but in clinical practice we take that same story objectively and use it to assist and build strength in others. The good news is that each CPSP meeting is experiencing larger multi-cultural a...