| The American Chaplain Training Institute At Saint James College Seminary |
Each chaplaincy position has its own
unique requirements but, increasingly,
employers seek chaplains with CPE's.
unique requirements but, increasingly,
employers seek chaplains with CPE's.
C P E
Information
Information
What is a CPE, actually?
A CPE is a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education. To earn CPE's, students must complete our online accelerated learner
Fast-Track Program, and also satisfy the requirement for a practicum, internship, or field study as defined on this helpful
information page. Additional units may be earned at a later date, if desired, with our affordable, online Continuing Education
courses.
Also, we offer Chaplain Professional Education units, which are very similar, only they may be earned through course work
alone.
Here are the answers to your CPE questions
Q &A
What does the CPE training include, and how much is the tuition?
- The total tuition cost is only $950, a fraction of other programs. Plus, you may finance at 0% interest!
- You learn the basics of clinical ministry and chaplaincy
- You learn how an interfaith, non-denominational chaplain works with people in a spiritual context without trying to
- convert them to his or her personal beliefs.
- Learn how to understand and follow the policies and
procedures of the institution where you are working, whether it
is a hospital, prison, long term care facility, or Hospice. - Basic counseling techniques
- Basics of Grief Work
- You will learn how to work not only with the patient but also with
his or her loved ones, family, friends, and co-workers - Learn Pastoral Care and Supervision basics
- You will learn essentials of Comparative World Religions since
patients arrive at your facility from a wide variety of different
faith backgrounds. You will gain the skills needed to assist
- people belonging to religions and engaging in spiritual practices that are widely different from your own.
- Our Chaplaincy students learn how to pray (both with and for) clients belonging to a wide variety of world religions,
invoking God's blessing, healing, and assistance, without offending or pushing away the very people you are charged
with helping through a difficult time. - Your training will also include the essentials of dovetailing, or interfacing your Chaplaincy duties with other caregivers in
your institution, including administrators, nurses, physicians and, perhaps most importantly, the all-important team of
social workers - You will also learn that Chaplaincy does not consist merely of a single-focus: as a Certified Professional Chaplain
graduate of our ground-breaking program, you may decide to specialize, just as do physicians and nurses. Examples of
the specialties available to you include:
- Pastoral or church / synagogue chaplaincy
- Hospital Chaplaincy
- Hospice or Palliative Care Chaplaincy
- Corrections Chaplaincy
- Military
- Police - Fire - First Responder
- Civic Organization
- Private Chaplain with your own office and healing practice
- Animal ministry, working also with the owners of beloved pets
| Why is a practicum or internship important to me? As we said above, increasingly, agencies that employ chaplains, particularly Hospice organizations, require not only the world-class chaplaincy education that you receive here, but they also want to see evidence of actual, hands-on experience. Since Clinical Pastoral Educational units are earned in part by completing a brief practicum, field study, or internship, the candidate does then have actual background in working directly with patients, patient families, staff, administration, and community resources. Because the chaplaincy field has pretty much been limited to the military until recent years, just about anybody could claim to be a
qualified for the uniquely complex duties of a Chaplain.. The Women's College, our parent organization, and sister seminaries realized the importance of establishing a set of consistent national standards. These would enable prospective employers to better determine if an applicant's qualifications are truly consistent with others working in the field elsewhere in the country!
Clinical Pastoral Education units, students must have clinical experience out in the field.
satisfy the requirement for a practicum, internship, or field study as defined on this helpful courses. YOU MAY ALSO EARN CHAPLAIN PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION units that do not require field study, internships, etc. The two forms of CPE are very similar, only the CHAPLAIN PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION units may be earned through course work alone |
| Can I become a certified chaplain with your program? Absolutely! We are the only college-seminary chaplain training program in existence, although there are private, church, and some non-profit programs offering chaplain training. But, being a college seminary, our trustees long ago established The American Chaplain Training Institute to offer a chaplain education program that would feature consistency across the entire nation and across all denominational lines. Although there are other non-college seminary agencies which issue credentials, online adult students in our program automatically graduate as CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL CHAPLAINS. There is no extra cost. This is the outcome you achieve when completing our program. While you may achieve higher credential such as Certified Professional Griefworker status if you desire, your chaplaincy certification is for life with no annual fees tacked on as a money making venture for our school. |
C P E
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Will I have to be ordained...or have a Masters in Divinity?
- You will NOT be required to be ordained, nor have a Master of Divinity degree, to be enrolled in our Certified Professional
Chaplain program. - However, some employers may require one or both. If they do, The Women's College Seminary offers both Ordination and
Divinity Degree training. The tuitions can be combined, along with the curricula. That way, you do not have to repeat lessons
to complete a requirement for one program when a very similar one is required for the other. This also saves a considerable
amount on tuitions. We also offer PhD and Doctor of Divinity degree studies to adult learners through our accelerated Fast-
Track online training programs.
| What do I actually receive when I complete your course? Upon graduation from your accelerated Fast-Track online program, you will receive a diploma with raised embossed seal, a Photo ID badge, and a letter from the Chancellor confirming that you have earned Certified Professional Chaplain status. |
| Earn your Certified Professional Chaplain status online in our accelerated Fast-Track adult learner program! |
The history of CPE's is interesting and may prove helpful to you:
created the field of social work as we know it today...and also Chaplaincy. He believed firmly in the need for the reconciliation of religion and science. Cabot was convinced that many of the physical ills afflicting patients - even those who were dying - were the result of economic, social, psychological, and family circumstances. He fervently believed that the well-trained pastoral practitioners that we now think of as chaplains could work side-by-side with physicians and the essential social workers. To accomplish this, Dr. Cabot took students out of the classroom and placed them in hospitals and other health-related facilities under the direct supervision of trained practitioners. The idea was to utilize the power of "pastoral relationships" that could be developed through a combining of patients' "personal histories," psychology, social circumstances, and the development of an active sense of spirituality. Cabot was followed by The Reverend Anton Boisen, who took the physician's important ideas and refined them into a very early form of the Clinical Pastoral Education programming that we would recognize today. Our American Chaplain Training Institute has brought Dr. Cabot's and Reverend Boisen's pioneering work into the 21st Century by combining adult college seminary education with solid professional supervision and hands-on field study practica. By setting their written studies aside temporarily, our students gain important insights and rapport with clients/patients that enable them to understand -- to truly feel the daily circumstances which suffering people must endure on a daily basis. We believe that only then sacred Pastoral Care can begin! We hope that you will join us! SEND IN YOUR APPLICATION |
| Capt. Rondell Brown, Navy Chaplain |
What is a Practicum?
CPE's must participate in a service practicum. These usually involve working as a volunteer in your chosen Chaplaincy field, such as hospital, Hospice, Long Term Care, animal shelter, pastoral, etc. This typically involves becoming a non-professional temporary "intern" or shadowing a on service, depending on the number of hours worked each week. We are also able to give credit for practical experience you are gaining at this time, or have obtained in the past. We will gladly assist you in arranging your practicum experience. |
| Dr. Richard Cabot Pub.domn |
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