Clinical Pastoral Education

College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy 2012 Plenary

2012-02-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

A Gathering Together…

On behalf of the CPSP Plenary Organizing Committee, we warmly invite you to join us for the 2012 gathering of the CPSP Community. We will meet March 24 through March 28, 2012 at the Doubletree Hotel & Suites, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Location…

The Doubletree Hotel & Suites is situated in a prime location, right in the middle of Pittsburgh’s vibrant downtown. A block of rooms have been reserved at a special rate of $119.00 per night. The rooms will be available until March 4, 2012 or until the room block is sold out. You can reserve your room online by clicking here or by calling (412)281-5800. The hotel has a courtesy shuttle service from Pittsburgh International Airport.

Speakers…

The 2012 Plenary speaker is Kimberly Garner, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.F.P. Dr. Garner will address the Current State of the Art of Assessing an Individual's Readiness to Discuss Advance Care Planning from a Palliative Care Perspective. Advances in medical care and technology can prolong an individual’s life expectancy and blur the boundaries between life and death, dramatically impacting how they may experience the end of their life. There is some evidence that the treatment people would want to receive when faced with the end of life is often different from the treatment they actually receive. To read more about Dr. Garner’s please click here. A full day of pre-conference workshops is scheduled for Sunday March 25, 2012 more details will follow.

Working Conference…

Please remember, as with all CPSP gatherings, that this is a working conference!

All registrants are requested to bring a paper or clinical case for presentation. The heart of the CPSP gathering is the mutual sharing of our work and our lives with each other. Thus, each participant is expected to come prepared to share something from his or her life or work in a small group context.

There are no ground rules about what particular individuals may decide to share. The small consultation groups have become a highly significant part of the community gathering.

The small consultation groups represent the CPSP community’s commitment to hearing and responding to each voice in the community. These small provide the context for both care and consultation to each other.

Video Post Cards CPSP Voices from Past Plenary Gatherings of the Community

2012-01-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

ACPE CPSP Mediation Agreement Broken

2012-01-04T12:42:00.000-08:00

TO MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF CPSP

AND TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE CLINICAL PASTORAL COMMUNITY

The leadership of CPSP regrets to inform you that the mediation process between CPSP and ACPE has broken down. The Mediation Agreement which was signed with high hopes in Philadelphia, November 30, 2010, by the leadership of both organizations, and which created a good spirit and considerable optimism in the larger clinical pastoral field, has been critically breached.

The rupture has come about as a result of a threat from ACPE against the Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center's chaplaincy program as it goes for re-accreditation in January. The medical center’s clinical training program is directed by John deVelder has been accredited by ACPE for several decades. DeVelder is a certified CPE Supervisor with both ACPE and CPSP credentials. He is a prominent clinical pastoral supervisor, well-respected, past President of CPSP and former Chair of the COMISS Network.

The hospital was informed by ACPE that its accreditation would be in jeopardy if it failed to disassociate itself officially from CPSP. Since the hospital's administration did not want a fight on its hands between two accrediting organizations, it forced deVelder to resign from CPSP on December 16.

The 2010 Mediation Agreement was posited on the mutual agreement that ACPE would no longer enforce the hostile and derogatory language that had earlier been made official in the so-called ACPE "Motion 43." That article publicly describes CPSP programs as lacking in "consistent application of program standards…" and marked by "a lack of transparency" as well as unfair market practices. Such charges are without substance, and are clearly incongruent with the Mediation Agreement. Furthermore, such accusations are unbecoming of any clinical pastoral community's description of another, unless substantiated by persuasive evidence.

The 2010 Mediation Agreement states explicitly that ACPE and CPSP will refrain from mutual disparagement, or of judging the respective value of the other organization's programs.

ACPE has damaged the reputation of CPSP at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, and done so without a basis in fact. No self-respecting community can sit idle while its reputation is being tarnished in this way.

Therefore CPSP is requesting that the two organizations return to the negotiating table without delay in order to resolve in the best way possible the damage inflicted on CPSP at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center.

The clinical training movement is a relatively small part of the wider culture. The work we are called to do is currently imperiled by many forces beyond our control. All the organizations in our field need to support one another as much as we are able. Ruthless competition amongst us is damaging to the entire movement.

As leaders in the field of religion and counseling we will bring shame on ourselves and the entire clinical pastoral movement if we are not able quickly to repair this breach and restore amicable relations between ACPE and CPSP.

We in CPSP are committed to the redemptive process in all human relationships and remain committed to the Mediation Agreement signed November, 30, 2010. We urge the ACPE to abide by that agreement as the only basis for a continuing collegial relationship between the two communities.

We are hopeful about the possibilities of repairing the damage done the clinical pastoral movement at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, and we urge the leadership of ACPE to join us at the negotiating table in an attempt to undo this damage.

Raymond J. Lawrence

General Secretary, CPSP

For More Information:
http://www.pastoralreport.com/the_archives/2012/01/to_members_and.html#more

Relationships Prosper Between CPSP & ACPE

2011-11-23T09:32:00.001-08:00

At this Thanksgiving season we in CPSP have much to be thankful for. We are prospering as a community both in this country and overseas. We have come into our own as a significant community among the many communities that promote clinical pastoral work.

We are also approaching November 30, the first anniversary of the Mediation Agreement signed by the ACPE and CPSP, signed appropriately enough in Philadelphia. This agreement put an end to two decades of animosity that was subverting the high goals of both communities.

We are grateful especially to leaders of the Religious Endorsing Bodies without whom this agreement might ever have come to fruition. We are grateful, and we look forward to a deepening sense of collegiality between the two communities.

The members of the CPSP Mediation Team who, with our ACPE colleagues brought this agreement to pass, are Jim Gebhart, Perry Miller, George Hankins-Hull, and me.

In February a subcommittee was appointed to undertake the detailed discussions with our ACPE colleagues as they implemented the Agreement. This sub-committee has had one face to face meeting and numerous phone meetings. Jim Gebhart chairs this committee, which includes Annari Griesel and John deVelder. They have addressed and are continuing to address several complaints that have been presented from our side to ACPE of possible violations of the Mediation Agreement.

We have every hope that this dialogue group will continue its work in the positive and cooperative spirit in which it began.

We believe we are entering a new era in which the ACPE and CPSP will be more fully colleagues in our common work. And for that anticipation we can all be very thankful.

Given our progress together we are thankful that we seem to have entered a new era of mutual collegiality as becomes our common calling.

I wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving.

-Raymond J. Lawrence, CPSP General Secretary

Read the Pastoral Report the on-line Journal of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy

College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy 2012 Plenary

2011-11-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

The 2012 CPSP Plenary March 25th-March 28th 2012 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Kimberly Garner, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.F.P. will be the Plenary speaker at the 2012 Gathering of the CPSP community.

Dr. Kimberly Garner is a staff physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs at the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is also an assistant professor of Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Dr. Garner is the medical director of the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System which is a specialized intermediate unit which provides an interdisciplinary team approach in an inpatient setting.

The GEM specifically addresses relatively recent and potentially reversible loss of physical or cognitive function using a rehabilitation model. This involves a multidisciplinary, including occupational and kinesiotherapists, assessment. The primary goal is to promote functional well-being that allows re-entry into the community at the most independent and least restrictive level of care for chronic and seriously ill Veterans. She is currently conducting research to develop methods to engage Veterans and care providers in effective communication about advance care planning.

Dr. Garner received a juris doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law and a master’s of public health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She received a B.S. in dietetics from Louisiana Tech University and her M.D. degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

During the 2012 CPSP Plenary Dr. Garner will address the Current State of the Art of Assessing an Individual's Readiness to Discuss Advance Care Planning from a Palliative Care Perspective.

Advances in medical care and technology can prolong an individual’s life expectancy and blur the boundaries between life and death, dramatically impacting how they may experience the end of their life. There is some evidence that the treatment people would want to receive when faced with the end of life is often different from the treatment they actually receive.

In most cases, individuals may receive more aggressive care than desired, prolonging their death and potentially increasing their suffering. However, this may also result in some individuals not receiving all the care they desire.

Palliative care is founded on the principles of identifying patient preferences and attempting to achieve those wishes. Identifying readiness to discuss a patient’s wishes is a foundational skill for palliative care and other healthcare providers who provide end-of-life care. Research in this area supports that the most successful interventions by providers are those that are iterative and tailor information based on the individuals’ readiness for engagement and participation. The Transtheoretical Model Stages of Change is a model that has been used successfully to identify an individual’s readiness to discuss preferences and wishes.

Visit the Pastoral Report the online Journal of The College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy

Authority, Power & Sucession in Organizational life Today

2011-09-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems Annual Residential Group Relations Conference January 16-20, 2012

Whether planned or unplanned, sudden or gradual, peaceful or conflict-laden, organizational change, especially succession in leadership, carries with it opportunities and risks, excitement and anxiety. It mobilizes ambitions, brings new skill sets to the fore, and highlights limitations, not only at the upper levels of the organization but throughout it.

Authority must be both claimed and negotiated, and power issues are inevitably mobilized. How do dynamics arising in a context of succession affect the success of an organization? What relationship dilemmas arise? What needs to be worked through and how is this accomplished?

More Information can be found on the AKRI website http://www.akriceinstitute.org/
You can also register directly on the CCGSS website www.csgss.org.

UPDATE ON THE ACPE-CPSP MEDIATION PROCESS By Raymond J. Lawrence, CPSP General Secretary

2011-08-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

CPSP continues to be in conversation with the ACPE as both sides continue to work together to implement the Joint Mediation agreement reached on November 30th, 2010. The mediation agreement stipulates that each organization will refrain from misrepresentations or disparagements of the other.

The CPSP Mediation Committee consists of Perry Miller, George Hull, Jim Gebhart, and Raymond Lawrence. Jim Gebhart was appointed chair of a mediation team to meet on a continuing basis with its ACPE counterparts in an effort to implement the Mediation Agreement. Annari Griesel and John deVelder are members of that team. The implementation team has been in dialogue with its ACPE correspondents during the past several months. They have processed six complaints about violations of the agreement by ACPE persons. The complaints have been processed or are in process currently.

There have been no identified complaints about CPSP behavior. We urge all members of the CPSP community to continue to abide by the terms of the Mediation Agreement and to refrain from any disparagement or misrepresentation of ACPE programs. At the same time, we urge persons in both communities to report without delay to the Mediation Team any incidents that may represent disparagement or misrepresentation of either organization. We anticipate that such reporting will eventually result in mutual respect between ACPE and CPSP.

Click here to Read the ACPE CPSP Joint Mediation Statement

Read the Pastoral Report Online Newsletter of CPSP

2012 CPSP Plenary Gathering

2011-08-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

The 2012 CPSP Plenary March 25th-March 28th 2012 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The 2012 CPSP Plenary gathering will take place at Doubletree Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh City Center. The hotel is situated in a prime location, which is right in the middle of Pittsburgh’s vibrant downtown.

A block of rooms have been reserved March 24, 2012-March 28, 2012. The special room rate, $119.00, will be available until March 4th or until the room block is sold out. You can reserve your room by clicking on the following link: Doubletree Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh City Center

We look forward to seeing you in Pittsburg March 25th-March 28th 2012.

Visit the Pastoral Report for more information about CPSP:

Pastoral Report

CPSP is committed to making Clinical Pastoral Training affordable

George Hankins Hull
CPSP Plenary Secretary

UAMS Clinical Pastoral Education Residency Openings

2011-06-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

UAMS Clinical Pastoral Education Residency Openings

UAMS Clinical Pastoral Education Residency Program

The Clinical Pastoral Education training program focuses on the development of self-awareness, formation of pastoral identity, professional functioning, and the ability to address issues from a competent clinical and pastoral perspective.

The CPE residency program is designed for the ordained person with a seminary degree and at least one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education. On occasion, a lay person may qualify for admission. CPE residents and interns serve as ecumenical chaplains, under supervision, to assigned areas throughout the UAMS Medical Center and clinics. The setting provides a rich base for clinical experience and opportunities for continued personal, professional and pastoral development.

The UAMS Clinical Pastoral Training programs follow the standards set by the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy (CPSP), the accrediting organization. A typical unit of CPE requires a minimum of 400 hours of supervised ministry in a clinical setting.

Stipend: 25,000 plus medical benefits: This training opportunity carries on call responsibilities

George Hankins Hull
Director of Pastoral Care &
Clinical Pastoral Education Programs
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
4301 W. Markham St. #561,
Little Rock, AR 72205

(501) 686-6888

College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy First Philippine Chapter

2011-05-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

Dr. Raymond Lawrence with Rev. Aguirre and the CPE supervisory team at Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center

In April and May of 2011 Dr. Raymond Lawrence, General Secretary of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy, and CPSP Diplomate and chair of the Accreditation Committee Dr. Cesar G. Espineda visited the Philippines to provide training and assessment for the clinical pastoral training being done.

On April 20, 2011, in a ceremony in Asin, Benguet, Philippines, Dr. Raymond Lawrence formally inaugurated the first CPSP Philippine Chapter, Baguio City. At the same event, Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center and the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary were designated as training centers of the CPSP in the Philippines. Dr. Ryan Clark, professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at the Seminary, and Ms. Celia Munson, the training coordinator for Bukal, represented these institutions at the event.

This new Chapter, the second Chapter in Asia after Hong Kong, is the culmination of work by Rev. Joel S. Aguirre, who has worked for several years seeking to improve clinical pastoral care, counseling, and chaplaincy in the Philippines. As part of this, in 2010 the CPE program of Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary was partnered with Bukal Life Ministries to form Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center, an ecumenical faith-based ministry in Baguio City, Philippines. From the beginning the goal of Bukal Life has been to provide clinically competent counseling and training within a faith context.

Read this full article on the Pastoral Report the online Journal of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy

CPSP Diversity a Living Reality

2011-05-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

At a Glance one can see that for CPSP diversity is a fact of life.

CPSP creates community through relationships of accountability and ongoing professional development. The CPSP covenant is the bond that holds the CPSP community together in a way that promotes clinical pastoral competency through ongoing face to face relationships of accountability.

The CPSP Covenant:

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 theological sense. We commit to being mutually responsible to one another for our professional work and direction.

Matters that are typically dealt with in other certifying bodies by centralized governance will be dealt with primarily in Chapters. Thus, we organize ourselves in such a way that we each participate in a relatively small group called a Chapter consisting of approximately a dozen colleagues. Teaching or counseling programs directed by CPSP Diplomates are the primary responsibility of the Chapter.

We commit ourselves to a galaxy of shared values that are as deeply held as they are difficult to communicate. “Recovery of soul” is a metaphor that points toward these values. We place a premium on the significance of the relationships among ourselves. We value personal authority and creativity. We believe we should make a space for one another and stand ready to midwife one another in our respective spiritual journeys. Because we believe that life is best lived by grace, we believe it essential to guard against becoming invasive, aggressive, or predatory toward each other. We believe that persons are always more important than institutions, and even the institution of CPSP itself must be carefully monitored lest it take on an idolatrous character.

We intend to travel light, to own no property, to accumulate no wealth, and to create no bureaucracy. We are invested in offering a living experience that reflects human life and faith within a milieu of supportive and challenging community of fellow pilgrims.

To learn more about the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy click on the link below to visit the Pastoral Report:

CPSP Pastoral Report

CPSP A Truly Environmentally Responsible Organization

2011-04-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

The uniqueness of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy is that CPSP is a covenant community. One of the most significant aspects of the CPSP covenant is the commitment to travel light. Traveling light means among other things that CPSP is committed to owning no buildings and having no paid professional staff. This means that the CPSP community is not burdened by high due structures needed to maintain corporate headquarters and to pay high salaried executives. Thus, the very way in which CPSP organizes its common life together provides a significant alternative to corporate models of governance that truly flourishes and prospers. Owning no buildings means that CPSP has the least carbon footprint of any organization in the clinical pastoral care and training movement. Consequently, CPSP is an environmentally responsible organization by virtue of the CPSP covenant. The CPSP covenant really makes CPSP a different kind of professional community and making a difference is in essence what CPSP as a community is all about.

The CPSP Covenant:

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 theological sense. We commit to being mutually responsible to one another for our professional work and direction.

Matters that are typically dealt with in other certifying bodies by centralized governance will be dealt with primarily in Chapters. Thus, we organize ourselves in such a way that we each participate in a relatively small group called a Chapter consisting of approximately a dozen colleagues. Teaching or counseling programs directed by CPSP Diplomates are the primary responsibility of the Chapter.

We commit ourselves to a galaxy of shared values that are as deeply held as they are difficult to communicate. “Recovery of soul” is a metaphor that points toward these values. We place a premium on the significance of the relationships among ourselves. We value personal authority and creativity. We believe we should make a space for one another and stand ready to midwife one another in our respective spiritual journeys. Because we believe that life is best lived by grace, we believe it essential to guard against becoming invasive, aggressive, or predatory toward each other. We believe that persons are always more important than institutions, and even the institution of CPSP itself must be carefully monitored lest it take on an idolatrous character.

We intend to travel light, to own no property, to accumulate no wealth, and to create no bureaucracy. We are invested in offering a living experience that reflects human life and faith within a milieu of supportive and challenging community of fellow pilgrims.

To Learn more about CPSP click here

2011 CPSP PLENARY INVITATION & SCHEDULES

2011-03-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

On behalf of the CPSP Plenary organizing committee, we warmly invite you to join us for the 21st gathering of the CPSP community. We meet at the Sheraton Oceanfront Hotel Virginia Beach, Virginia March 27th -30th. We are delighted to have the Rev. Dr. John Patton as our plenary speaker. Dr. Patton served as the Director of the Georgia Association of Pastoral Care & Counselling. He is Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia and a retired ACPE Supervisor. He is a pastoral counsellor and marriage therapist.

Dr. Patton is a prolific writer in the clinical pastoral field. Some of his writings include:
Is Human Forgiveness Possible, Pastoral Care in Context, Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide and From Ministry to Theology: Pastoral action & Reflection. He is also an associate Editor of Abington’s Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling and a retired Methodist minister.

The CPSP plenary gathering is unique in many ways and one of the most important aspects of our gathering is the mutual sharing of our work and our lives in a small group context. Please come prepared to share yourself and your clinical work as we come together to hear each and to respond to each voice in the community.

Your participation in the gathering is essential to the success of the event and we look forward to your arrival.

Blessings,

Barbara McGuire
Al Henager
George Hankins Hull
CPSP 2011 Plenary Organizing Committee

DOWNLOAD: 2011 CPSP PLENARY PRE-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

DOWNLLOAD: 2011 CPSP PLENARY SCHEDULE

CPSP 2011 Plenary Speaker Professor John Patton

2010-12-17T08:26:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Plenary of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy will be held March 27-30, 2011 at the Sheraton Oceanfront Hotel Virginia Beach VA.

We are pleased to announce John Patton as the Plenary speaker.

CPSP has a tradition of honoring and listening to the living patriarchs of the clinical pastoral community. John Patton is one of those living patriarchs. This will be his first time on the platform at a CPSP Plenary. We are honored to have him.

John is Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia and a retired ACPE Supervisor. He has practiced as marriage and family therapist is the author of many books including: Is Human Forgiveness Possible, Pastoral Care in Context, Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide and From Ministry to Theology, Pastoral Action & Reflection. John is also an associate Editor of Abingdon’s Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling and a retired United Methodist minister.

The room rate for the event is $99 per night. Contact the Sheraton:

888-627 8231 or
757-425-9000

ACPE & CPSP Reach Mediation Agreement

2010-12-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Representatives from the ACPE and CPSP met in Philadelphia on November 30, in an attempt to mediate their twenty-one year conflict. They used the services of JAMS, and in particular, retired federal court judge Diane Welsh who served as mediator.

The results of this mediation exceeded our expectations, as you can see in the joint statement below. I want to thank the members of our delegation and to praise them for their wisdom and conciliatory posture. Our team consisted of Jim Gebhart and George Hankins-Hull who with me were mediators, as well as Perry Miller and Charles R. Hicks, our attorney, were also present and participated in the decision. (Our original six-person team of mediators and consultants was reduced to five with the death of John Edgerton.) On the ACPE side were Teresa Snorton, Sally Schwab, and Tim Thorstenson.

If we succeed in living up to this agreement we will have marked a sea change in the clinical pastoral community. This will mean that ACPE and CPSP will continue in their respective missions without mutual disparagement of the other’s programs or procedures.

We owe a special thanks to the leaders of the Religious Endorsing Bodies (REBS) who last year made a public call for an end to hostilities. I believe that this prophetic witness played a large role in bringing the parties to the table.

Mediation requires give and take on both sides. We appreciate the willingness of the representatives of ACPE to have engaged fully and responsibly in this vigorous and spirited process.

Let us all resolve to implement faithfully this historic agreement and ensure that its spirit is maintained into the future.

Raymond J. Lawrence, CPSP General Secretary
lawarence@cpsp.org

Click Here To Download the ACPE CPSP Joint Statement

National Association of Catholic Chaplains Assumes Management of the Failed Spiritual Care Collaborative

2010-11-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Following the withdrawal of the Association of Professional Chaplains from the Spiritual Care Collaborative the National Association of Catholic Chaplains assumed management responsibilities for SCC. The SCC has yet to make a public announcement on its website as to the recent split in its organization. The SCC had initially made some big claims to effect a change in the Clinical Pastoral Care and Training movement and now the SCC itself is charged with lacking vision and being too costly.

Association of Professional Chaplains Quits the Spiritual Care Collaborative

2010-10-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Spiritual Care Collaborative "has no specific goals, outcomes or joint projects in the horizon"

At its fall 2010 meeting, the APC Board of Directors passed the motion that the Association of Professional Chaplains withdraw from formal participation in the Spiritual Care Collaborative.

The reasom given by APC's outging president, Sue Wintz, for the APC withdrawal is that "the SCC has no specific goals, outcomes or joint projects in the horizon. The APC board determined it was not a good use of organizational funds, or volunteer and staff resources, to continue to pay the yearly dues of SCC or participate in monthly conference calls."

To read the full APC announcement follow the link below:

Association of Professional Chaplains Discontinues Spiritual Care Collaborative Participation

CPSP CPE Trained Chaplains Gaining Ground in The US Army Corps

2010-10-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

When newly ‘minted’ Army Chaplain Pete Christian recently graduated in September 2010 from the US Army Chaplain Basic Course in Fort Jackson, North Carolina he also soon afterwards became the first CPSP CPE trained Army Chaplain to receive the US Army 7- Sierra clinical specialty designator for Chaplains who have successfully completed advance training and demonstrated clinical competence in healthcare ministry.

Owing to a recent change in Army leadership and policy, CPSP CPE trained Army chaplains who have successfully completed their CPE training in a medical center/hospital are now eligible (just like ACPE trained Chaplains) to apply for this Army Chaplain Corps clinical specialty designator.Chaplain Christian completed his CPE training at the VA Medical Center, in Salt Lake City, Utah where his CPE Supervisor, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Allison, who is also the State Chaplain for the Utah National Guard, said “I am doubly pleased about this news and shift in Army policy…both for Pete and for all current and future CPSP CPE trained Army Chaplains.”
To find out more about the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy read the Pastoral Report the online Journal of CPSP

Fall 2010 CPSP National Clinical Training Seminar Making Waves

2010-08-04T06:24:00.000-07:00

The National Clinical Training Seminar (NCTS) is right around the corner.

The NCTS will meet October 11 and 12th, 2010. IMPORTANT: The event will be held in a new venue: Stella Maris Retreat Center located at 981 Ocean Avenue, Elberon, NJ 07740.

Our theme for the upcoming fall NCTS is: “On the Varieties of Courage: Anton Boisen, Daniel Berrigan, Frank Serpico and The Pursuit of Liberty and Happiness.
The featured presenter Joseph M. Kramp, PhD candidate Drew University will use Heinz Kohut’s theory as a framework for his presentation. Most of his presentation will focus on Anton Boisen's autobiography.

To learn more visit the Pastoral Report the online Journal of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy

CPSP committed to providing affordable face to face clinical learning experiences in the pastoral tradition.

CPSP, NAJC & ACPE Working Together in Israel

2010-06-07T23:52:00.001-07:00

More than five years ago, the Executive Director of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains, Cecille Asekoff had a dream of starting CPE in Israel. Rabbi Zahara Davidowitz has fulfilled that dream by supervising CPE for the past four summers through the Schechter Seminary in Jerusalem. Zahara is a Diplomate of CPSP in the New York/New Jersey Chapter.
Photo- John deVelder with Devorah Corn of Tishkofet (Life's Door) one of 20 organizations at the Conference, Cecille Asekof, Executive Director of NAJC and Teresa Snorton, Executive Director of ACPE

Since Zahara began the first CPE programs in 2006 interest in CPE and professional chaplaincy is growing in Israel. This May, the NAJC invited a delegation of about fifteen ACPE and CPSP leaders to attend the Fourth National Conference on spiritual care in Jerusalem.

Read the rest of this article on the Pastoral Report the online Journal of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy.

John Edgerton, CPSP President, 2010 Presidential Address

2010-05-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

“The central task of ministry is the formation of a community with an alternative liberated imagination that has the courage and freedom to act on a different vision and a different perception of reality”-Walter Brueggeman

Twenty years ago, at a place called Phoebe Needles’ Conference Center in Calloway, Virginia a small group of people gathered to define the type of community they wanted in the pastoral care movement.

While they were at Phoebe Needles’ Conference Center they began to put together the ingredients of an alternative pastoral care community whereby the members of that community would see themselves as spiritual pilgrims seeking a collegial and professional relationship with each other.

They thought this community first and last would be theological.

They imagined that this community would deal with such things as accreditation, certification, and ethics complaints through what they were to call “chapters”.

The chapters were made up of small groups of people that would share life together, but would also challenge each other.

This new organization, as they envisioned it, would be for the purposes of recovering soul.

It would value personal authority and creativity. It would live by grace. And it would value persons more than institutions. After the people at this particular meeting spelled out these ingredients they were put in the format which would become known as the CPSP Covenant that was written by Raymond Lawrence.

To Read the full text of John Edgerton's Presidential Address visit the Pastoral Report the online journal of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy

Select this link for The Covenant of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy

George Buck: The Present Friction Between ACPE & CPSP

2010-05-06T07:24:00.000-07:00

As one who has been involved in pastoral training and education for over forty years (certified as a “Chaplain Supervisor” by the Council for Clinical in 1964), I have experienced a good deal of change in the pastoral education movement. It now seems that history is repeating itself.

The present friction between CPSP and ACPE is not unlike that of the Council for Clinical Training and the Institute of Pastoral Care. The Council folk looked at the Institute folk as a bunch academic heads who overlooked the psycho-dynamic approach to “CPT”. One of my first supervisors, Tom Klink, once stated that the Institute super-visors needed to get acquainted with Sigmund Freud. On the other side of the fence, the Institute super-visors saw the Council supervisors as a bunch of feelers who refused to think. This war of words, so to speak, went on for several years.

In the mid-sixties, I supervised CPT students in up-state New York. When the New York supervisors would get together, we would often discuss the “qualifications” of the Institute supervisors and wondered how they could possibly do quality CPT. We were convinced that none of them could make it if they had to meet a Council Certification Committee. No doubt, the Institute folk felt the same way. This seems to be the present rub between CPSP and ACPE: CERTIFICATION!

For approximately nine years (three as chair), I served on the ACPE Certification Committee—later called Commission. When I first went on the Committee, it was called the C & A Committee (Accreditation Committee). Some of us were against the separating Certification and Accreditation, but the compulsive folk won out.

My certification experience allowed me to be involved with a lot of candidates. Many who were certified were well qualified and many who were certified were not very qualified. The biggest stumbling block came down to emotional maturity. I don’t know if that is the case now. Some seem to want to objectify the certification process so much that the human element (subjectivity) is no longer a factor---what a shame.

Will CPSP and ACPE ever get together and dialogue about the strengths and limitations of both organizations? Who knows? I often tell my students that, if you accuse another of having a problem, that person will react defensively. But if you say I have a problem with your behavior, you open it up for dialogue. That’s just common sense behavioral dynamics.

George Buck is a CPSP Diplomate in Clinical Pastoral Supervision in the Department of Pastoral Care & Clinical Pastoral Education at the UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

For information on Clinical Pastoral Training at UAMS Medical Centerclick on the following link:http://www.uams.edu/cpe/training_programs/default.asp

College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy:"Committed to the `Recovery of Soul' in the Clinical PastoralTraining Movement"http://www.pastoralreport.com/

Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy Challenged to Cooperate

2010-05-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

Challenged to Cooperate:

I welcome the letter from the Association of Religious Endorsing Bodies that challenges the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy to work collegially together in the best interests of those they train. The Religious Endorsers are quite rightly concerned for their constituents who are caught in the middle of the rift between ACPE and CPSP.

Challenging the ACPE & CPSP to put the professional wellbeing of those they train above the politics of self-interest is not only the right thing to do it would also be the best possible pastoral response.

George Hankins Hull

Read the Pastoral Report the online Journal of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy

CPSP General Secretary Responds to the Religious Endorsing Bodies Open Letter

2010-05-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

A MESSAGE TO THE CPSP COMMUNITY FROM RAYMOND J. LAWRENCE

We are heartened by this public expression of concern by the Religious Endorsing Body representatives (REBS) meeting in Nashville last fall. They have the interest in the wider religious and therapeutic community at heart in this call to reconciliation.

There is plenty of work to be done in the field of clinical pastoral supervision, chaplaincy, pastoral counseling and psychotherapy. No one organization can respond to the current public needs. The expenditure of time and money in efforts to undermine each other is wasteful and disgraceful.

We in CPSP hope that this letter from the REBS signals the end of hostility between the various clinical pastoral organizations, and the end of triumphalism on the part of any one organization or group of organizations.

Raymond J. Lawrence, CPSP General Secretary

This letter was published on the Pastoral Report the online Journal of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy

Religious Endorsing Bodies Open Letter to ACPE & CPSP

2010-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

"We are also concerned about the face of pastoral care that is presented to our institutions and endorsees"

AN OPEN LETTER to CPSP and ACPE
Association of Religious Endorsing BodiesP.O. Box 340007, Nashville, TN 37203-007
January 11, 2010

To: CPSP and ACPEFrom: Association of Religious Endorsing Bodies (AREBS)

Dear Colleagues in Pastoral Care Ministry,
We have been fortunate to be in conversation with all of the cognate groups in Nashville.

These meetings have helped us to clarify our identity as endorsers. That search for identity continues to drive us to more clarity and to deepen our relationships with all the cognate groups. We thank you for your patience with us as we have learned about your organizations, your organizational requirements, and also, your help in clarifying our understanding of your identity.

What we have discovered is that we share one thing in common and that is our dedication to the goal of providing the best in pastoral care. We all strive for excellence in that process and we understand your dedication in training and certifying our constituents. We have ironed out some of the difficulties and removed some of the obstacles to provide excellence in pastoral care.

One of the public issues that deeply concerns us is the chasm between CPSP and ACPE. We are working to understand the history of each of your organizations so that we can understand some of the identity issues that you face. As Miroslov Volf says in his early work, “Exclusion and Embrace”, the establishment of identity gives a kind of confidence that allows us to look at otherness and at others without the fear of losing our own identity. Volf says that an exploration of identity issues and otherness issues are prerequisite of reconciliation. We have prayed that reconciliation might happen between your two organizations because we feel that some of our constituents are suffering due to the rift between your organizations. We are troubled when our people become vulnerable to this rift. We are also concerned about the face of pastoral care that is presented to our institutions and endorsees.

We confess to being somewhat protective of our constituents, but our major concern is that we remove barriers to a pursuit of our shared goal of excellence in pastoral care. It is important that we find ways to be transparent and to seek each others’ healing. In the meanwhile, we, as endorsers have covenanted to be in prayer for reconciliation.

Prayerfully Yours,
Susan GalassoAREB Chairperson

This Letter was published in the Pastoral Report the online Journal of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Pschotherapy