Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

to teach

spiritual care ''The Book of Pastoral Rule'' (Latin: ''Liber Regulae Pastoralis'', ''Regula Pastoralis'' or ''Cura Pastoralis'' — sometimes translated into English ''Pastoral Care'') is a treatise on the responsibilities of the clergy written by Pope Gregory ...

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and others. CPE is the primary method of training hospital and hospice

chaplains A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a ho ...

and spiritual care providers in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. CPE is both a

multicultural Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''ethnic'' or cultural pluralism in which various e ...

and

interfaith Interfaith (also called "interreligion") may refer to various ways of relating between beliefs, creeds, ideologies, faiths, or religions: * Interfaith conflict (disambiguation) * Interfaith dialogue, also known as interfaith cooperation * Interfai ...

experience that uses real-life ministry encounters of students to improve the care provided by caregivers.

Theory

An underpinning theory of education that structures clinical pastoral education is the " Action-Reflection" mode of learning. CPE students typically compose "verbatims" of their pastoral care encounters in which they are invited to reflect upon what occurred and draw insight from these reflections that can be implemented in future pastoral care events.

History

Although the practice of spiritual care has a long tradition in Christianity and to some extent in other faith traditions, the systematic analysis of practice associated with clinical pastoral education had its beginnings in the early 20th century. In 1925, Richard Cabot, a physician and adjunct lecturer at the

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

, published an article in ''

Survey Graphic ''Survey Graphic'' (SG) was a United States magazine launched in 1921. From 1921 to 1932, it was published as a supplement to ''The Survey'' and became a separate publication in 1933. ''SG'' focused on sociological and political research and an ...

'' suggesting that every candidate for ministry receive clinical training for pastoral work similar to the clinical training offered to medical students. In the 1930s, the Reverend

Anton Boisen Anton Theophilus Boisen (29 October 1876 – 1 October 1965) was an American chaplain. He was a leading figure in the hospital chaplaincy and clinical pastoral education movements. History Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Boisen was the son of Her ...

placed theological students at the

Chicago Theological Seminary The Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) is a Christian ecumenical American seminary located in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of several seminaries historically affiliated with the United Church of Christ. It is the oldest institution of higher e ...

in supervised contact with patients in mental hospitals, a flagship program that later resulted in the forming of the ACPE.

Accrediting bodies

In the United States there are currently two organizations who are recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) was recognized as an accrediting agency for CPE programs by the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a United States Cabinet, cabinet-level department of the federal government of the United States, United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, havin ...

. In 2024, ACPE chose to withdraw from the renewal process for Department of Education recognition. Clinical Pastoral Education International was accredited in August 2024 by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). There are over two hundred and seventy accredited seminary graduate programs with the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) in which some provide specializations in clinical pastoral education. As of 2025, three CPE bodies are affiliates of the

ATS ATS or Ats may refer to: Businesses * ATS Wheels (''Auto Technisches Spezialzubehör''), a German wheel manufacturer and sponsor of a Formula One racing team * ATS Automation Tooling Systems, an Ontario, Canada-based factory automation company * ...

; they are the ACPE, the College of Psychotherapy and Pastoral Supervision (CPSP), and the World Spiritual Health Organization.

References

{{Authority control Chaplains Religious education