I'm summering in Penn.
I will lead the blind by a road they do not know, by paths they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them. - Isaiah 42:16
I will be spending the summer here in Pennsylvania going through my Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in central Pennsylvania. CPE 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. CPE serves as a part of one's preparation for parish ministry, chaplaincy, lay ministry, teaching, and counseling. A student's learning contract may be focused toward integration of theological, psychological, and pastoral insights into pastoral functioning for parish work. Or the contract may be designed with a career goal of chaplaincy or pastoral counseling. CPE develops the capacity for the pastoral and spiritual care of individuals, families, and systems.
During what would be a typical day, I will have classes on different pastoral styles, be involved in group discussions about cases we have dealt with, and spend many hours visiting and counseling patients and their families. CPE is a challenging program, but one that provides great insights both about dealing with people and dealing with yourself.
I will be back in Michigan for a short time in mid-May and mid-August. I hope to see as many people as I can when I'm home.
Some information came from the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education website.
I will be spending the summer here in Pennsylvania going through my Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in central Pennsylvania. CPE 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. CPE serves as a part of one's preparation for parish ministry, chaplaincy, lay ministry, teaching, and counseling. A student's learning contract may be focused toward integration of theological, psychological, and pastoral insights into pastoral functioning for parish work. Or the contract may be designed with a career goal of chaplaincy or pastoral counseling. CPE develops the capacity for the pastoral and spiritual care of individuals, families, and systems.
During what would be a typical day, I will have classes on different pastoral styles, be involved in group discussions about cases we have dealt with, and spend many hours visiting and counseling patients and their families. CPE is a challenging program, but one that provides great insights both about dealing with people and dealing with yourself.
I will be back in Michigan for a short time in mid-May and mid-August. I hope to see as many people as I can when I'm home.
Some information came from the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education website.
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