32ND AND 33RD COHORTS (2024/2025)
DOWNLOAD THE CPE APPLICATION FORMS USING THE FOLLOWING LINKS (EITHER MS WORD OR PDF VERSIONS, ENGLISH AND CHINESE)
What is Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)?
- Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a process-oriented programme for the formation of heart, head and hands for spiritual and pastoral care ministry. CPE was pioneered by Dr Richard Cabot and Rev Anton Boisen in Massachusetts, USA in the 1920s.
- Participants gain spiritual and pastoral care competency by integrating practical skills and insights into their practice and forming a coherent framework of ministry through personal and group theological reflection.
- Participants learn to practise clinical pastoral care that is disciplined, skillful, person-centred, culturally aware, ethical, professionally informed, theologically grounded and spiritually guided.
- CPE may be conducted in various settings, including healthcare, congregational life, school chaplaincy, community services, etc.
Distinctives of CPE
- Personhood of the pastor: CPE strongly emphasizes self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, constructive self-evaluation, a vital conversation with God and continual personal growth. Adult education model.
- Key skills: Active listening, attending and influencing; personality types (DISC); genogram; managing conflicts; self-care; use of spiritual resources e.g., Scriptures, prayer, sacraments, etc.
- Pastoral situations: Aging, sickness, psychiatric disabilities, suicide risk, dying and bereavement, inter-faith issues, etc.
- Format: individual learning goals, lectures, role play, pastoral practice, interpersonal group sessions, real-life pastoral case studies and personal dialogues with God, and individual supervision.
DETAILS OF CPE32E AND CPE33C
- Language: English/Chinese respectively
- Dates:
- Phase 1: Thursdays 1-5pm, 11 Jul to 28 Nov 2024
- Recess: 29 Nov 2024 to 1 Jan 2025
- Phase 2: Thursdays 1-5pm, 2 Jan to 24 Apr 2025
- Venue: Trinity Theological College Tutorial Room (Level 2)
- Admission Process: Please download and complete the Application Form.
- Closing Date: 30 Apr 2024
- Interview: 2-11 May 2024
- Confirmation: 15 May 2024
- Course Fee:
- S$450 for TTC students; S$750 for non-TTC students
- By cheque or electronically to “St Peter’s Hall” indicating “CPE Programme” latest by 30 Jun 2024 (details in application form)
- Programme Completion Requirements:
- Learning Covenant
- 80 Pastoral Visits
- 6 Clinical Verbatim Reports
- 3 Dialogue with God Reports
- Mid-term and Final Evaluation Reports
- Completion of Required Readings
TESTIMONIALS OF PAST CPE INTERNS
Experience of CPE
“The CPE peer group is a safe space. I feel comfortable trusting them to guard with confidentiality all that has been shared.” (Theological student, 2018)
“My supervisor demonstrated a pastoral heart with the warmth and sincerity to develop me into a better pastoral caregiver.” (Associate chaplain, 2019)
“I learned to integrate insights from Biblical and pastoral theology with skills and knowledge from the behavioural sciences. ISCPE honed my pastoral skills through the process of Preparation-Action-Reflection.” (Special school associate chaplain, 2021)
“The carefully selected readings prepared by the supervisors which has been valuable resources for me in my learning.” (Theological student, 2020)
Personal Growth
“I am starting to de-link my usefulness from my self-worth. I now see myself as firmly and deeply loved by God no matter how much value is attached to my outward being.” (Theological student, 2016)
“The discipline of Dialogues With God and Clinical Verbatim Reports helped me to examine myself daily, to check my heart attitude and be aware of my emotions.” (Theological student, 2018)
“CPE taught me how important it is to know our own blind spots.” (Theological student, 2020)
“God led me to overcome my doubts and fears. And then, He led me to people to whom I could minister deeply, even strangers.” (Social worker, 2020)
Pastoral Skills
“I have learnt to journey with others with a non-judgmental attitude, by showing love and care, practising active listening and empathy, making them feel heard and less lonely by showing them the hope and light that my faith can bring.” (Associate Chaplain, 2019)
“I have learnt so many useful relational skills through my journey in CPE, e.g., active listening, reflecting feelings, etc. that have been immensely helpful not just in ministry, but also in my marriage!” (Theological student, 2018)
“Active listening is hard work, but very fruitful. I used mirroring and positive assets search to help my patients process their feelings, and they felt better.” (Theological Student, 2018)
CPE enabled me to communicate better as a pastor when caring for my flock. (Theological Student, 2018)
Pastoral Transformation
“I attended CPE in 2018 after 40 years of ministry. It was life transforming. It reaffirmed many things I had learned before but also gave me a new refreshing way to engage in pastoral ministry.” (Veteran pastor and head chaplain, 2018)
“Through CPE, I am now able to reach out to people whose speech is an unintelligible babble. The Lord has taught me what to do, how to wait on these persons or just be there with them.” (Nursing home chaplain, 2020)
“I was feeling lost, but ISCPE helped me to understand my identity as a child of God.” (Early childhood educator, 2020)
St Peter’s Hall 