About CPE.......
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is professional education for ministry which brings theological students, ordained clergy, members of religious orders, and qualified lay persons into supervised encounters with "living human documents" so as to develop their pastoral identity, interpersonal competence and spirituality; the skills of pastoral assessment, inter-professional collaboration, group leadership, pastoral care, counselling and theological reflection.
CPE started in the 1920's in a mental hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, largely through the work of Rev Anton T. Boisen and Dr. Richard Cabot. In addition to mental hospitals, CPE is presently offered in a variety of other clinical settings that include general hospitals, social service agencies, prisons, university campuses, medical school, parishes and military establishments.
Pastoral care relates to people, irrespective of their creed, social position or prestige. It is the concern shown for humans in every walk of life; from the bricklayer to the structural engineer, from the school girl to the grandmother..... whether in the prime of health or incurably ill, in joy or sadness, in good times or bad....they need pastoral care. It has become clearly apparent that the stresses of life affect both body, spirit and soul. Pastoral care responds to people in need, especially in situations of intense agony and suffering. Pastoral care is shared compassion.
More people turn to clergy when they are in trouble than to other professional people so it is important that the pastor should not fail them and acquiring CPE skills is one of the ways to ensure the pastor is prepared for this.
Although CPE began in North America (in the United States and soon thereafter in Canada), it took root during the second post-World War years in Northern Europe, New Zealand and Australia. In the latter part of this century, American-based CPE was started in the Philippines and Hong Kong. It is only in the last few years that Indigenous CPE ("culturally appropriate" and "contextually-sensitive" CPE) began, first in Korea, then in Italy, the Bahamas, Philippines, Singapore and now Malaysia.
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is professional education for ministry which brings theological students, ordained clergy, members of religious orders, and qualified lay persons into supervised encounters with "living human documents" so as to develop their pastoral identity, interpersonal competence and spirituality; the skills of pastoral assessment, inter-professional collaboration, group leadership, pastoral care, counselling and theological reflection.
CPE started in the 1920's in a mental hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, largely through the work of Rev Anton T. Boisen and Dr. Richard Cabot. In addition to mental hospitals, CPE is presently offered in a variety of other clinical settings that include general hospitals, social service agencies, prisons, university campuses, medical school, parishes and military establishments.
Pastoral care relates to people, irrespective of their creed, social position or prestige. It is the concern shown for humans in every walk of life; from the bricklayer to the structural engineer, from the school girl to the grandmother..... whether in the prime of health or incurably ill, in joy or sadness, in good times or bad....they need pastoral care. It has become clearly apparent that the stresses of life affect both body, spirit and soul. Pastoral care responds to people in need, especially in situations of intense agony and suffering. Pastoral care is shared compassion.
More people turn to clergy when they are in trouble than to other professional people so it is important that the pastor should not fail them and acquiring CPE skills is one of the ways to ensure the pastor is prepared for this.
Although CPE began in North America (in the United States and soon thereafter in Canada), it took root during the second post-World War years in Northern Europe, New Zealand and Australia. In the latter part of this century, American-based CPE was started in the Philippines and Hong Kong. It is only in the last few years that Indigenous CPE ("culturally appropriate" and "contextually-sensitive" CPE) began, first in Korea, then in Italy, the Bahamas, Philippines, Singapore and now Malaysia.
