APPLY FOR CPE

Applying For CPE

Requirements

Applicants may apply to ACPE (Ireland) Ltd. :

 i) to train for Healthcare Chaplaincy/ Pastoral ministry, ii) as part of their pastoral formation

or

iii) for ongoing personal/ professional development.


They must be in good standing with their Faith/Belief Community.


The minimum theological requirement for entry into Level 1 CPE is evidence of having undergone some theological formation, for example, theology during religious formation, participation in an Adult Education theology programme, etc. Theological requirements are broadly interpreted for the first two Level 1 units of CPE.


In general, Applicants who want to apply for a third unit of CPE at Level 1, should have completed a degree in Theology in accordance with the Standards of HCB or CAB (see the link “Certification as Healthcare Chaplain”) or equivalent for their faith/ belief tradition. However, there can be exceptions in which the Supervisor might deem it acceptable to take a Student for the third Level 1 unit without a theological degree. In cases such as these, the Supervisor must request an exemption for the Student from ACPE (Ireland) Ltd.


All Applicants to a first Level 2 unit must have their theological training completed in accordance with the Standards of HCB or CAB (see the link “Certification as Healthcare Chaplain”).


Acceptance on a CPE course is conditional on successful completion of the application process and personal interview.


Participants are welcome from all religious denominations and faiths/ Belief

In order to be accepted on a CPE course Applicants need to download an application form for Level 1 or Level 2 from the ACPE(Ireland) Ltd. website and post it to the Director/Supervisor of the Centre of their choice, in triple copies.


Please note that applications are processed on a first come first served basis and sometimes there can be a long waiting list before a vacancy arises.


Applicants from overseas may engage in an online video interview process with the receiving Supervisor and a dedicated panel. If possible, Applicants should give evidence of having received their VISA before the date of the interview or, in any case, no later than 30 days before the beginning of the unit.


Before the interview, in addition to application form, Applicants must produce:

2 letters of reference

One from their recent Employer/ Supervisor/ Line Manager/ Teacher.



One from their Bishop/Religious Leader or Pastor. If they do not belong to a Religious Order, Parish or any specific Community of Faith, a reference can be given by their Accredited Spiritual Director, Accredited Pastoral Supervisor or a person who can testify to their spiritual maturity and commitment.

a "Form A", which is found at the end of the application form. FORM A must be signed by the Bishop/ Parish priest/ Pastor/ Community of faith Leader, to indicate that the Applicant has a good reputation within their Community of Faith.

On receiving the Candidate’s application, the CPE Director/Supervisor proceeds to set up an interview panel that will assess the Candidate’s ability to engage effectively with the CPE process, commitment to ministry, and relational ability.


The Selection Criteria provided by ACPE Ireland are used by the panel in assessing the Candidate’s readiness for CPE: Motivation, Teamwork, Interpersonal Group, Self-Awareness, Spirituality, Ability to Deal with Conflict, Openness to Change.


The Interview may also focus on the application form material or other data relevant to the position.


Applicants who are offered a place in the program are required to communicate their acceptance to the CPE Director / Supervisor in writing, and to send a 300 euro non ­refundable deposit, payable to ACPE (Ireland) Ltd. in order to reserve their place. The €450 balance of the fee is due by the end of the first week of the program (total fee = €750).


Applicants who are successful at the interview, will be asked to submit further documents, such as Garda Clearance, Occupational Medicine Form, Children First Certificates, etc., according to the different Hospitals’ requirements.


When applying for CPE training, please be aware of the Standards for Certification in Healthcare Chaplaincy of the Certifying Body which is relevant for you, either CAB or HCB ⇒ HEALTHCARE CHAPLAINCY CERTIFICATION

Course Description

THE BASIC CPE CURRICULUM IN ALL CENTRES INCLUDES:

Verbatim Seminars and Case Studies, Inter-Personal Group dynamic, Theological/Philosophical Reflection papers, Role Play, Morning Prayer/Reflection, Workshop and Lectures, Book Reviews, Students’ Mid-unit and Final Evaluations, Individual Supervision.


On a weekly basis, Students are asked to write a reflective paper on their learning (Weekly Reflection or Process Notes). Reading on Pastoral Ministry may be assigned on an individual basis.


PASTORAL MINISTRY

Each Student is responsible for developing a pastoral relationship on their assigned areas for ministry to patients/clients/parishioners/families/staff, etc. as applicable according to the different CPE Centres.


Where the CPE program is run in a hospital setting, it normally avails of the collaboration of the Chaplaincy team of the respective hospitals. In some Centres, while they are in their clinical assigned placements, the Students are under the mentorship of members of the Chaplaincy Team. The Mentor is not the Students’ Supervisor and the mentoring process focuses on patient visitation and performance in the wards. However, Students are also asked to bring their experience of ministry to supervision. This is paramount because supervised ministry is one of the key components of the CPE programme.


Depending on the Centre, the CPE schedule may include evening duty as well as Sunday duty, and on rotation Students may be asked to minister to the hospital’s critical areas such as Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit and Others.


In some CPE Centres, the CPE unit is a full-time program and Students carry out their patient visitation in the hospital where the Centre is established.


In other CPE Centres the program is designed in a way that facilitates Students who are already working in pastoral settings (parish, prison, nursing home, etc.) to do the clinical part of the training there; the related written assignments, such as verbatim or case studies, can be taken from their daily practice of ministry.


GROUP CLASS ACTIVITIES

Much of the class training activity in CPE takes place in the group consisting of Students and Supervisor. In CPE there are three distinct types of group work:


Structured group time (lectures and other didactic presentations).

These will come from the fields of theology, medicine and the behavioural sciences. For example, lecture on cardiac and cancer patients, video ICU, group theory, boundaries in ministry, grief and loss, introduction to psychoanalysis etc.

The didactic seminars are intended to enhance the Student’s clinical and pastoral perspective and to enrich their learning.


Semi-structured group time.

These seminars are opportunities to present clinical data for group supervision. The typical mode for presenting data is by way of a verbatim report on a patient visit. Other modes of presenting data are also acceptable, e.g. a critical incident report or case study.

This kind of group work also includes theological reflections, mid and final-evaluations, etc.


Unstructured group time (IPG= interpersonal group process /group dynamic)

This is an unstructured interpersonal process of relating in the here-and-now, where Students may deepen their understanding of themselves and develop new insights into personal dynamics (resistance, coping mechanisms, assumption, bias, projections and transferences of past experiences, etc.) and how they affect their relationship with others.


In the same way, IPG also provides occasions to gain a better understanding of others’ feelings, reactions and opinions.


IPG offers an opportunity to examine the experience of the group and its members and to be aware of issues that always impinge on the life of any group such as leadership, power distribution, dependency, subgrouping, scapegoating, etc.


The timely use of feedback and appropriate sharing and self-disclosure is encouraged to make the peer supervision most effective.


WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

The required writing is an important and essential part of the CPE experience. Written assignments provide an occasion for structured reflection on the meaning of Students’ activities and experiences.

Students are required to follow the formats presented in the Students’ manual provided at the beginning of the unit.


Written assignments include:


Written reports on ministry (Verbatim Presentation, Case Study, Critical Incident)

Theological/Philosophical Reflection


Theological/philosophical reflection helps determine how Students have integrated their theology/ personal beliefs on a personal level. Therefore, this paper is not an essay or a dissertation, but it needs to be experiential as much as possible.


Students’ Evaluations


Evaluations at mid-term and during the final week of the course are carried out by Students to evaluate their total functioning. Evaluation allows for examination of what the Student is learning and how he/she is learning it and encourages the Student to consider the direction he/she wants to take in the future.  Evaluation helps to motivate, direct and integrate learning.


Book Reviews


This is not merely an outline of the book or simply a summary of the material presented. Students will evaluate the book critically and explain what insights can be applied to their ministry.


INDIVIDUAL SUPERVISION

Each Participant will schedule a weekly individual supervisory session to discuss their growth and participation in the CPE program.


Pastoral Supervision is a method of doing and reflecting on ministry in which Supervisors (trained in the CPE model of learning) and Students covenant together to reflect critically on their ministry as a way of growing in self-awareness, ministerial competence, theological understanding, and Christian commitment.


The effective use of the supervisory relationship is a mutual and reciprocal responsibility shared between the Student and the Supervisor. Students are encouraged to see that they are their own best teachers. To be effective, the desire to learn must come from within the learner and not from the Supervisor. This puts the responsibility for learning on Students. However, it will be the Supervisor’s responsibility to encourage and to provide opportunities for Students to engage in learning and to help them express their own natural abilities, talents and insights, which they can then channel into more meaningful pastoral relationships.


Supervision will be carried out in 2 ways:

(a)    Individual supervision

(b)    Group supervision


At the individual supervisory sessions, Students should assume responsibility for discussing their work, raising questions as they occur, and trying to identify and clarify what transpires in pastoral encounters and during teamwork with their peers.


MORNING PRAYER/Refelction

Prayer/reflection firmly roots the minister in their ministry and it is an essential element in their life. Students have the opportunity to pray/ lead reflection in the group setting, leading prayer/reflection  every morning on rotation.  It is an opportunity for Students to express themselves and their creativity, but also to develop an ability to deliver and facilitate a liturgy professionally.

It may be helpful for Students to ground their liturgy in the life of the group.


ROLE PLAY

This is an effective teaching tool in which a Student’s encounter with a patient can be realistically re-enacted. Alternatively, a scenario might be given by the Supervisor to the Student. The role play brings out the Student’s style of approach to ministry. The objective would be to give a visible and audible report on what happens in the actual encounter with a patient.

In some Centres the role play is video recorded and re-played at the end, so that Students can see themselves in action.

Share by: