Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a program designed to help students integrate clinical spiritual practice with personal and interpersonal learning through group and individual education and supervision. While clergy and those in training to become clergy most commonly pursue CPE, it is open to anyone committed to process and practice-based spiritual learning. At St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, CPE students provide spiritual care and emotional support to clients, residents, and community members.
The CPE program at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation is part of the Spiritual Care Department at St. Luke’s and is unique in that all clinical placements incorporate a behavioral healthcare perspective. Clear emphasis is placed on spiritual, religious, and dynamic education and integration. You can learn more about Penn Foundation’s heritage and current community-based behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment programs here.
St. Luke’s Penn Foundation’s CPE program is accredited by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE). Tuition is $450.
Program Requirements
We welcome applications throughout the year. However, we strongly encourage early submission as we have a competitive program. We do not interview all candidates.
To be considered for admission:
- Submission of ACPE Application
- Submission of ACPE Clinical Consent Form
- Admissions interview (Please note: We receive many more applications than we have positions available for each unit. We do not guarantee an interview for all applicants.)
- A willingness and readiness to learn as demonstrated in written application materials and interview; curiosity about self and others; and an ability to provide ethical spiritual care with persons of diverse faiths and cultures without imposing one’s own perspective
Upon matriculation:
- Orientation at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation and designated clinical site
- Weekly clinical spiritual care
- Weekly group educational sessions
- Weekly individual supervision with the ACPE Educator
- Written assignments
- Participation in educational workshops and conferences
- Selected and assigned readings
Internships
All internship units include personal and interpersonal learning focused on wellness, self-care, and team relationships. The clinical spiritual practice includes assignments on patient care units and sharing in the 24/7 on-call ministry with Staff Chaplains, Associate Chaplains, and Chaplain Residents at our Bethlehem campus and/or at other St. Luke’s campuses, including St. Luke’s Penn Foundation in Sellersville, and throughout the region where Staff Chaplains serve as mentors and ACPE-preceptors.
Extended Unit
Date: October 17, 2022 – April 28, 2023
This part-time, six-month/400-hour program is designed to help students integrate clinical spiritual practice with personal and interpersonal learning through a minimum of 100 hours of structured group and individual education, a minimum of 250 hours of supervised clinical practice in spiritual care, and at least 50 hours of unstructured learning, i.e., literature research and review and verbatim writing.
We are an ACPE, Inc. Accredited Clinical Pastoral Education Program.
For Extended Unit Interns:
Rev. Lynne Mikulak, ACPE Certified Educator
Phone: 484-526-4773
Email: Lynne.Mikulak@sluhn.org
ACPE National Office Contact Information:
ACPE, Inc.
55 Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, Suite 835, Atlanta, GA 30308
Phone: 404-320-1472
Fax: 404-320-0849
Email: acpe@acpe.edu
Website: www.acpe.edu