Clinical Pastoral Education

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a distinct form of interfaith professional education for ministry. It aims to assist students of all faiths or no faith (e.g., pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, humanistic care-providers, etc.) in their development as spiritual care providers.

At the heart of CPE is an experiential encounter with persons in need. Students provide spiritual care in diverse clinical settings, meeting regularly with their CPE peers and educators to receive feedback and reflect on the interplay between their personal history, values, and beliefs and their practice of ministry. Students develop greater self-awareness and skills in
active listening, empathetic communication, interprofessional collaboration, and ethical decision-making.


THE CPE PROGRAM AT ST. LUKE’S
PENN FOUNDATION

The CPE program at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation is part of the St. Luke’s University Health Network and is unique in that all clinical placements incorporate a behavioral healthcare perspective. CPE students provide spiritual care and emotional support to clients, residents, and community members, drawing on the rich heritage of Penn Foundation and its innovative community-based approach to mental illness and addiction treatment.

The program also places a strong emphasis on the work of spiritual integration and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students will have access to clinical and educational resources of St. Luke’s Bethlehem Level 1 Trauma Hospital, St. Luke’s School of Medicine, and St Luke’s Spiritual Care team of Chaplains, Clinical Preceptors, and CPE Educators.

Who takes CPE at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation?

  • Persons in ministry and/or ministry training
  • Clergypersons and laity who wish to become Board-Certified Chaplains
  • Persons seeking ordination in faith groups that require CPE as a prerequisite
  • Care-providers from other professional disciplines who seek to deepen the spiritual dimension of care as a part of their work with clients and families

Please note: At this time, St. Lukes’s is unable to accept international CPE applicants.

Learn More


Upcoming CPE Unit at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation

 

Our 2025-2026 Fall-Spring Extended Internship is an “Introduction to Spiritual Care” unit. This part-time unit is designed especially for those who are in ministry or ministry training and wish to have a Level 1 CPE training. The education portion of the training will take place at St. Luke’s Bethlehem Hospital. The clinical placements for the unit will be at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, St. Luke’s Bethlehem, and other hospitals throughout St. Luke’s University Health Network.

Dates: October 20, 2025 – May 2, 2026

Weekly Commitment: 16 hours per week

  • 6 hours of supervised education
  • 10 hours of spiritual care ministry in the clinic

If you have questions about our 2025-2026 Fall-Spring Extended Internship Unit, please contact:

The Rev. Natalia Shulgina, Manager of Clinical Pastoral Education
Email: Natalia.Shulgina@sluhn.org
Phone: 267-985-8674

 

How to Apply

  • Complete the ACPE application form, identifying whether you are applying for Residency or Extended Internship. Please note that the application includes several written essays.
  • Complete ACPE Consent Form.

Send the completed application to:

Judy Gary, Administrative Assistant, St. Luke’s Spiritual Care
Judith.Gary@sluhn.org | 484-526-4772


About the Application Process

  • There is no application fee. If you are accepted into the St. Luke’s Penn Foundation CPE program, the deposit of $150 secures your position. This non-refundable deposit is your first payment toward the tuition of $450. The remaining $300 is due the first day of the program.
  • We welcome CPE applications throughout the year. This is a competitive program, and we strongly encourage an early submission of documents. Please note that we do not interview all candidates.
  • Criteria for Admission: 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.
  • Because of the nature of the work at Penn Foundation and St. Luke’s hospitals, all CPE students will be required to submit healthcare and mental health clearance documentation, including up-to-date vaccination records, Criminal Background Check, Child Abuse Clearance, and FBI finger printing. Specific details provided upon acceptance into the CPE program.

I’m interested in CPE but would like to learn more before I apply.

 

CPE Faculty

The Rev. Natalia Shulgina, PhD, PharmD, BSN,

is a Manager of Clinical Pastoral Education and ACPE Certified Educator. Natalia is of Russian-Korean descent and among the first Russian-speaking educators in the history of ACPE. She is an ordained elder in the Russia United Methodist Church, Lay Cistercian oblate at Gethsemani Abbey, and long-term practitioner of Zen meditation. Most recently, Natalia served as a ACPE Certified Educator and Pastoral Care Manager at UNC Health REX. With background in surgical nursing, clinical pharmacology, and practical theology, she brings a strong interdisciplinary orientation, research competency, and cultural diversity to her CPE practice. Natalia has taught in congregational, seminary, and university settings, and has a special interest in systems-centered and trauma-informed educational practice, caregiver resilience, and compassion-centered spiritual health. She shares her life and learning adventures with her husband Mark and Rhodesian Ridgeback Rey.

 The Rev. James (Jim) Browning, MDiv, is an ACPE Certified Educator. Jim was ordained in 1989 as an elder in the United Methodist Church, having made the transition to the UMC from priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Originally born in Illinois, he has served in the spiritual care field as chaplain, ACPE Certified Educator, and Director of various departments in children’s hospitals, level one trauma centers, prison, and long-term care facilities across the country (California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania). Since retirement in 2021, Jim has traveled extensively, on both land and sea. He has also had the opportunity to supervise several units of CPE at St. Luke’s. He is married to Lucretia, who is also an ordained minister and Pastoral Psychotherapist. They enjoy their adult children, Zach who lives in California and Jess, spouse Pierre and adorable son Rumi, who live in New Zealand. And they take every opportunity they can to spend time with them.

 

 

St. Luke’s CPE program is accredited by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE).

Address: 1 Concourse Parkway | Suite 800 | Atlanta, GA 30328

Phone: 404-320-1472

Fax: 404-320-0849

Email: acpe@acpe.edu

Website: www.acpe.edu

To understand St. Luke’s protocols governing the CPE Admission process, please review the Admission Policy & Procedures. To understand St. Luke’s protocols governing the management of CPE student records, please review the Annual Notice.