Your Gifts at Work: Foundation for ACPE Supports Spiritual Care & Education Research Projects
At their December 2020 board meeting, the Foundation for ACPE awarded $73,870 in funds to support two research projects that can help to advance the fields of CPE and spiritual care education. Both projects align with the priorities established by the ACPE Research Committee.
The first project, “CPE and Emotional Intelligence (EI) Research” received a $54,987 award, and is led by ACPE Educators and Members Csaba Szilagyi, Alexander Tartaglia, Kristin Langstraat and Paul Galchutt. Previous studies suggest the possibility that CPE may contribute to the effectiveness and work-related psychological health of clergy, religious/spiritual leaders, and spiritual care providers by improving participants’ emotional intelligence. However, the evidence for this association is limited, and further research is needed to confirm and further explore associations between participation in CPE and EI. This pilot study will explore this potential association in a sample of CPE students at multiple CPE centers. To date, more than 160 CPE students completed the pre-training surveys at a greater than 60% response rate. Moreover, this study would serve as a catalyst for collaborative research on CPE in partnership with members of the ACPE Research CoP and ACPE-accredited centers nationwide.
The second project, “Impact of COVID-19 on CPE Spiritual Care Education: A Research Proposal” received an $18,883 award and is led by ACPE Educators and Members Csaba Szilagyi, Alexander Tartaglia, David Fleenor, Beth Jackson-Jordan, Sarah Knoll Sweeney and Kim Palmer. Over 160 ACPE educators have completed the survey tool. The aim of this study is to describe how CPE spiritual care education has pivoted to remote learning (also called online or virtual learning) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is interested in describing (a) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of CPE and (b) the ways in which CPE educators have adapted. The project will:
1. Describe the extent to which CPE educators/programs pivoted to remote learning in CPE
2. Describe the changes CPE educators made and the strategies and resources they utilized to pivot to remote learning in CPE
3. Explore CPE Educators’ perceived preparedness, confidence/self-efficacy, and needs for resources to deliver CPE remotely.
The ACPE Research Committee and research teams for both projects are grateful to the ACPE membership for their participation in the studies. We look forward to learning more about the research findings, and are encouraged by the Foundation for ACPE’s financial commitment to spiritual care and education research.
For more information about the Foundation for ACPE’s support of research initiatives, contact George Grant, Chair of the Foundation for ACPE Research Grants Committee or Jasmine Okafor, ACPE Development Specialist. For more information about the work of the ACPE Research Committee, contact Moses Taiwo, ACPE Research Committee Chair