The Call to Care for People

Happy Labor Day, Colleagues.

I hope that each of you are taking some time for yourselves and your families. The “Call to Care for People” can become all-consuming, and we often neglect ourselves and those we love while “serving” others. During this last summer holiday, I hope you intentionally enjoy the moments.

As with all tragedies, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our lives at an inconvenient time for our Association. Many of us were wrestling to acclimate to several changes throughout the organization, and the addition of our psychotherapist colleagues was of great significance. We were all doing our best to stay alive and support students, patients, clients, and staff. It was a challenging season that eliminated in-person gatherings, which caused us to miss the typical coalescing of welcoming new members into the organization.

Much of what I have worked on since being elected to serve on the Board has involved helping us to rekindle and build relationships within ACPE. We are an Association with much to offer the world and each other. When I trained to become a CPE Educator, I struggled to find theories that would help me learn the art of supervision. I did a lot of research and learned from those who had successfully made it through the Certification process. It would have been wonderful to have also had ACPE Psychotherapists to consult with then. How fortunate we are now to have access to the rich skills of our psychotherapy Sisters and Brothers.

The ACPE Fall 2024 Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapist Conference:

"Psycho-Spiritual Liberation: The Role of the Practitioner" will be held October 11 – 13, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Deborah Haskins will be the keynote speaker, presenting on the timely subject of Finding Grace and Beauty in Brokenness: Healing Psychological and Spiritual Wounds from Adversity, Trauma, and Loss for Practitioners, Clients, and Community Members.

More information is available HERE. I hope those of us who are able will plan to attend (streaming is also being made available). Of course, your prayers and well wishes for the conference's success will be greatly appreciated.

Blessings Always,

Cecelia

Rev. Dr. Cecelia Walker is a Certified Educator at The Ingalls Center of Pastoral Ministries in the Baptist Health System. She is currently serving as Chair of the ACPE Board of Directors and can be reached at cecelia.walker@bhsala.com.