News
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Bits and PiecesFeb 25, 2022
We are experiencing a minor thaw in my area. Chicago has been in the midst of a normal winter, with occasional snaps of cold bluster but nothing like I remember from my childhood when winds snatched children up, spun us around, and placed us back on the sidewalk with tears lining our eyes. Winters seem stronger from back then.
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Un-numbingFeb 24, 2022
Rev. Miguel Santamaria is a Certified Educator at Morton Plant Hospital and wrote the poem, "Un-numbing"
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Hell, and Held
Feb 21, 2022
Rev. Miguel Santamaria is a Certified Educator at Morton Plant Hospital and wrote the poem, "Hell, and Held"
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A Better LifeFeb 21, 2022
In the United States, you and I are more likely to have surgery in the last week of our lives than at any other time in our lives – A time in our lives when we are less likely to see its benefit. At an Institute of Medicine Conference recently, Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, shared this fact and noted that between 1988 and 2010 “the experience of people at the end of life is that they have more pain, more depression, more difficulties and confusion … they are all increased at the end of life without evident benefit.” And so, he says, what we have seen is a 50 year experiment with medicalizing mortality”.
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Taking a Moment for PoetryFeb 16, 2022
Each week, a “poem for reflection” is included in “This Week,” the ACPE newsletter. I am often asked where we find the poems that are included. I thought it might be helpful to share several of the resources I use to identify those poems, hoping they might prove helpful to you in your work.
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ACPE’s Anti-Bias Working Group: What’s That?Feb 10, 2022
Did you know ACPE has an Anti-Bias Working Group (ABWG)? Have you ever wondered what we do? As we begin work in 2022, we see our work as integral to ACPE’s mission, vision and values. ACPE’s mission is to positively affect people’s lives by nurturing connections to the sacred through experiential education and spiritual care. The ABWG’s mission is to resource ACPE to embed and embrace anti-bias and antiracism at every level and at every expression of our organization. ACPE’s vision is to create measurable and appreciable improvement in spiritual health that transforms people and communities in the US and across the globe. The ABWG’s vision is to champion the anti-bias and anti-racist orientation and practices that are essential to cultivating spiritual health and wellbeing.
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COVID-19 and Clinical Pastoral EducationFeb 9, 2022
"COVID-19 and Clinical Pastoral Education: How ACPE Educators Pivoted Amid the Pandemic", examined how ACPE-certified educators responded to maintain program delivery. Survey results from 210 educators found a substantial and abrupt increase in both synchronous and asynchronous remote delivery for instruction and supervision as well as adaptations for maintaining clinical practice. The study identified the use and helpfulness of professional, organizational, and technology resources, including ACPE peers and feedback from students among those most valuable.
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It’s time to take stockFeb 4, 2022
The pandemic has impacted my body, among other things. For the first time in two years, I went to a yoga class last week and discovered just how inflexible my body had become during the pandemic. I used to feel like my sun salutations flowed (fairly) well. I was a little clunky when my 6’4” frame went down for an upward-facing dog; still, I appreciated the flexibility yoga had given me into my mid 50’s.
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Homage to Stu Plummer. A kind of homily.Feb 3, 2022
ACPE Retired Educator Alex Lukens wrote a homage to ACPE Emeritus Educator Stu Plummer who died on December 15, 2021.
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For your professional ethics edification in FebruaryFeb 3, 2022
Once a month the ACPE Professional Ethics Commission (PEC) posts a couple of statements from our Code of Professional Ethics for ACPE Members. Each posting is accompanied by a brief personal reflection from a member of the PEC discussing some ways this person lives these commitments
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2022 Psychotherapy Webinar SeriesFeb 1, 2022
ACPE’s Psychotherapy Webinar Series brings leaders from the field of psychotherapy to ACPE members and guests. The program content is aimed at psychotherapists but will be of interest and value to educators, chaplains, and CPE students as well. Each webinar is approved for 1.5 hours of NBCC continuing education credit. ACPE provides these webinars free of charge to ACPE members. Non-members are welcome at a cost of $20 per webinar.
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2022 Conference Registration is OpenJan 31, 2022
Register now for the 2022 Joint Conference "Freedom, Wonder, and Liberation: Anti-Bias Practices of Spiritual Care and Education" taking place May 9-12, 2022.
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ACPE is Your Home For Spiritually Integrative PsychotherapyJan 31, 2022
There’s a local car dealership in Philadelphia that always ends its television ads with the owner of the dealership saying, “I’ve always been your dealer, even if you didn’t know it.” It may seem weirdly disjointed to summon a car dealer slogan for my inaugural newsletter entry as the new chair of the Psychotherapy Commission, but this slogan uniquely captures my sincere wish and desire: ACPE is your home for spiritually integrative psychotherapy.
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Saying GoodbyeJan 27, 2022
In 2017, I took what might have been the biggest risk of my professional life. I left a job and colleagues that I dearly loved to come work at ACPE. It was a time of great transition for ACPE, and I was excited about what I could bring to the role of supporting our educators and programs. We embarked on a two-year campaign to visit all our accredited CPE centers, to meet with stakeholders, answer questions about the changes, and build connections with the more centralized ACPE infrastructure.
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Call for ACPE Service Award Nominations!Jan 24, 2022
The Foundation for ACPE Service Awards Committee invites you to nominate yourself or a colleague for recognition of outstanding contributions or service to ACPE, the field(s) of spiritual care, pastoral counseling and/or psychotherapy. As an association, we are blessed with an abundance of talented, smart, and generous members. Who do you think deserves special recognition?
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A New Chapter of Our Shared StoryJan 24, 2022
In this new year the ACPE Foundation will open a new chapter. Our endowment has grown to over $8 million, and we have significantly more funds available for innovative grants.
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2022: How do we continue building on the relational foundations that led to our successes?
Jan 14, 2022
Indie Arie sang about him in “One.” Bob Dylan sang about him in “They Killed Him.” Common and John Legend sang about him in “Glory.” U2 sang about him in “Pride.” And Stevie Wonder sang “Happy Birthday” to him.
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For your professional ethics edification in JanuaryJan 7, 2022
Once a month the ACPE Professional Ethics Commission (PEC) posts a couple of statements from our Code of Professional Ethics for ACPE Members. Each posting is accompanied by a brief personal reflection from a member of the PEC discussing some ways this person lives these commitments
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New Energy in the New Year
Jan 7, 2022
Happy New Year! It’s a strange start to a new year, isn’t it? This time of year typically brings hopefulness and anticipation, visioning, and goal-setting. And yet, in 2022, we find ourselves in the midst of a raging pandemic and economic uncertainty. Reflection on the road ahead feels challenging as a deep weariness has set in for many of us and our colleagues.
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What will we continue to create?
Dec 22, 2021
Greetings and blessed 2022 to all of you! My name is Shawn Mai, and I am the new board chair for the ACPE Board of Directors. For the last two years, I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside Melissa Walker-Luckett as she chaired the board. I am an ACPE Educator at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, MN, a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis, MN. I am married to my husband Chuck, have two children and three grandchildren. Several years ago, I decided to work four days a week and provide childcare for our grandchildren one day a week. My grandchildren offer a source for some of my most significant learning in life right now.