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  • Replacement Therapy

    Aug 10, 2022

    In my younger years, I grew up praying spontaneous, extemporaneous, non-liturgical prayers. These were primarily prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God, as well as prayers of intercession: my interceding for others, as well as for myself, asking God to help me be and do better at whatever. Not to mention prayers of repentance for my sinfulness. And of course, such a way of praying is not only appropriate but necessary, certainly for a Christian, limited as it may be merely to one’s own understanding and awareness.

  • Stories...life happens

    Aug 5, 2022

    I’m a listener of stories. A story viewer. My professions and my retirement post profession revolved and revolves around stories. In a recent pod episode of “The Moth,” a snippet of a storyteller said the following. “Life happens...and it is the job or us mere mortals to make meaning out of what happens.” It is not some cosmic fatalism, or god given event that some might prescribe to what happens, as well meaning as those spoken words might mean when said to someone, thanks, but most times not helpful. Those times might just be more helped by sitting with someone and being present to them.

  • COP Spotlight: About ACPE’s Friday Psychotherapists Community of Practice

    Aug 5, 2022

    Early in the COVID pandemic, ACPE staff member Katherine Higgins sent out a general invitation to interested persons to join a weekly gathering of like-minded persons for a one-hour weekly ZOOM gathering on Fridays at 12 noon ET.

  • For your professional ethics edification in August

    Aug 5, 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*. August’s statements are:

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    Stay Grounded

    Aug 3, 2022

    Recently I had planned to listen to a podcast while taking a long walk. As I headed out the door, I launched the program. The sound was only coming from one of the earbuds. I was annoyed by this as the earbuds were new and I had only just charged them in their case. Throughout the walk, I remained distracted by the non-functioning earbud.

  • Trust the Process

    Aug 1, 2022

    Author and change facilitator adrienne maree brown often speaks about trusting the process and trusting the people. Brown points us toward the natural world and what it teaches us about the mystery and chaos of change. The reality of change can be both terrifying and liberating. Our strategic planning process has been set up intentionally to invite the multitude and diverse voices of ACPE into the conversation about where we are headed and what we need to get there. ACPE is an organization that has committed to fundamental change as an anti-racist organization amidst the ever-changing landscape of healthcare, theological education, and the more diverse organization that we have become.

  • Real Knowledge of the Human Soul

    Jul 27, 2022

    More people in the spiritual community around the world offer counseling and support to those suffering from mental illness than we can presently measure effectively. Yet these individuals collectively care for the soul in ways that the community relies on every day. When we think about where people go to access care when suffering from mental illness, we cannot overlook this group.

  • Frosty Foothills: A Metaphor for CPE

    Jul 22, 2022

    It is difficult for me to describe my CPE journey as anything but that, a journey. At the same time, descriptions falter to depict the scenes I’ve seen. Words are insufficient. The hospital is filled with the ineffable. Yet, I’m reminded of a hike, in snowy Appalachia, trekking through a foot of snow to witness the glory of creation.

  • Curriculum Resource Rooms

    Jul 22, 2022

    On July 29th from 1:00 PM EST to 2:30 PM EST, Rev. Dr. Beth Jackson-Jordan and Rev. Dr. Imani Jones will have a conversation about race in CPE curriculum, specifically about de-centering whiteness in our curriculums. They have graciously offered all of us to join—to listen in and then to engage them and each other as we consider how we can construct our curriculums to best serve the diversity of students in our programs as well as those who have yet to enroll in our programs. And even more importantly, we will consider how can our curriculum prepare those students for engaging in a world in which we hope to connect with others across differences?

  • Dagmar looking at camera
    A Seismic Shift

    Jul 22, 2022

    Whenever the earth shakes under our feet, we Californians hope it’s not the beginning of the “big one.” In the past two years, we all have experienced a seismic shift in our social and personal lives: the pandemic has led to the loss of many lives, caused much grief, unveiled social inequality and racism, and contributed to increased mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

  • A Christian Reflection on PTSD

    Jul 19, 2022

    Recently, a close family member was diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and subsequent conversations related to our shared Christian faith brought about new questions for me in my faith journey as a Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapist.

  • Trace smiling at camera
    Spirituality Matters

    Jul 15, 2022

    One of the less visible parts of my role as executive director of ACPE is to respond to senior executives in many of the centers we accredit or where psychotherapists practice. Their questions can be complex, and they often distill down to a pretty simple question: why should we pay for someone to provide spiritual care here?

  • Community of Practice 2023 Funding Request Process Open Now through August 1st

    Jul 11, 2022

    It’s that time of year again…time to submit your CoP’s budget and funding request to the Professional Well-Being Committee. We are excited to see 2023 bringing us all back together after such a long pause.

  • We must weave our wisdom together in a tapestry reflecting who and what we are today

    Jul 2, 2022

    As we wake up to the news of more deaths and violence during these challenging and painful days, I think about you and what you hold. The listening and presence you provide are the sources of healing. Holding tension and mystery is challenging when we carry our own grief.

  • For your professional ethics edification in July

    Jun 29, 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

  • En Conjunto: The Journey of Belonging

    Jun 29, 2022

    As we take time off (hopefully) to celebrate the 4th of July, our task force was invited to reflect on our gleanings as we have engaged in anti-bias work regarding language and immigration. Reflecting on our experience of living in the United States as immigrants in general, and as ACPE Certified Educators in particular, we acknowledge our desire to belong. The diverse histories of immigrants, which make up the American identity, invite us to engage with our own stories that brought us to this country.

  • Dagmar looking at camera
    COVID-19 on CPE Project Grant Report

    Jun 24, 2022

    In 2020, the Foundation for ACPE in partnership with the ACPE Research Committee launched the Research Grants Initiative and funded two research projects: one that explored the relationship between CPE and Emotional Intelligence ($54,987), and the other that examined the Impact of Covid-19 on CPE ($18,883).

  • Juneteenth Reflection

    Jun 24, 2022

    This year Juneteenth hit different. My first celebration since the pandemic shut everything down. My first celebration after the beginning of the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests. Here are some of my reflections. Juneteenth is bittersweet for me For it is both celebration and lament

  • A Blessing for Finding Healing and Hope

    Jun 17, 2022

    Elizabeth Smith-Bartlett, M.Div., M.S., is a second year chaplain resident at VCU Health in Richmond, VA. She serves as the unit chaplain to the medical respiratory intensive care unit and the medical intermediate/intensive care unit, which have been the primary Covid-19 ICUs since the start of the pandemic. Prior to VCU, Elizabeth completed additional CPE units in Ft. Worth, TX, and New Haven, CT. She is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has served congregations in Connecticut and New York.

  • What in the world does Juneteenth have to do with ACPE?

    Jun 17, 2022

    Juneteenth, a nationally recognized federal holiday, is celebrated on June 19. Juneteenth is a celebratory moment that has transcended into a movement for emancipation, liberation, and self-actualization of African Americans in the United States of America. On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas. They had to physically force racist white enslavers to stop enslaving Black persons and ignoring or refusing to honor President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which outlawed the enslavement of Black bodies and went into effect six months earlier on January 1, 1863.