News
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Easing into FallSep 19, 2022
Fall has always been my favorite season. I love when the humidity blows away, the cooler mornings invite a different pace, and so many programs, practices, and rituals restart after the summer break. I love the changing colors, the beginning of the process of death and renewal throughout nature, and I am reminded of Lucille Clifton's poem “the lesson of the falling leaves”:
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Religious, Spiritual & Values-Based Diversity in CPE: Join us on Sept. 16 for a Resource Room on this topic!Sep 12, 2022
In March of this year, the Religion & Values Task Force of the ACPE’s Anti-Bias Work Group posted an article in this Monday newsletter that asked these questions:
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What are the Pros and Cons of Online CPE? Join us on Sept. 12 to Find Out!Sep 2, 2022
I remember what felt like a clandestine meeting of ACPE educators about 10 years ago to discuss online CPE. A group of us who were offering online CPE or interested in doing so had found each other and decided it could be helpful to meet and share what we had been learning. Offering online CPE was very new and controversial at that time. The prevailing concern was a fear about how authenticity and relationality could be lost or impeded when CPE groups don’t meet face to face.
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Summer Activities RoundupSep 2, 2022
National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) I spent this last weekend with our NACC colleagues at their conference in Buffalo, NY. Among other things, I went to represent ACPE as NACC celebrated David Lichter, their long-time retiring Executive Director. In his honor, NACC set up a fund to ensure the provision of CPE for aspiring chaplains. In response, David spoke about the growing importance of spiritual care for a hurting world.
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Original Psalm from Mark GlazenerAug 29, 2022
1O Lord, my abiding Shepherd, answer me when I call on you. 2From the depths of my distress, I cry out to you. 3Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
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Member ReflectionAug 22, 2022
This past summer, I entered the doors of the VA Healthcare System in Pittsburgh as a chaplain intern. I had some idea that a chaplain provides a listening ear, hospitality, and prayer. I was curious about what more I had to offer or learn in addition to some of the therapeutic interventions that I had known. I found CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) to be an intensely rich experience that expanded my understanding.
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Your Gifts at Work: Bilingual Internship CPE Unit - A project of Templo Cristiano Central, led by ACPE Certified Educator Silvia Tiznado-SmithAug 22, 2022
Through the generous support of our donors, the Foundation for ACPE awarded a $15,000 Innovative Program Award to support a Bilingual ACPE Certified Educator and the fees for the students who are accepted into the bilingual internship CPE unit at Templo Cristiano Central.
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Listening for DiscoveryAug 17, 2022
To listen another’s soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another.” - Douglas Steer For many years this quote has been the beginning point for every Level 1 CPE unit I supervised and for every Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counseling course that I have taught. The only quibble I have with Dr. Steere’s wisdom is his qualifier, “almost.” I suppose there are acute emergencies (feeding a starving person, dragging an unconscious person from a burning building) that demand action before listening. But listening until disclosure and discovery emerge is never to be discounted as anything other than a deep expression of love and mercy for my neighbor.
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A Season of So Many Feels
Aug 15, 2022
Mental health crisis. It's all over the news. People are exhausted and leaving their positions. Nowhere near enough counselors to meet all of the needs. No real pipeline to bring new people into the field. The tracks that people used to follow have broken down, and it will take years to rebuild them. Suicide rates are off the charts with several different subgroups.
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Replacement TherapyAug 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.
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Stories...life happensAug 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.
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COP Spotlight: About ACPE’s Friday Psychotherapists Community of PracticeAug 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.
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For your professional ethics edification in AugustAug 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 GroundedAug 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.
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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.
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Real Knowledge of the Human SoulJul 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.
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Frosty Foothills: A Metaphor for CPEJul 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.
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Curriculum Resource RoomsJul 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?
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A Seismic ShiftJul 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.
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A Christian Reflection on PTSDJul 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.