CPE is a programme of education and formation in the discipline of Pastoral Care. It is an educational method, based on an action – reflection model of experiential learning; The ‘Experiential Learning Model’ (ELM) of David Kolb.

Participants are provided a placement (by negotiation)  to practice and deliver pastoral care within a clinical setting, (for example Hospital, Aged Care Facility, Prison). Pastoral care acknowledges and attends to the human condition, particularly life’s spiritual and religious dimensions. Participants are invited to reflect on their practice of care and to present their reflection to peers in a group supervisory process. In the reflection, participants explore their clinical experience, the dynamics of a pastoral encounter, and the spiritual and theological issues and considerations that arise.

Participation in the CPE programme will provide opportunities to:

• Grow in knowledge and understanding of your professional and pastoral role.
• Develop skills that will enable you to become a more effective Pastoral Practitioner.
• Deepen your awareness of each person’s spiritual needs, hopes and resources.
• Become more aware of your values, attitudes and assumptions.

CPE brings together members of different faith communities into supervised encounters with people in crisis. The process seeks to clarify for the participant the resources, methods and meaning of their faith or belief system as expressed in “Pastoral Care”.

CPE programmes have three distinct yet related aspects:

Clinical, Educational and Interpersonal.

1. The clinical aspect of the programme enables participants to learn directly through intense involvement with people and from subsequent feedback given by peers, supervisors, and other professionals who are engaged in the process.
   Participants develop new awareness of their own humanity and theology, and of the needs of those to whom they offer care. They discover more effective ways of relating to persons in crisis, and discard previously held prejudices and attitudes that are no longer useful.
   Learning from these experiences is the individual responsibility of each participant: what each participant regards as important to learn will vary from one to another. Supervisors see their role as helping the participant to clarify and set learning goals and to then assist that person to work toward achieving those goals.
2. The educational process is less orientated to theory than most academic courses. Experiential learning tends rather to the study of “living human documents”, with particular emphasis on self-directed and effective learning.
3. The interpersonal goals of clinical pastoral education help participants integrate the training experience into their own personality, under the guidance of their supervisor in a one-to-one relationship, and in a one-to-several relationship with their peers.

Theological Emphasis

From the reflections that arise as a consequence of working with people who find themselves in different and often unanticipated situations, the participant gains new insight into his or her theological understanding.

Participation in a unit of CPE requires discipline and rigour by participants and supervisors to ensure that individual learning goals are set, and that these are addressed through the detailed reporting of pastoral encounters, the attendant feelings aroused, and subsequent reflection upon the event.

Unit Hours & Time Commitment

Introduction to CPE

A Introduction to CPE methodology and Pastoral Formation

• 27 group supervision hours
• 6 hours on placement
• 1 hour of supervision
• 6 hours of personal reading and reflection

Foundation / Post-Foundation / Advanced

Foundation, Post-Foundation and Advanced CPE units includes at least:

• 10 hours of individual supervision
• 90 hours of peer group supervision, and
• 200 hours in a clinical placement with at least 100 hours in the actual practice of ministry.
• 100 hours for personal written reflection on experience and course requirements.

A Unit can be completed over a minimum of ten weeks or a maximum period of forty four weeks.

Credit

CPE programmes in Tasmania are conducted according to the Standards set by the Tasmanian Association for Supervised Pastoral Education Inc. (TASPE), a member of the Australia and New Zealand Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ANZACPE).

Upon the successful completion of a CPE unit candidates are awarded a Certificate of Achievement.

Applications

Enquiries can be made to TASPE on our Contact Us page. We will gladly send out application forms and brochures on request.