Clinical Pastoral Education

• CPE Programs & Requirements of Participation

  St. Francis – Emory Healthcare Chaplain Services Department offers several levels and formats of ACPE Clinical Spiritual-Care Education including extended intern, intensive intern, and resident positions.  

  Please be advised that all our CPE student programs include overnight and/or weekend on-call components, where students are required to be on-site in one of our hospitals during these periods responding to emergent, critical care, code-blue, rapid response, and death calls.

• Internship

  Our Internship focuses on vocational discernment with emphasis on discovering and articulating one’s Authentic Spiritual Identity (core values) embodied in one’s Unique Vocational Way (competent approach) of providing Soul Care. We prepare people for value-based leadership, facilitating communities of Intimate Belonging. CPE fosters awareness for personal and professional integration, facilitating deliberate thriving in one’s care and collegial relationships for whatever future ministry or professional context comes one’s way.   

   We offer three CPE Intern units per year: 2 extended part-time units and a full-time summer intensive. Our next unit for which we are currently interviewing candidates is the Fall Internship Unit.   

  The dates of those units will vary year by year, but the spring unit generally runs from early January to mid-May. It is a part-time 20-week unit (about 20 hours per week). It includes an 8-hour day of education each week, one 12-hour weekend or overnight shift per week, and 6 – 8 additional clinical hours on days and times each week to be negotiated by intern and staff. 

  The summer unit begins at the end of May and runs through the middle of August. It is a full-time 40 hours per week 12-week unit.  

   The fall unit starts at the end of August / beginning of September and runs through the end of the year (late December / early January). It is also a part-time 20-week unit (about 20 hours per week).  It includes an 8-hour day of education each week (currently on Thursdays), ONE 12-hour weekend or overnight shift per week, and 6 – 8 additional clinical hours on days and times to be negotiated by intern and staff each week. 

   Please be advised that all our CPE student programs include overnight and/or weekend on-call components where students are required to be on-site in our hospital responding to code blue, death, critical care, referrals, and other soul care calls. 

   We receive applications year-round on a rolling basis and generally begin interviewing candidates about 4 months before the start of the unit.   

•  Residency

  We also offer a one-year (three-unit) CPE Residency. The requirements for the Residency include completion of at least one unit of CPE, as well as an advanced ministry degree. 

  We currently have three (3) residency positions. Our residency program is a full-time, one-year program which will begin in late September and ends on September 30th the following year. The benefits are:  

  • A competitive annual stipend  

  • Accrued Paid Days Off (PDO) 

   At St. Francis-Emory Healthcare, our focus for the residency, (in addition to further discerning, clarifying, and articulating one’s Authentic Spiritual Identity and how that is embodied in one’s Unique Vocational Way) is to guide exploration of Professional Awareness and Fit via preparing students for board-certification through one of the professional chaplain cognate groups (APC, NAJC, NACC, AMC, CASC).  Students do so by developing proficiency in the 5 Categories of CPE (Spiritual Formation and Integration, Awareness of Self and Other, Relational Dynamics, Spiritual Care Interventions, and Professional Development), using the Outcomes and Indicators as a road map for demonstrating competency in professional relational ministry. We emphasize ministerial identity, value based orientation / theological reflection, vocational clarity, and personal/professional development in the transition from student to professional.  

  We accept applications for future residency cohorts on a rolling basis, with interviews beginning in the spring of each year.  

• How Do I Apply?

  If you are interested in participating in a SFEH CPE education experience:  

  1. You may download and complete the standard ACPE Application.   
  2. We prefer that you email your completed application to CPE@sfhga.com although we will also accept a paper copy (one-sided only, no staples). You may also fax the application to the Chaplain Services Department at  706.660.6083.  

  Pay attention to these important details to include with your application:  

  • Please use your handwritten signature on the form pages. These need to be actual signatures, and not electronic.  

  • Make sure to include the essay answers (approximately 10 pages total for items 1-8). Do not staple your application.  

  • If you have completed previous units of CPE, please double check that your signed educator and any self-evaluations from ALL previous CPE units are included. You will not be considered for an interview without these!  

  • If you have completed previous units of CPE, please make sure you have included a verbatim as your helping incident AND make sure to include reflection of peer / educator feedback. 

  1.   You may pay in-person, or mail a $50 non-refundable application fee by check (payable to St. Francis – Emory Healthcare with "CPE FEE" in memo line), or money order to " Chaplain Services Department - CPE Program 2122 Manchester Expressway Columbus GA 31904 ".  
  2. If you are selected for an interview and subsequently offered a position in the program, the tuition for each unit is $400. A non-refundable $100 "Hold Seat" deposit, which will be applied to the tuition, is due at the time of acceptance. The remaining tuition will be required before the end of the unit.  

THE INTEGRATIVE PROCESS OF SOUL CARE - CPE  

Clinical Spiritual-Care Education (CPE) provides graduate-level theological and professional learning using the Action / Reflection / Refined Action clinical method.  

CPE students gain experience in a clinical setting, practicing the art and skill of spiritual, existential, and emotional care (Soul Care#) with patients, families and staff. This experiential educational model uses data from the actual practice of ministry as the content for reflection with an ACPE Certified Educator and a small group of peers. 

The CPE experience addresses many aspects of ministry from which CPE participants develop awareness of how their personal histories, faith perspectives, innate personalities, and individual gifts influence their vocational practice and facilitation of Intimate Belonging:  care and connection with Foundational Source, themselves, and others with whom they relate and connect. 

Spiritual Identity

• Religious Tradition
• Philosophical Worldview
• Inherited and Embedded Theology
• Sense of Intuition
• Polity Preference / Worship Style 

 Vocational Identity 

• Sense of Calling 
• Deep Passions & Great Joys 
• Talents / Abilities 
• Gifts 
• Life Experiences 
• Mentors / Guides 
• Life-long Learning 

 Professional Identity 

• Academic Endeavors 
• Occupation 
• Career Path 
• Titles, Certifications, Licensures 
• Trade Organizations 
• Job Aspirations 
• Place(s) you earn a living 

 Personal Identity 

• Personality 
• Chosen Family 
• Cultural Influence 
• Familial Roles 
• Relationships 
• Learning Style 
• Family History 
• Gender / Relational Orientation  

 Related Documents 

Clinical Pastoral Education Application 2025