CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION

by Fr. Steven Voytovich

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) began when Dr. Richard Cabot (a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital) was concerned with developing a clinical model of pastoral care. In 1925, he wrote "A Plea for a Clinical Year in the Course of Theological Study," calling for a year of supervised training for seminarians in a hospital setting, using an internship/case model study.

Anton Boisen, on the other hand, learned about studying "living human documents" through exploring the depth of his own psychological illness. Boisen, a chaplain at Worcester State Hospital in Massachusetts, in agreement with Cabot's call, in 1925 began a training program for students.

In this program, they spent a number of hours with patients and were part of the therapeutic team. His attempt was to integrate intellectual and emotional aspects of life. Thus, the Clinical Pastoral Educational Movement was born. Out of this movement a number of certifying bodies have since been created each of which addresses a particular need or focus. In addition, at this time several faith traditions have or continue to develop their own certifying bodies.

The first question to address is the nature of CPE. "CPE is professional education for ministry which brings theological students, ordained clergy, members of religious orders, and qualified laypersons into supervised encounters with living human documents in order to develop their: pastoral identity, interpersonal competance and spirituality; the skills of pastoral assessment, interprofessional collaboration, group leadership, pastoral care and counseling; and pastoral theological reflection." (Edward Thornton, Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling, pp. 177-78)

CPE is an extremely rich learning environment where students have, through pastoral encounters in a specific ministry setting, opportunities both to develop a number of skills, and to reflect on the practice of ministry and the unique role and function that each person brings to this environment.

At first glance of the above definition, this process seems focused primarily, if not exclusively, on the pastoral caregiver. In some ways this is accurate. A pastor has to be in touch with what s/he is bringing to each potential ministry encounter.

By knowing one's self (physically, emotionally, spirituality, pastorally) in this way one can truly be present to the "other" s/he is visiting. Within the pastoral visit, the para-verbal and non-verbal, in addition to the verbal conversation, simultaneously reveal and withhold important messages between chaplain and patient.

Only by carefully sorting through these various messages can an objective assessment be made both of the chaplain's presence and patient's needs. Developing this kind of skill base, within caring pastoral relationships, requires both opportunities for ministry encounters and a safe, trusting environment for reflection on them.

CPE has, at its core, a simple model of action and reflection. The student, following pastoral encounters, is given the opportunity to learn, under supervision and with peers, valuable lessons about: self, pastoral role and function, theological understanding (espoused and operational), and other areas.

This learning is, in turn, integrated to continue informing and developing one's own pastoral identity and understanding of self, leading to more effective pastoral care. With this model, pastoral caregivers can continue to intentionally grow and develop in their practice of ministry while more fully understanding the unique presence that they bring to ministry settings.

One of the many goals within this process is to assist in empowering the patient's own operational theology to deal with their illness and suffering. The chaplain here does not come to do for the patient, but to be with them as a fellow sojourner on the journey of faith.

As Orthodox Christians, we live within a long tradition of pastoral caregiving. We do not carry this tradition as a package (unopened and changeless) from the last generation to the next. Rather, through knowledge and experience gained from the practice of pastoral care, we are given real opportunities, here and now, to gain in our own life of faith while walking with others who are struggling along the way in theirs. The living practice of pastoral care represents living faith, and is an ongoing gift of grace that can be shared with many.

CPE has been, in my own experience, an extremely valuable tool or process to engage in this learning and growth. The Orthodox Church, at the same time, has much to offer in this clinical environment.

It is my hope to be alive to both the living Tradition of the Orthodox Church and the living human documents which I encounter each and every day. In pursuit of this, I serve as a staff chaplain and am engaged in supervisory education (training toward certification to conduct CPE) at Episcopal Health Services, Inc (EHS).

EHS (Episcopal Diocese of Long Island) is the fifth or sixth largest health care provider in New York. EHS is actively seeking students, both full-time and part-time, for CPE in the coming year.

If you have questions or comments, please contact:

Rev. Steven Voytovich