Doin' Seminary: Tips for Clinical Pastoral Education
The sisters [Martha and Mary] sent word to Jesus, saying, "Lord, the one you love is sick." - John 11:3 _________________________________________________________________________________ THIS SUMMER, I participated in a program called Clinical Pastoral Education, or CPE. This program puts clergy and clergy-in-training into a hospital setting as a sort of "trial by fire." We were asked to care for the spiritual and emotional needs of hundreds of patients that came through our doors while also learning about ourselves and about what makes us "tick." There were many important things that I learned through this wonderful program, but I would like to share just a few insights that may capture a picture of what this training was like for me. All of these are things that I find personally helpful, and I hope that it may be helpful to the reader as well! 1. CPE was about MY learning in the hospital setting. During CPE, I was a part of a CPE...