Clinical Pastoral Education Program
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is an educational experience for qualified ministers who learn as they engage Veterans. It is considered the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program for Pastoral Care, which qualifies ministers to become VA chaplains (and any other institutional setting with chaplains).
The feedback includes both support and challenges. Guided by the Standards of ACPE®, the CPE student will grow in three major areas:
- Pastoral formation
- Pastoral competence
- Pastoral reflection
Why CPE?
The Atlanta VA Medical Center is a teaching hospital with a variety of disciplines. CPE is considered the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program for Pastoral Care, which qualifies ministers to become VA chaplains (and any other institutional setting with chaplains). The placement rate for graduates of the VA GME CPE programs into VA positions and other hospitals is high.
Who can apply?
Clinical Pastoral Education is post-graduate, professional education for clergy and lay persons who are called to prepare for pastoral care and counseling.
The full-time, year-long stipend programs begin each year in May and require the students:
- Be ordained or endorsed to ministry by an approved endorsing body
- Have completed a Graduate Level Master of Divinity from an approved and accredited school, and
- Have completed at least one prior unit of CPE (though that can be waived for certain persons).
- For an Advanced Residency specializing in mental health chaplaincy, applicants should have a minimum of four prior units of CPE.
The full-time without compensation Summer Intensive program and the part-time Extended CPE program are for both community clergy and seminarians. The next Summer Intensive begins in May and the Extended CPE begins in October.
The Certified Educator Candidate (CEC) program is for experienced chaplains who are called to educate and develop chaplains for intuitional ministry settings. There are currently no positions available.
The CPE Program at the Atlanta VA Medical Center is accredited to provide Level I/II and Educator CPE by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE):
ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education®
We Work, Floor 4
120 West Trinity Place
Atlanta, GA 30030
Phone: 404-320-1472
https://acpe.edu/
The dates of our next Summer Internship (without compensation) will be June 5-August 25, 2023 and the Extended Programs (without compensation) will be October 2023-May 2024.
The dates of our next Residency and Advanced Residency will be June 5, 2023 - June 6, 2024. The annual stipend will be $38,261 and $40,939.
Applications are accepted up to two months before the programs begin and may be downloaded here: CPE Application Forms
Cost: There are no application fees or student fees.
For more information or to apply for CPE at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, please contact:
Summer Intensive and Extended CPE:
Jarda Alexander MDiv, BCC, ACPE Certified Educator
Phone: 404-321-6111, ext. 206870 Email: jarda.alexander1@va.gov
Residency / Certified Educator Candidate:
Mary E. Hayes, MDiv, BCC, ACPE Certified Educator
Phone: 404-321-6111, ext. 206870 Email: mary.hayes@va.gov