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How to Get the Most Out of Clinical Pastoral Education

How to Get the Most Out of Clinical Pastoral Education

Gordon J. Hilsman, D.Min | Judith Ragsdale

(2018)

Abstract

This accessible primer sets out the core elements and methods of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), and shows how to use it most effectively to improve clinicians' capacity for spiritual care.

The guide explains how to learn best from verbatim sessions, open agenda groups and writing projects. It shows how the primary learning modalities of CPE add competence to a spiritual caregiver's practice, suggesting helpful ways to reflect on spiritual care encounters from varying perspectives. It recommends ways to collaborate with a peer group, enhance frameworks of understanding people, improve self-awareness and broaden one's scope of caring while also deepening it. Written by an experienced supervisor of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, this guide is an essential introduction for anyone seeking to foster positive attitudes and practice of spiritual care in hospitals, hospices and other clinical settings.


This book fully describes and demystifies CPE, and it is full of nuggets of wisdom about engaging this unique process of experiential learning.
Christina Miller, RN, MSN, MDiv Retired Palliative Care Program Coordinator
Gordon J. Hilsman is a Board Certified Chaplain and CPE supervisor, with over forty years working in hospital, addiction treatment, mental health and hospice settings. He is the author of Spiritual Care in Common Terms.
How to Get the Most out of Clinical Pastoral Education is a great read for anyone considering the sacred journey of CPE. I highly recommend it for anyone who has been, is, or ever plans to be enrolled in a CPE program.
Rev Dr Amy Greene, Director, Center for Spiritual Care, Cleveland Clinic Health System Board Chair 2018-2019, ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
How to Get the Most Out of Clinical Pastoral Education – A CPE Primer by Gordon J. Hilsman, D.Min 2
Foreword 13
Preface 16
1. Engage the Educational Methods 21
2. Embrace the Learning Culture 70
3. Become a Process Leader: Pursue the Milestones in CPE Professional Development 93
4. Befriend Your Own Spiritual Development: A Phenomenological Theory for CPE 107
5. The Limitations of CPE and Making an Application 136
6. Meet the Standards—Simplified 142
Appendix 162
References 165
Further Reading 168
Subject Index 169
Author Index 173
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