Pathway to Become a Clinical Pastoral Educator

Each CPE program is facilitated by a Clinical Pastoral Educator. Becoming a Clinical Pastoral Educator takes several years of formation, including formal study, CPE supervision specific professional development, experiential training within a CPE group and intensive individual supervision. If you may be interested to follow this path, please contact the Chair, Registration and Certification Committee (R&C). Our standards detail the formal requirements, however here is a general overview.

  1. Complete 3-4 units of CPE, with at least 1 at Advanced level.
  2. Obtain certification of completion of Advanced CPE through presenting to a Committee for review.
  3. After a process of starting to learn about CPE supervision, apply to ACPEWA to be granted Provisional Clinical Pastoral Supervisor status and begin supervising CPE participants. To be granted Provisional Clinical Pastoral Supervisor status, you will need to write about your learning and present to a Committee  for review. At this point, you may optionally choose to enrol in a MA(Specialisation in supervision) with Sydney College of Divinity. This Masters degree offers the education in supervision mentioned below.
  4. As a Provisional Clinical Pastoral Supervisor you will co-facilitate CPE groups and provide individual supervision to some participants. You will receive individual supervision (10 sessions/CPE program) and engage in ongoing education. The focus at this stage will be on individual supervision.
  5. After co-supervising 3-4 CPE programs, completing a program of supervisory education and writing about your experience, apply to ACPEWA for a Review Committee (5 people) to consider accrediting you as a Clinical Pastoral Supervisor.
  6. Clinical Pastoral Supervisors may co-supervise CPE programs and provide individual supervision to some participants.
  7. If desired and possibly with some additional experience as a Clinical Pastoral Supervisor, apply to ACPEWA to be granted the status as Provisional Clinical Pastoral Educator. (No Committee required, however your CPE Centre Director and Supervisor will need to agree that you are ready for this next step). At this level you will learn about group supervision and other aspects of running a CPE program.
  8. After facilitating 3-4 CPE programs as a Provisional Clinical Pastoral Educator, completing a further program of supervisory education, gaining theological or equivalent qualifications and writing up your experience and theories, apply to ACPEWA for a Review Committee (5 people from across Australia and New Zealand) to consider accrediting you as a Clinical Pastoral Educator.
  9. Clinical Pastoral Educators can work independently and can become a CPE Centre Director.
  10. A few people progress past this level towards Clinical Pastoral Education-Consultant. Clinical Pastoral Education-Consultants hold the additional responsibility of educating Provisional Clinical Pastoral Supervisors and Provisional Clinical Pastoral Educators.