DESCRIPTION: Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a program offered under the auspices of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) that provides "experience-based theological education which combines the practice of pastoral care with qualified supervision and peer group reflection and which is grounded in a person-centered approach Thank religious ministry." This 400-hour course may be taken in three options: (1) ten to twelve weeks full-time (FE509); (2) twenty to twenty-four weeks half-time (FE510); or (3) more than 20 weeks part-time (FE511), usually in hospital settings, but also in other settings such as hospice organizations and community contexts.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY: This course prepares students for vocations in family pastoral care and counseling, and recovery ministries. It also fulfills denominational requirements for CPE. The course provides a means for all students to increase their skills in ministry to the sick and bereaved. Particular attention is given to Christian self-understanding around issues of meaning, theodicy, death, and dying, and to the development of the student's pastoral identity.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will (1) grow in their ability to engage in theological reflection by having regular opportunities to think critically about ministry in light of the Christian tradition; (2) deepen their understanding of the cultural context of ministry by immersing themselves in a specific context and regularly reflecting with their supervisor on the connection between context and ministry; (3) develop toward becoming spiritually mature and accountable practitioners by reflecting with their peers in a theological reflection group and with their supervisor in their internship on the connection between their faith and their ministry; (4) become better Christian leaders by having many opportunities to practice the responsibilities of ministry throughout their internship.

INFORMATION AND PROCEDURES: Participation in this course entails the following process:

1. Select a CPE site from the ACPE website (www.acpe.edu).

2. Apply for CPE by downloading the application from the regional website (www.pacificregionacpe.org) or by contacting the desired CPE site for an application. This is usually done nine to twelve months prior to the start of the internship. Interview with the CPE supervisor at the desired site.

3. After acceptance, pay tuition to the CPE site.

4. Register at Fuller for the CPE course, a separate process from the application with the CPE site. No Fuller tuition is charged. Although for billing purposes, this is a zero-unit class, for the purposes of loan deferment, the ten-week internship is considered the equivalent of full-time enrollment (16 units); the twenty-week internship (extended) is considered the equivalent of half-time enrollment (8 units); and the thirty-week internship is considered less than half-time (4 units). Students receive eight units of "advanced standing" in their degree upon completion of the full internship.

5. Following acceptance by the CPE site and prior to Fuller registration, submit an Advanced Standing Request Form (available in a CPE Packet available at http://www.fuller.edu/current-students/resources/field-ed/field-ed.aspx under Vital Documents). The student and his/her Academic Advisor will receive a Course Approval Notification. The student must then contact the Advising Office to receive a Course Reference Number (CRN) in order to register for the specific CPE course online. Each quarter of FE510A and B or 511A, B, and C has a different CRN. The student must register for each of the subsequent quarters online. Attendance at the Field Education seminar "Understanding Hospital Chaplaincy: How to Prepare for CPE" is mandatory. If you are unable to attend a live seminar, you may listen to the CD/DVD and write a one-page response paper. CD/DVDs are available from Fuller's Hubbard Library. You may also watch the seminar on iTunesU through Moodle. For seminar details, online library catalog number, accessing the seminar on iTunesU, and a response sheet, see http://www.fuller.edu/current-students/resources/field-ed/ministry-enrichment-seminars.aspx.

6. During the internship, the student must complete all required site work.

7. By the third week of the term following completion of the internship, submit the CPE supervisor's evaluation to the Field Education and Ministry Formation Office.

8. Interview with the Field Education Director after the internship for feedback on the internship.

Evaluation is conducted entirely by the ACPE supervisor with feedback from the student, peer group, and professional staff.