Clinical Service
Our CPE Intern and Resident programs involve daily interaction in an assigned clinical area, as well as providing spiritual care in the evening through the night/weekend duty component of our program.
Clinical Opportunities
Students enrolled in the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program at Corewell Health have the opportunity to provide spiritual care and to participate in reflective education in a broad range of clinical specialties within the Royal Oak Campus. There
is potentially the opportunity for clinical placements at other Corewell Health Campuses and externships if Center protocols and mutual agreement is in place.
Within the clinical setting, students will have the opportunity to interact with the
interdisciplinary staff in providing a complete continuum of care to a diversity of patients, family, staff and community. Augmented by the vast educational resources that we have access to, the clinical experience provides enriching opportunities
to learn and transform as a person and spiritual care provider. Our program provides a most comprehensive and diverse CPE experience within Southeast Michigan.
Through supervised delivery of emotional and spiritual care, our CPE Interns
and Residents (lay persons; theological students; and spiritual leaders of various faiths and cultures) learn new pastoral skills to help persons in crisis and a myriad of spiritual need. By intensive involvement with persons in these types of situations
and the feedback from peers and teachers, participants develop new awareness of themselves as individuals and of the needs of those to whom they minister. From theological reflection on specific human situations, our interns and residents gain a new
understanding of ministry and develop skills in interpersonal and inter-professional relationships through and interdisciplinary team approach of helping persons in a care-giving alliance.
Our year-long residency program offers three units
of Clinical Pastoral Education that are focused opportunities to develop individual theologies, spiritual formation, spiritual care research skills and competent spiritual practice for those committed to pursuing professional chaplaincy and Chaplain
Board Certification. Residents typically serve the same assigned clinical area for their full year.
Program Structure
The ACPE minimum standard for credit for a CPE unit is 400 hours, as a CPE intern, your unit at Corewell Health will consist of a total time commitment of approximately 480 hours spent in clinical practicums, group-centered learning activities,
and one-to-one direct supervision. Residents are full-time exempt employees that will meet the credit requirement as part of their employment expectations. Additionally, both CPE Interns and CPE Residents will be required to provide overnight and
weekend on-call in a rotation, shared holiday coverage, and responsibility for weekly chapel services when on-call.
The educational aspect of the program is structured in small groups and includes individual supervision. Small group CPE
elements and individual sessions are led by ACPE supervisors. In these settings, clinical cases are shared and discussed utilizing the action/reflection/action format. The use of written accounts of the clinical spiritual visit (verbatim) is a key
tool in this type of reflective education. Didactic sessions are enriched with the inclusion of those with diverse expertise. Students are also afforded opportunities for mentorship with staff chaplains.
The CPE program must be conducted
under the auspices of an ACPE Certified Educator and consists of:
- The actual practice of ministry to persons
- Detailed reporting and evaluation of that practice, (verbatim).
- Pastoral supervision
- A reflective process conception of learning
- A theoretical perspective on all elements of the program
- A small group of peers in a common learning experience
- A specific time period
- An individual learning covenant consistent with the objectives of CPE including:
- Pastoral Reflection - reflection on one's self as person and pastor in relationship to persons in crisis, the educator, and peer group
- members, as well as the curriculum and institutional setting.
- Pastoral Formation - focus on personal and pastoral identity issues in learning and ministry.
- Pastoral Competence - deepening and unfolding of competence in pastoral function, pastoral skills and knowledge of theology and the
- behavioral sciences.