Center for Pastoral Education Programs

Learn more about the various programs offered through the Center for Pastoral Education at The Jewish Theological Seminary.

 

Certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling

The new Certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling can be earned by anyone with a completed BA degree.

The Certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling represents an integrated pastoral care curriculum that includes academic learning, professional skills, and religious and personal identity-formation. Students who are interested in preparing themselves for the world of professional chaplaincy will be in an excellent position to become leaders in the field. Students who wish to become clergy or religious professionals in agencies or schools will have the in-depth pastoral training to serve the needs of their congregants, clients, and students on a very high level and with expertise in the rich pastoral resources of Judaism.

View a detailed description of the program and its requirements.

For questions and to submit applications, please contact Rabbi Ute Steyer.

Students currently enrolled in one of the graduate schools of JTS (The Rabbinical School, H. L. Miller Cantorial School, The Davidson School, or The Graduate School) please contact Rabbi Ute Steyer.

Full-Time Summer CPE Programs

This 400-hour, 12-week intensive training program teaches seminarians of all faiths how to best provide pastoral care.

Chaplain interns spend three days per week providing pastoral care at clinical sites. The remaining two days are spent at JTS in educational seminars.

The unit runs from May 21 to August 9, 2013. We accept applications on a rolling basis. Students who had a successful interview with the CPE supervisor will go on for an interview with a specific clinical site.

The Center offers summer CPE in two unique programs: the Social Service Agency CPE Program and the Hospice CPE Program. Students will be at their sites on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They will meet at JTS on Tuesdays and Thursdays for didactics, supervisions, and group learning sessions.

For questions and to submit applications please contact Rabbi Mychal Springer or Rabbi Ute Steyer.

Please note that you must submit all of your application forms and documents electronically.

View a clip from the Jewish Channel about the summer 2011 graduation ceremony, and enjoy interviews with supervisors and students of the program.

Watch other videos from the CPE Graduation at our YouTube channel. »

 

Part-Time Hospice CPE Program

October 3, 2013–May 2014

The Jewish Theological Seminary is offering a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) to seminarians of all faiths during the 2011–2012 academic year. The program is fully accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). There are five positions available for chaplain interns, who will complete their clinical hours at Zicklin Jewish Hospice Residence in Riverdale, New York, Jacob Perlow Hospice, and Metropolitan Jewish Hospice. This program is possible thanks to the generous funding by UJA-Federation of New York.

Learn more about the program, tuition, scholarships, and application procedures.

For questions about the program and to submit applications: Please contact Daniel Silberbusch.

To apply:

All spots are filled for the 2012–2013 program, but we are accepting applications for 2013–2014.

Application Forms and Documents

 

General Structure of the CPE Programs

A single unit of CPE is appropriate for any seminarian or clergy interested in developing skills for helping people in crisis. The programs emphasize pastoral skill building, the formation of a pastoral identity, and the articulation of a theology that emerges out of encounters with suffering.

  • All units of CPE consist of a set number of clinical hours (varying with each program) that are spent on predetermined clinical sites.
  • The educational components of CPE include student presentations of verbatims—written reports of individual visits with patients, with extensive attention paid to pastoral skills, pastoral identity, and pastoral theology.
  • Students will also participate in regular individual supervision and regular Interpersonal Relations (IPR) seminars. IPRs are open-agenda seminars in which students focus on developing interpersonal skills by engaging in an in-the-moment learning process, with an emphasis on recognizing feelings and learning how to journey deeply with others.
  • In addition, students are offered didactics (learning seminars) on a variety of topics related to pastoral care, with contributions by academic faculty members.
  • ACPE is grounded in the reflective practitioner model of learning, which helps students integrate their identities and prior knowledge with the new insights that emerge in the process of practicing pastoral care.

For comprehensive information about Clinical Pastoral Education, please go to the ACPE website.

Part-Time Multifaith Program for Clergy

The part-time CPE program for pulpit clergy and religious community leaders allows participants to delve into the unique aspects of pastoral work that arise in congregational settings.

This singular program does not require participants to take on any additional pastoral work, focusing instead on developing the reflective practitioner, the art of pastoral care, and advanced skills for meeting the pastoral needs of congregations.


Dates and Location:

October 22, 2013–June 2014

The Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway (at 122nd Street)
New York, NY 10027

Get directions to JTS.

Program Structure:

The Part-Time Multifaith CPE Program is accredited through the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE).

  • The program of this half-unit of CPE consists of 180 hours of pastoral work with people in need and 60 hours of individual and group supervision.
  • Participants gather as a group once a month on Tuesdays at JTS from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Participants will present written reports on their pastoral work and take part in educational seminars.
  • Once a month, participants will have individual sessions with one of the ACPE supervisors. These will take place at JTS, when geographically possible or by phone/skype.

To apply:

All spots are filled for the 2012–2013 program, but we are accepting applications for 2013–2014.

  • Application Forms and Documents
  • Applicants must include a letter describing the contexts in which they work and how they envision dividing their time so that they can demonstrate sufficient pastoral contacts to meet the 180-hour clinical work component of the program. A letter from their community affirming its support for the applicant to participate in this program is also required. Attached is a letter to congregations explaining the program.
  • Applicants for this part-time, half-unit CPE program will be accepted on a rolling basis.
  • Program fee: $500.

Please submit applications electronically to Rabbi Ute Steyer.

Application Forms and Documents

All application materials (forms, essays, etc.) must be submitted electronically. Momentarily, you can not submit essays, evaluations etc. simultaneously with the application form (link below). Please, send these other documents separate as pdf-files to the supervisor of your program or as listed in the program descriptions above.

Please, refer your recommenders to this website to submit their recommendations through the electronic reference form below.

Submit the Application Form.

Submit the Reference Form.

 

Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisors

Rabbi Alan Abrams (Summer CPE)

The Rev. Beth Glover (Clergy Part-Time CPE)

Rabbi Mychal B. Springer (Summer CPE, Clergy Part-Time CPE, Extended Hospice CPE)

Daniel Silberbush, Supervisory Education Student

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