Center for Pastoral Education Programs

Learn more about the various programs offered through the Center for Pastoral Education at JTS.

Certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling

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

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) can download the application and reference form. Prospective students, please contact Abby Eisenberg, director of Admissions.

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 22, 2012 to August 10, 2012. The deadline for applications is November 1, 2011.

The Center offers two unique summer CPE programs: The Social Service Agency CPE and Hospice CPE.

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 by email.

All spots for the summer program 2012 are currently filled. Application deadline and program dates for summer 2013 will be posted at the beginning of the summer.

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

 

Video of CPE graduates and their mentors discussing the summer program:

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

See the photo slideshow from the 2010 graduation:

Part-Time Hospice CPE Program
October 4, 2012–May 9, 2013

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 Rabbi Mychal Springer.

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 pre-determined 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.

Download the Part-Time Multifaith CPE Program brochure for complete details.


Dates and Location:

October 22, 2012–June 25, 2013

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 at JTS, on Mondays 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.

Apply Now:

All spots are filled for the 2011–2012 program but we are accepting applications for 2012–2013.

  • 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 as e-mail attachement to: Rabbi Ute Steyer

Application Forms and documents

All application material (forms, essays etc) must be submitted by e-mail to the program advisor or supervisor of the program you are applying to (see the appropriate sections above on this site).

The application and reference forms below are pdf documents. Fill out online, then save to your computer with your name as file name (either "Save" button on the form or "Save as" on the File menue) and attach to an e-mail.

Download the application form

Download the reference form

 

Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisors

Rabbi Alan Abrams (Summer CPE)

Rabbi Mollie Cantor (Summer CPE, Extended Hospice CPE)

The Rev. Beth Glover (Clergy part-time CPE)

Rabbi Mychal B. Springer (Summer CPE, Clergy part-time CPE)

 

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