Michigan Medicine’s Clinical Pastoral Education Program earns full accreditation

Congratulations to the newly-established Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program within the Department of Spiritual Care at Michigan Medicine, which has been recommended for full accreditation by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE)!

The official announcement will be made at the ACPE conference later this month.

In recognition of this effort — and the work of so many throughout the Michigan Medicine community who have made it possible — Spiritual Care is hosting a celebration event on Thursday, May 16.

The festivities will take place from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. in C&W 12-745DF (the conference room to the left off elevator 7).

“U-M was one of the original sites for chaplain training almost 90 years ago and had a very robust training program through the 1980s. We are proud to have now brought it back,” said Rev. Christina Wright, Ph.D., associate director of the Spiritual Care Department.

ACPE is a professional association committed to advancing experience-based theological education for seminarians, clergy and laypersons of diverse cultures, ethnic groups and faith traditions. It establishes standards, certifies educators and faculty, and accredits centers to provide programs of clinical pastoral education in varied settings. ACPE-approved programs promote the integration of spirituality, faith tradition and the behavioral sciences in the practice of spiritual care.

“Having successfully completed the accreditation process will allow Michigan Medicine to design curriculum and offer internships, residencies and eventually supervisory education programs to educate students while simultaneously meeting the needs of the patients and community we serve,” Wright said.

To date — and under partial-accreditation — the organization has had 20 students enter its program through internships and a residency. The program offers a one-unit extended internship lasting 16 weeks in the spring and in the fall, as well as a 10-week intensive summer internship unit, both comprising of 400 hours of supervised clinical work. There is also a 12-month residency program, during which students are encouraged to advance into Level II CPE and areas of specializations. The residency year is made up of three educational units.

Michigan Medicine currently has four full-time residents and five part-time interns.

“These students meet with patients, families and staff offering support and care to all those in need regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion or social status,” said Rev. Tony Shomari Marshall, D.Min, B.C.C., CPE program manager.

In all, the curriculum utilizes a combination of clinical experience, written reflection, verbatim, skills seminar and collegial interactions as a basis for theological reflection, supervision and pastoral formation and competence.

“It’s a great model, giving students a variety of learning opportunities and creating mentoring relationships,” Marshall said.

For more information, please see the CPE website.