Diakon’s Clinical Pastoral Education program is innovative in a number of ways.
While CPE often takes place in hospitals and other institutions, Diakon’s clinical-training settings include senior living communities, nursing care centers, hospice care, a wilderness-based center for court-adjudicated youths, and even, potentially, a range of community-based social services such as adoption, foster care, and family counseling.
Traditionally, CPE has been undertaken by seminarians. While Diakon serves those preparing for the professional ministry, part of our approach is to reach out to others from a variety of religious backgrounds and traditions. We accept people into the program who are not aspiring to be clergy, but who may be faithful leaders in their congregations or other settings, or who want to understand and develop spiritually so that they may serve better, including in their workplace.
CPE helps participants build and enhance professional skills and, very importantly, integrate into their work who they are as people, which allows them to serve and live their faith more fully.
Those who act as chaplains serve where there are needs—and needs are everywhere.
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