ACPE Pastoral Care Specialist Training Program

Next Training Starts August 30th, 2021

In times of crisis, the first place many turn to is their local church or faith community. Studies show that 25% of those seeking help for mental illness first turn to a clergyperson. This is higher than the percentage of people who first go to a psychiatrist or medical doctor.*

The ACPE Pastoral Care Specialist (PCS) Training Program is a 16 week, 48-hour live course providing the knowledge and skills pastoral caregivers in churches and faith communities need to help others effectively, ethically, and safely. Issues and topics covered include:

Ethics of Pastoral Care
Marriage and Family Issues in Systemic Perspective
Spiritual Assessment and Diagnosis
Listening in the Service of Healing
Harmful Spirituality and Spiritual Struggles
Grief, Loss, and Resilience
Mental Health and the Role of the Faith Community
Understanding and Responding Effectively to Domestic Violence
Trauma-Informed Spiritual Care
Substance Abuse, Addiction, and the Role of the Faith Community

The PCS Training program is a new curriculum developed by the Psychotherapy Commission of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). The course is taught by Rev. Tres Adames, MDiv, BCPC who currently serves on the ACPE Psychotherapy Commission and is co-chair of the Pastoral Care Specialist Task Force.
*Health Services Research (2003):ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360908

Next Training Starts January 2022

Cost
The entire training costs $600, which can be paid in full before the course begins, or paid in 4 monthly installments of $150 throughout the program.

Coursework
Course includes 32 total hours of live training and 16 hours of reading/homework (or 2 hours of live training and about 1 hour of reading/homework per week). No additional books are required and all materials will be provided. Sessions will be conducted by Zoom. Students must have access to a computer with an internet connection in order to participate. At the end of the course, students will receive a Certificate of Completion. For more information, click below to read the course overview (syllabus):
Read Course Overview (PDF)

Enrollment Application

* Indicates required field

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Address *

Line 1

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City

State

Zip Code

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Phone Number *

Are you ordained? *

What is your church, denomination, and/or faith group (if any)? *

What is your current work context? *

Tell us a little about your spiritual journey. *

What work have you done in the past in regard to pastoral/spiritual care and/or mental health? *

Do you have access to a computer with an internet connection? *

Any additional questions or comments? *

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Learn More About the PCS Program

The ACPE Pastoral Care Specialist Training Program was recently featured on Spiritual Care Today, the official podcast of the Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling in an interview with Aaron Pawelek, chair of the program.

Listen Now

About ACPE

ACPE (also known as the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education) is the standard for spiritual care and education. Membership includes Certified CPE Educators, Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapists, Spiritual Care Professionals and Practitioners, Pastoral Counselors, Chaplains, Faith Communities, and Seminaries.

Arizona Christian Counseling is an Institutional Member of ACPE . The Institutional Member category is for organizations that support and whose purpose and scope of activity is to enhance the mission and vision of the ACPE.