CPE Programs
Residency
The CPE Residency Program is a year-long program primarily for students who are exploring chaplaincy as a ministry career. The residency year starts the first week of September and ends in late August. The year includes four units of CPE. Each unit comprises a minimum of 300 hours of clinical work (patient care) and a minimum of 100 hours of group education through verbatim or case study reflection, reading seminars, didactic presentations, and integrative seminars.
We have two educational placement sites in the Houston Methodist CPE program. One is at Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. The other is at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital in Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital at The Woodlands, TX.
Students with educational and clinical placement in the Texas Medical Center will provide coverage to their assigned units in cooperation with a seasoned chaplain and will be required to participate in holiday and equitable weeknight coverage through on-call shifts (typically 5 p.m. – 7 a.m.).
Students with educational placement in The Woodlands will be assigned to one of our community hospitals for their clinical placements. They will work with seasoned chaplains during the week and will be required to participate in holiday and equitable weekend on-call coverage from home.
Contact the Spiritual Care and Values Integration Department for a detailed description of the residency curriculum.
The first two weeks of September consist of orientation to the hospital and the Spiritual Care and Education Department. Students choose their patient care areas and begin to provide patient care and on-call coverage to the hospital. Individual CPE units run during the months of September through November, December through February, March through May, and June through August.
Houston Methodist is accredited to offer Level I, Level II and Educator CPE. A consultation with ACPE Certified Educators and board-certified chaplains from the Houston area will be available for all residents during the third unit of CPE. Students who wish to move to Level II must have a successful consultation.
Admission Requirements
Admission requires graduation from an accredited college with a bachelor's degree or equivalent, active affiliation with a denomination or faith community, strong interpersonal skills, a commitment to the Houston Methodist I CARE values, and a heart for ministry to persons who are suffering. Students must complete an Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) application form and have a successful admission interview with a panel consisting of educators and chaplaincy staff. Strong preference will be given to students who have a Master of Divinity or equivalent from an accredited seminary or who are actively enrolled in such a degree program.
Application and Admission Process Timeline
- Application Deadline: December 1, 2022 - (Applications receive after deadline will be added to a waiting list)
- Screening Interviews: January 2023
- Start/End date of program: September 5, 2023 - August 23, 2024 (Tentative)
- Mandatory two weeks of departmental orientation
CPE Candidates: When submitting your application online, please submit your documentation in one PFD file. Do not print double-sided or staple your documentation if you submit your application by mail. Please follow the explicit instructions on the ACPE application when writing about each requirement.
Compensation
Competitive, adjusted annuallyBenefits
- 15 days paid time off
- Holidays* (Students work on-call shift on holidays and receive one flex day plus one alternative holiday flex day)
- Two professional days - (OFITS)
- Health insurance (provided for residents and available for a fee for dependents)
- Free Tuition
Costs
- Application fee: $25, due with completed application
- Deposit: $50, due upon acceptance into the program
- Free Tuition
Summer Internship
The CPE Summer Program is primarily for students who are enrolled in an accredited seminary and who are taking this unit to fulfill a denominational or seminary requirement for CPE as a field education placement. The summer unit begins the last week of May and concludes on the Friday nearest to August 15. The unit comprises a minimum of 300 hours of clinical work (patient care) and a minimum of 100 hours of group education through verbatim or case study reflection, reading seminars, didactic presentations, and integrative seminars.
Students will provide coverage to their assigned units in cooperation with a seasoned chaplain and will be required to participate in weekend, holiday and occasional weeknight coverage through 12-hour on-call shifts (typically 7 a.m.–7 p.m. or 7 p.m.–7 a.m.). The program strives to give students an even distribution of day and night coverage.
Contact the Spiritual Care and Values Integration Department for a detailed description of the summer unit curriculum.
Admission Requirements
Admission requires graduation from an accredited college with a bachelor's degree or equivalent, active affiliation with a denomination or faith community, strong interpersonal skills, a commitment to the Houston Methodist I CARE values and a heart for ministry to the sick. Students must complete a standard ACPE application and have a successful admission interview with a CPE Educator. Strong preference will be given to students who are actively enrolled in a Master of Divinity or equivalent degree program from an accredited seminary.Application and Admission Process Timeline
- Application Deadline: December 1, 2022- (Applications receive after deadline will be added to a waiting list)
- Starting Screening Interviews: January 2023
- Start/End date of program: May 29, 2023 - August 18, 2023 (Tentative)
- Mandatory two weeks of departmental orientation
CPE Candidates: When submitting your application online, please submit your documentation in a PFD file. Do not print double-sided or staple your documentation if you submit your application by mail. Please follow the explicit instructions on the ACPE application when writing about each requirement.
Compensation
- Hourly wage for on-call service
- Free parking or subsidized transportation
Costs
- Application fee: $25, due with completed application
- Deposit: $50, due upon acceptance into the program
- Free Tuition
Extended Internship
The CPE Extended Program is primarily for students who want to develop their skills in hospital ministry, students who want to explore chaplaincy as a ministry career or ministers who are seeking a change in ministry focus. The unit starts the first week of September and concludes in late May (no classes the week of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day and Christian Holy Week). The unit comprises a minimum of 300 hours of clinical work (patient care) and a minimum of 100 hours of group education through verbatim or case study reflection, reading seminars, didactic presentations, and integrative seminars.
Students with educational placement at Houston Methodist Hospital will provide coverage to their assigned units in cooperation with a seasoned chaplain and will be required to participate in weekend coverage through 12-hour on-call shifts (typically 7 a.m.–7 p.m. or 7 p.m.–7 a.m.) at Houston Methodist Hospital. Classes meet one evening a week for three hours, and clinical ministry involves approximately 38 hours of patient care per month, including on-call coverage. The program strives to give students an even distribution of day and night coverage. Students may choose to enroll in a single extended unit or to complete four units (as required for certification by the American Association of Chaplains or the National Association of Catholic Chaplains).
Students with educational placement in Baytown will be assigned to one of our community hospitals for their clinical placements. Students will be assigned to a clinical mentor and given the opportunity to work collaboratively with other experienced chaplains and healthcare staff. Classes meet one evening a week for three hours, and clinical ministry involves approximately 38 hours of patient care per month, including on-call coverage. The on-call shifts are scheduled from home from Friday night until Monday morning.
We have two educational placement sites in the Houston Methodist CPE program. One is at Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. The other is at Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital in Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital at Baytown, TX.
Contact the Spiritual Care and Values Integration Department for a detailed description of the extended unit curriculum.
Admission Requirements
Admission requires graduation from an accredited college with a bachelor's degree or equivalent, active affiliation with a denomination or faith community, strong interpersonal skills, a commitment to the Houston Methodist I CARE values and a heart for ministry to the sick. Students must complete a standard ACPE application and have a successful admission interview with the CPE educator. Preference will be given to students who are actively enrolled in a Master of Divinity or equivalent degree program from an accredited seminary or who already have such a degree.
Application and Admission Process Timeline
- Application Deadline: March 31, 2023 - (Applications receive after deadline will be added to a waiting list)
- Screening Interviews: First week in April 2023
- Start/End date of program: September 5, 2023 - May 24, 2024 (Tentative)
- Mandatory two weeks of departmental orientation
CPE Candidates: When submitting your application online, please submit your documentation in one PFD file. Do not print double-sided or staple your documentation if you submit your application by mail. Please follow the explicit instructions on the ACPE application when writing about each requirement.
Compensation
- Hourly wage for on-call service
- Parking validated for classes and clinical hours
Costs
- Application fee: $25, due with completed application
- Deposit: $50, due upon acceptance into the program
- Free Tuition
Unidad Extendida de CPE - Mexico, Monterrey
The CPE Extended Program is primarily for students who want to develop their skills in hospital ministry, students who want to explore chaplaincy as a ministry career, or ministers looking for a change in ministry focus. The unit comprises a minimum of 300 hours of clinical work (patient care) and a minimum of 100 hours of group education through textual reflection or case studies, reading seminars, didactic presentations and integrative seminars. This is a part-time CPE unit, two days a month virtual. This is an extended unit in Monterrey, Mexico using Thursday and Friday meetings having eight or nine sections including a 4-day one meeting with the educational exchange program between Houston Methodist CPE students and the Juan Wesley Seminary in Monterrey, Mexico.
El Programa Extendido de CPE es principalmente para estudiantes que desean desarrollar sus habilidades en el ministerio hospitalario, estudiantes que desean explorar la capellanía como una carrera ministerial o ministros que buscan un cambio en el enfoque del ministerio. La unidad comprende un mínimo de 300 horas de trabajo clínico (atención al paciente) y un mínimo de 100 horas de educación grupal a través de la reflexión textual o de estudio de casos, seminarios de lectura, presentaciones didácticas y seminarios integradores. Esta es una unidad de CPE de medio tiempo, de dos día al mes virtual. Esta es una unidad extendida en Monterrey, México usando los Jueves y Viernes de reuniones teniendo ocho o nueve secciones incluyendo una de 4 días reuniéndose con el programa de intercambio educativo entre los estudiantes de CPE de Houston Methodist y el Seminario Juan Wesley en Monterrey, Mexico.
Application and Admission Process Timeline
- Application Deadline: December 1, 2022 - (Applications receive after deadline will be added to a waiting list)
- Screening Interviews: January 2023
- Start/End date of program: September 5, 2023 - May 24, 2024 (Tentative)
- Mandatory two weeks of departmental orientation
Cronología del proceso de solicitud y admisión/
- Plazo de solicitud: Noviembre 1, 2022
- Entrevistas de selección: Deciembre 2022
- Fecha de inicio/fin del programa: Febrero 23, 2022 - Noviembre 24, 2023 (Tentativament)
Candidatos CPE: Al enviar su solicitud en línea, envíe su documentación en un archivo PFD. No imprima a doble cara ni grape su documentación si envía su solicitud por correo. Siga las instrucciones explícitas en la solicitud ACPE cuando escriba sobre cada requisito.
Educator CPE
The CPE Educator Program is a multi-year program exclusively for students who are exploring CPE education as a ministry career. The unit can be scheduled quarterly or ½ a year, and the educational component and the clinical requirements are adjusted according to the need of the particular student. The student is required to use various CPE educational tools such as verbatim and group consultation to reflect and learn the skills and the art of conducting CPE seminars, and it requires student’s self-initiative to develop educational theories and move through the training phases in order to be certified as an ACPE educator.Contact the Spiritual Care and Values Integration Department for a detailed description of the CEC curriculum. Houston Methodist Hospital is accredited to offer educator CPE.
Admission Requirements
Admission requires graduation from an accredited college with a bachelor's degree or equivalent, graduation from an accredited seminary with a Master of Divinity or equivalent, successful completion of a minimum of four units of CPE, demonstration of having met Level II outcomes, ordination and/or endorsement by a recognized denomination or faith community, strong interpersonal skills, a commitment to the Houston Methodist I CARE values, and a heart for the ministry of education. Students must also have a successful admission interview with a panel consisting of ACPE Certified Educators and hospital chaplains.Compensation
Competitive, adjusted annually (full-time staff position)Benefits
- 15 days paid time off
- Holidays*
- Eight professional days
- Health insurance (provided for student and available for a fee for dependents)
Costs
- Application fee: $25, due with completed application
- Deposit: $50, due upon acceptance into the program
- Free Tuition