The Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program is designed to help participants develop the skills and insight necessary for providing compassionate and effective spiritual care. Through supervised clinical practice, academic study, and group reflection, the program fosters the growth of pastoral identity and strengthens theological, personal, and professional awareness.
This Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is designed to teach pastoral care to clergy and others. CPE is the primary method of training hospital and hospice chaplains and spiritual care providers in the United States and in some other developed countries. CPE is both a multicultural and interfaith experience that uses the real-life ministry encounters of students to improve the ministry and pastoral care provided by caregivers.
The purpose of CPE is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the trainees and to use these to help trainees develop their spiritual care skills. In addition, the curriculum covers the themes of human communication, human development, crisis counseling, and theological reflection.
Participate in real-life pastoral care settings such as hospitals, hospices, and community centers. Under professional supervision, you will develop practical skills in offering spiritual and emotional support to individuals in crisis.
Strengthen your pastoral presence and voice by reflecting on your role as a spiritual caregiver. The program fosters personal growth and leadership grounded in empathy, ethical responsibility, and theological integrity.
Gain interdisciplinary knowledge by engaging with core concepts from theology, psychology, medicine, and ethics. Learn to apply these perspectives to pastoral care across the lifespan and in various spiritual care contexts.
Grow through self-assessment, one-on-one supervision, and interactive group discussions. The learning process is rooted in action, reflection, and improved action — a model that encourages self-awareness and interpersonal insight.
Develop essential skills such as spiritual assessment, crisis intervention, active listening, qualified presence, paraphrasing, and open-ended questioning — all foundational to providing compassionate, person-centered care.
Train in a diverse cohort where interfaith engagement and multicultural sensitivity are central. You’ll learn to serve respectfully across spiritual traditions and cultural backgrounds, preparing for ministry in today’s pluralistic world.
CPE/T focuses on recognizing oneself, recognizing friends, and being aware of contact with God. Students will learn patient visiting techniques incorporating this kind of awareness, along with skills in qualified presence, asking open-ended questions, active listening, summarizing, paraphrasing, and repeating. The class provides a formative experience through learning pastoral practice in a clinical setting under supervision.
Another benefit of CPE/T is to provide the student in training with growth in self-awareness, learning from psycho-dynamically informed reflection on one’s encounters in the clinical setting, including the training group among one’s peers, and in one-on-one supervision. The patients, clients and institutions served by the pastoral clinician in training benefit from their acquired ability to engage with people — by listening deeply and making connections — in a spirit of cooperative inquiry that is person-centered, intersubjective, and inductive.
While not intended as therapy, the CPT experience frequently has a therapeutic effect for students in training and their relationships, particularly in the early stages of training.
This course is designed for students seeking to integrate academic learning with clinical experience in pastoral and spiritual care. Through reflective reading, group dialogue, and case presentations, participants will deepen their self-awareness, theological insight, and interpersonal skills, engaging in a process of action, reflection, and growth.
This course is offered to all students interested in pursuing Clinical Pastoral Education/Training Units. The overall focus will be on deepening skills in a pastoral setting and strengthening theological, personal, and professional authority in using their voice.
Clinical Pastoral Training (CPT) is a participative and dynamic clinical formation in pastoral care and counseling. Using both didactic presentations and clinical experiences, the program integrates concepts from theology, psychology, medicine, and ethics.
The main textbook for CPT is The Living Human Document: Re-Visioning Pastoral Counseling in a Hermeneutical Mode, which covers learning about oneself, learning about others, and then learning about how to embody Divine presence and care to persons in various life crises. Reflection on these experiences forms the basis for individual and community growth.
The primary aim of CPT is to equip religious ministers who are committed to serve others through the ministry functions of sustaining, nourishing, guiding, reconciling, healing, and advocating.
The core areas of Clinical Pastoral Training include: 1) Pastoral & Spiritual Assessment, 2) Theological Reflection, 3) Theories and Techniques of Pastoral Counseling, 4) Pastoral Care throughout the Lifespan, 5) Pastoral Intervention in Time of Crises, 6) Ethics and Bioethics in Pastoral Care, 7) Intercultural Pastoral Ministry, 8) Family & Couples Counseling, 9) Relational and Emotional Illnesses and 10) The Person of the Pastoral Caregiver.
Dr. Ron Cockroft is a diplomate in Pastoral Counseling and Pastoral Education/Training with CPSP. He is also the retired Chaplain Director and Director of Spiritual Care at Austin State Hospital. Additionally, he has worked at Austin State Hospital since January, 2002. Chaplain Ron has served hospitals in Bryan, Texas; San Antonio, Texas; and Lubbock, Texas, before coming to Austin.
He also served as a United States Army and Army National Guard chaplain for more than 25 years.
Chaplain Ron obtained his Master of Divinity from the Golden Gate Baptist Seminary in Mill Valley, CA; and also holds an MA in Linguistics from the University of Texas Arlington; and an MS and PhD in Psychology from Texas A&M University.
He is a member of the Alamo Chapter of CPSP, and is currently president of the board of the non-profit Focus Girls 4 Education Runners Pal. Also, Chaplain Ron is a licensed professional counselor-supervisor.
Chaplain Daniel Dávila is the former Director of Spiritual Care at Austin State Hospital and supervisor/trainer of chaplain interns at Austin State Hospital. He is a Board-Certified Clinical Chaplain and Diplomate with CPSP (College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy). In addition, Chaplain Dávila served in the ASH Spanish Language Interpreter Program. He is an ordained minister and holds endorsed standing with the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ.
Chaplain Dávila received his BA from Evangel University, M.Div. from Phillips University Graduate Seminary, and MAR from the Iliff School of Theology. He also pursued graduate studies at St. Thomas Catholic Seminary in Denver and Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. His Clinical Pastoral Education was completed at Tulsa Hillcrest Medical Center, Corpus Christi Memorial Medical Center, and Driscoll Children’s Hospital.
Chaplain Dávila has taught pastoral care and counseling in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Central America. He has served as president of the Weslaco Ministerial Alliance and the Austin Latin Ministerial Alliance.
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This was my second unit; my first was completed under ACPE. In comparing the two, I observed meaningful differences and unique strengths. What stood out in the CPSP approach was its close connection to Anton Boisen’s core metaphor, “Living Human Documents.” This perspective aligned with my understanding of ministry and strengthened my active listening. The program’s use of therapeutic methods and its integration of modern sciences within a theological framework enriched my capacity to offer holistic spiritual care. The structure and guidance of the program significantly elevated my learning experience.
Ramazan John CPE Student