CPE Program Information

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is an ACPE accredited form of spiritual care education for theological students, spiritual care leaders, and community spiritual care providers which utilizes an action/reflection model of learning under supervision. Students develop both professional identity and experience.

General Criteria for Admission

Minimum requirements:

• High school graduation/GED, or ordination (or equivalent) by a faith community, or commission to function in ministry by an appropriate religious authority.
• Completion of one full unit of CPE at an accredited ACPE Center is highly desirable.

Additional requirements:

• Graduation from a four-year college or university (life and work experience may be granted equivalency status on a case by case basis).
• Minimum one year of studies in a seminary or theological school recognized by the Association for Theological Education (life and work experience may be granted equivalency status on a case-by-case basis).
• Active relationship with a faith tradition.

Desirable:

• Emotional maturity, spiritual awareness, and cognitive ability to function as a spiritual care provider trainee.
• Time and motivation to meet program expectations and schedule.
• Correlation of the student’s educational objectives with the learning opportunities available through the HMC ACPE program.

Jill Rasmussen-Baker, M.Div., BCC
Director & Educator, Department of Spiritual Care, ACPE Certified Educator

Rev. Jill Rasmussen-Baker, ACPE Certified Educator/Supervisor, is an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a chaplain certified by the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC).  She joined our faculty in 2015 to support Harborview’s mission in providing high quality, cross-culturally sensitive spiritual care and supervision.  She became Director of the department in April 2018.

A Montana native, Jill brings rich experience as a pastor in the congregation, chaplain and CPE supervisor in a variety of medical centers.  Her passion for chaplaincy, begun with her first unit of CPE in Colorado, was further fueled by her CPE Residency with St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend, Indiana.  In Columbus, Ohio, after her Supervisory CPE  education at Riverside Methodist Hospital and Grant Medical Center, she served as CPE program manager at  Mount Carmel Health System.  Then she served as CPE Program Manager at Covenant HealthCare in Saginaw, Michigan. Using Relational Cultural Theory and Bowen Theory, she enjoys empowering students in building connections while growing their autonomy.

Passionate about supporting Harborview’s mission, she enjoys walking and visiting parks with her husband and dog.  Also liking reading and journaling, she’s happy to be back in the West, closer to treasured extended family and friends.

Tim Shipe, M.Div., BCC
Clinical Manager & Educator, Department of Spiritual Care, ACPE Certified Educator

Rev. Timothy Shipe, ACPE Certified Educator/Supervisor, is an ordained minister within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and a chaplain certified by the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC).  He joined the faculty at Harborview in the summer of 2019.

Born in Canton, Ohio, Tim brings much parish and youth ministry experience to HMC as well as a hospice and palliative care chaplain experience.  His first hospital chaplain experience occurred while in seminary at Marin General Hospital in northern California.  This formative time led to taking three units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Saint Mary’s Hospital in San Francisco.  After his first three units Tim worked in mental health for six years and then returned to CPE and completed a Residency program and then CPE  Certified Educator training at Common Spirit in Tacoma, WA.

His supervisory practice is informed by: the theories of Erik Erikson, Brené Brown, Jack Mezirow (Transformational Learning Theory), Daniel Siegel (Interpersonal Neurobiology); the theological musings of Barbara Brown Taylor, C.S. Song, Rebecca Chop, Mattie Stepanek; and the imaginative offerings of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Tad Williams and Dean Koontz.

In addition to reading science fiction and fantasy, Tim enjoys journaling, fishing, watching movies, playing Legos and getting pedicures with his youngest daughter Kiera and learning to play Pokémon and Magic with his oldest daughter Miranda.

Midterm and final evaluations will be submitted to your supervisor and presented to your peer group. In addition, students will be expected to address these outcomes and objectives of CPE:

Level I CPE

• Articulate central themes of her or his religious heritage and theological understanding, that inform one’s ministry.
• Identify and discuss major life events and relationships that impact on personal identity as expressed in pastoral functioning.
• Demonstrate the ability to initiate helping relationships.
• Initiate peer group and supervisory consultation and receive critique about one’s ministry practice.
• Risk offering appropriate and timely critique.
• Utilize the clinical method of learning to achieve educational goals.
• Demonstrate the ability to integrate in pastoral practice conceptual understandings presented in the curriculum.
• Formulate clear and specific goals for continuing pastoral formation with reference to one’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Recognize relational dynamics within group contexts.

Level II CPE

• Articulate an understanding of the pastoral role that is congruent with his or her values, basic assumptions, and personhood.
• Provide pastoral ministry to a variety of people, taking into consideration multiple elements of cultural and ethnic diversity, social conditions, systems, and justice issues without imposing one’s own perspectives.
• Demonstrate a range of pastoral skills, including listening/attending, empathic reflection, conflict resolution/confrontation, crisis management, and appropriate use of religious/spiritual resources.
• Assess the strengths and needs of those served, based on an understanding of behavioral science and grounded in theology.
• Manage ministry and administrative function in terms of accountability, productivity, self-direction, and clear, accurate clinical communication.
• Demonstrate competent use of self in ministry and administrative function including emotional availability, appropriate self -disclosure, positive use of power, a non-anxious and nonjudgmental presence, and clear and responsible boundaries.
• Establish collaboration and dialogue with peers, authorities and other professionals.
• Demonstrate self-supervision through realistic assessment of one’s pastoral functioning

In addition, the following will be met throughout the course of the unit:

• Orientation to CPE Program, the Department of Spiritual Care and to Harborview Medical Center
• A Statement of Ministry and a Learning Contract describing how you understand ministry, the role of spiritual care, and your goals (learning contract/covenant) for the unit identifying what you would like to learn to enhance your personal and professional functioning
• A journal, or process notes, of your personal and professional experiences to be used, as appropriate, in your individual supervision
• Share responsibility for on-call coverage on a rotating basis
• Prepare six verbatims
• Prepare two theological reflections
• Present a written mid-unit evaluation
• A final evaluation