Accredited Contemplative Chaplaincy Training
Professional Chaplaincy Training (CPE)
We are the first and only Zen Buddhist-based organization, fully accredited by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, to offer professional chaplaincy training—Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). Our New York City ACPE Clinical Pastoral Education Training Program is open to those who have completed our Foundations in Contemplative Care Training Program. Our CPE Training Program is a professional level training and is designed both for those interested in becoming professional chaplains, and those interested in deepening their spiritual practice.
All ARE Welcome, Real World Training
Our Clinical Pastoral Education Program is a multi-faith professional education, from a contemplative perspective in providing contemplative care as a chaplain or lay person. Our training brings students into supervised encounters with hospital patients at pivotal moments in their lives. Coming from a reflective, intimate involvement with people in both crisis and celebration, and with feedback from peers and teachers, students can develop a new awareness of themselves and of the needs of those they care for. In the Center’s CPE program, we emphasize the training of being with others, as differentiated from doing or helping another. From deep contemplative practice and reflection, students begin to acquire a new understanding of care, or more accurately, care partnership . Within the interdisciplinary team process of helping professions, students develop skills in intrapersonal, interpersonal, and interprofessional relationships.
The Contemplative Advisory Committee oversees our Chaplaincy Training. The Committee consists of interdisciplinary professionals who meet at regular intervals to consult and advise us on the development of our Chaplaincy Training Program. The Committee helps ensure that the CPE Training Program is well integrated within our organization and provides feedback for quality assurance.
Program details
Program Components per Unit
- The 310 hours of clinical practice of chaplaincy to patients and staff
- 200 hours of education in 10 monthly, daylong trainings held on Wednesdays, Thursdays or Fridays, and two five-day retreats
- Detailed reporting and evaluation of that practice
- Clinical supervision
- Monthly peer meetings
- Monthly readings and written papers
Area of Focus:
- Contemplative care of those facing the crisis of illness and loss
- Spiritual assessment
- Spiritual diagnosis
- Transference and countertransference
- Archetypal approaches to contemplative care
- Spiritual bypassing
- Care of dying persons and their loved ones
- Medical and spiritual ethics
- Buddhology of suffering
- Buddhology of contemplative care
- Contemplative care in multicultural and multi-faith settings
- Elective Study
To complement the training program, New York Zen Center offers public talks, retreats, workshops, and other training programs. To view Upcoming Events, click here.
Location
New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, 119 West 23rd St, Suite 401
New York City, NY 10011
Dates for 2023-2024
WED, Sept 6
THUR, Sept 14
THUR, Sept 21
THUR, Sept 28
WED, Oct 4
WED, Oct 18 (CC Retreat)
THUR, Nov 2
WED, Dec 6
THUR, Dec 14
THUR, Dec 21
THUR, Jan 4
WED, Jan 10 (Winter Sesshin)
THUR, Jan 25
THUR, Feb 8
THUR, Feb 22
THUR, Mar 7
THUR, Mar 28
THUR, Apr 11
THUR, Apr 25
THUR, May 9 (and Completion Ceremony at 4:30pm)
Guidelines for Enrollment
Our New York City Contemplative CPE Education Program is designed for people who have taken our Foundations Training and are enrolled in our Certificate in Contemplative Care. If there is space in our upcoming training, those with previous CPE experience and significant contemplative practice experience may be considered.
- 3 Letters of recommendation: from a Buddhist teacher or someone who knows your spiritual practice, from an academic reference, and one from a personal reference
- Membership in a spiritual community and relationship with a spiritual teacher who can formally endorse your work as a chaplain.
- An in-person interview
- Availability to do all your clinical hours in one of our clinical partner institutions
- Please email: info@zencare.org for an application
Our Clinical Pastoral Education Program is currently offered in New York City. Students must attend all educational training days in person. Please note that for students living outside of New York City, the need of finding a local clinical placement is the student’s responsibility. The student will have to be very proactive and innovative to create the clinical placement relationship. Once the student has identified a potential clinical placement with an institution that is open to creating a relationship with us, someone from the Zen Center will reach out to the institution to determine whether a clinical placement is possible.
The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.
1 Concourse Pkwy, Suite 800
Atlanta, GA 30328
Tel: 404.320.1472
Fax: 404.320.0849
www.acpe.edu
Requirements for Board Certification as a Chaplain
- Four Units of ACPE CPE (1,600 hours of clinical training). The Zen Center offers CPE Level 1 & 2 and Educator Training
- MDiv or the Equivalency of 72 hours of graduate level theological study. The Zen Center offers this through our joint program with New York Theological Seminary’s Master in Pastoral Care & Counseling Buddhist Track and our Level 1 & 2 Certificates in Contemplative Care
- Endorsement by one’s faith group. The New York Zen Center is a recognized endorser of chaplains and educators by the ACPE and APC. The Zen Center offers this to qualified Formal Zen Students. Requirements for endorsement through the Zen Center are below.
- 2,000 hours of clinical work as a chaplain after completing the fourth unit of CPE
Requirements at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care for consideration for Endorsement of Chaplains:
- Master’s Degree in a related field to include education, social work, divinity, etc
- Completion of Certificate in Contemplative Care
- Formal Zen Student of one of the Guiding Teachers and having received Jukai
- Practicing weekly in sangha meditation practice on Monday and/or Wednesday evenings or Sunday morning and weekly dokusan
- Participation annually in at least two Zen Center residential retreats
- Completion of a minimum of four units of Clinical Pastoral Education
- Daily meditation practice
- Sustaining Member with the Zen Center
- Weekly psychotherapy for at least three years
Tuition
- The cost for the nine-month program is $5950 (two extended units x $2975 per unit).
This does not include the cost of the two required in-person retreats.
- Space is limited. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Admissions are rolling and on-going.