Clinical Pastoral Education
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Royal Perth Bentley Group
What is CPE?
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a professional education program that focuses on developing individuals as spiritual caregivers.
Programs are typically offered in healthcare setting such as hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes.
CPE equips students with the skills and knowledge they need to provide compassionate and effective spiritual care.
About the RPBG CPE Program
- Established in 1980 at the Royal Perth Bentley Group (RPBG).
- Accredited by: Association for Supervised and Clinical Pastoral Education in Victoria Incorporated (ASACPEV Inc.).
- Our program is inclusive of people from a wide range of worldviews and belief systems - all faith traditions are welcome including theistic, agnostic and atheistic.
The program encourages students to explore their beliefs and values while learning in a supportive environment.
How CPE Works
CPE uses a small group model, where students:
- Meet regularly with peers
- Share experiences
- Provide mutual support
The program combines three areas of knowledge:
- Theology/Spirituality what we believe
- Education how we learn
- Behavioural Sciences who we are as human beings
The Action-Reflection Model
- Action: Practical experience in providing spiritual/pastoral care within a clinical setting.
- Reflection: Exploring and integrating the experience, its dynamics, and the spiritual/theological implications.
This model strengthens both personal growth and professional identity as a spiritual caregiver.
Program Structure
A unit of CPE is a comprehensive learning process that integrates:
- Clinical experience
- Group and individual supervision
- Personal and collegial reflection
- Directed reading and writing assignments
Hours per Unit (400 total)
- 10 hours individual supervision
- 90 hours peer group supervision
- 200 hours clinical placement (at Royal Perth or Bentley Health Services)
- 100 hours written reflection, reading, and assignments
Learning Activities
Students will:
- Prepare and present patient/client encounter reports
- Write reflection papers, literature reviews, and integrative activities
- Participate in open groups to explore professional identity
- Join role-play seminars and supervisory sessions
- Complete mid-term and final evaluations
Levels of CPE
There are three progressive levels:
- Foundational Level first CPE unit
- Special Focus Unit second or subsequent units
- Advanced Units second or subsequent units at higher competency
Career Pathways
Graduates of CPE may pursue roles as spiritual carers in:
- Hospitals
- Aged Care Facilities
- The defence force
- The mining sector
- Schools
- Organisations who value wellbeing
Program Availability
Royal Perth offers four CPE units per year:
- Three part-time units
- 1 day of group supervision + 2 days clinical placement weekly
- One full-time summer unit
- 5 full days per week
Our Compassionate Care Educators are members of the Association for Supervised and Clinical Pastoral Education (ASACPEV Inc). ASACPEV Inc is the accrediting and regulatory body for Clinical Pastoral Education in Victoria.
CPE units at Royal Perth Bentley Group operate out of the Victorian registered CPE centre known as the Banyule Network CPE Centre.
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Michael Hertz, Head of Services. "I have loved my thirty-year international career as a Spiritual Care Professional, Clinical Pastoral Educator and leader of Spiritual Care and Wellbeing teams. In 2014 I was invited by Royal Perth Hospital to revitalise and lean the Clinical Pastoral Education program. Little did I know I would become co-founder, then leader, of the amazing Centre for Wellbeing and Sustainable Practice. Since my first CPE course in 1987, I have believed that in addition to its power to enhance helping professionals' capacity to be compassionate, CPE has the power to help organisations better support the human needs and values of the employees and teams. The Royal Perth Bentley Group has offered me the opportunity to demonstrate this - every aspect of what our Wellbeing team does is informed by a particular CPE practice. Our context supports the powerful work of the Educators who work with our students. Whether you are a devout member of a faith tradition, a spiritual-but-not-religious person, or someone whose core belief is the dignity and value of every human being, there is something for you in our Clinical Pastoral Education/Compassionate Care Education courses. I look forward to welcoming you as a student-member of our team." | |
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Carolyn Daggers is our Compassionate Care Educator. Carolyn is an accredited Clinical Pastoral Educator with ASACPEV. Carolyn brings a passion for accompanying CPE students on their learning journey as they explore and reflect to understand themselves. She emphasises the importance of effectively listening to others in such a way that people feel heard and understood. She seeks to affirm and gently challenge her students and does so with honesty, integrity and compassion. Carolyn has extensive spiritual care experience of working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds in both public and private hospitals and in the specialised area of mental heal and palliative care. Carolyn brings her life and prior career experiences as primary school and specialist educator to her role. |