Spiritual Care Services

Spiritual Care Education – CPE

About the Center: Spiritual Care Education-CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) at SHC provides professional training for spiritual care in an interfaith/inter-spiritual/multi-religious context.  Through clinical experience, didactic sessions, personal reflection, and feedback from peers and educators, students develop new skills and new awareness of themselves as spiritual care providers.  Educational outcomes and indicators of progress are determined by our accrediting organization: ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education – Tel: 404-320-1472.

Program participants are part of the Spiritual Care Services team at Stanford Health Care (SHC), with offices located on the ground floor of Stanford Hospital, 300 Pasteur Drive.  Spiritual Care Services team members provide emotional and spiritual support to patients, families, and staff throughout SHC.  Our 24/7 coverage also includes Stanford Medicine Children’s Health (Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital) during night/weekend/holiday triage shifts. The clinical setting offers an extensive range of specialties and healthcare education typical of major teaching hospitals.

Summer Internship

The Summer Internship provides an immersive, full-time introduction to CPE and healthcare chaplaincy.  The program is ideally suited to graduate students and others who are discerning an interest in professional chaplaincy.  Participants earn one unit of CPE over the course of this 12-week program.  

Extended Unit CPE

The Extended Unit program is for students who wish to earn an introductory unit of CPE over the course of an academic year, at roughly 12-15 hours/week, alongside other life commitments.  We are reenvisioning this program for 2026-2027 and will begin recruitment in the spring 2026.  If you are interested in receiving more information when it becomes available, please let us know.

CPE Residency: A year-long residency is designed to provide in-depth training in spiritual care and healthcare chaplaincy, including spiritual/religious/philosophical reflection and personal integration.  The program includes opportunities for Level I and II CPE. Graduates receive four units of CPE credit (12-13 weeks each), contributing to readiness for board certification.  Many graduates continue into full-time spiritual care employment in a variety of settings following their Residency.  Note: the 2026-2027 cohort will not require a previous unit of CPE; for the 2027-2028 Residency cohort, we anticipate conducting a 3-unit program that will require a previous CPE unit for admission.  

CPE Fellowship: The Fellowship is an advanced chaplaincy training opportunity for students who have completed at least four units of CPE and are interested in further specialization. Current SHC placements include rotations in Bone Marrow Transplant-Cell Therapy, Emergency Medicine, and Palliative Care.  There may be additional opportunities at Stanford for innovative fellowship placements via student initiative and according to faculty availability.  Participants will be placed in a fellowship cohort and complete two extended units of CPE (25-weeks each).

Certified Educator CPE: Certified Educator training is specialized training that is designed to support professional chaplains aspiring to develop as ACPE Certified Educators.  Certified Educator CPE students meet with several committees as they progress through the various levels of ACPE Certification including entry to a local center, followed by admission into national candidacy including Phase 1 Competencies and Theory, Phase 2 Competencies and Integration, and ultimately Certified Educator certification.  The certified educator course is (at minimum) a three-year program and is arranged on an individual basis.  Note: our program is currently full and not accepting applications.

Schedule:
2025-2026 CPE Year, Residency & Fellowship: September 15, 2025 – September 11, 2026

2026 Summer Internship: June 8 – August 28, 2026

2026-2027 CPE Year, Residency & Fellowship: September 14, 2026 – September 10, 2027

For More Information on How to Apply:
We conduct a rolling admissions process, beginning in November, until all positions are filled for the following academic year.  Inquiries about applying for CPE should be directed to Spiritual Care Education-CPE, c/o Spiritual Care Services, Stanford Health Care. SpiritualCare@stanfordhealthcare.org. We will respond with application materials, a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, and instructions for completing the admissions process. All submitted applications should include a processing fee of $30.