Clinical pastoral education

Advocate Health Care, located in the Chicago metropolitan area, is a faith-based, integrated health care network related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the United Church of Christ.

Clinical Pastoral Education at Advocate Aurora is part of the Advocate Health CPE Program, accredited by the ACPE, the Standard for Spiritual Care and Education for Level 1, Level 2 and Certified Educator Candidate. Full-time Intensive programs, part-time Extended Units, Residency programs and Certified Educator Candidate Training programs are offered. Some are designed to accommodate the schedules of working people. All are open to people of any religious background and to both lay and ordained religious workers.

Advocate offers a variety of sites in several health care settings, including inner-city, urban and suburban settings with a range of clinical specialties. View the programs we offer for more details. 

What is CPE?

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is an intensive experiential educational program for spiritual leaders interested in developing their clinical skills. Students engage in spiritual care work and reflect on their experience with a trained certified educator and a peer group. Key areas for learning include integrating theology into spiritual care practice, formation as a religious leader and self-reflection and knowledge. CPE can be an excellent tool for discernment, self-care and renewal.

Program admission

As a program of education for pastoral ministry, Advocate CPE welcomes applications from persons who have a sense of call to ministry, appreciable religious/theological formation or training, and a desire to learn. No person shall be denied admission because of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, faith group, ordination status, national origin, physical disability, or socio-economic status.

Admission criteria

Applicants will be considered for acceptance into a program on the basis of the following criteria:

  1. They have sufficient personal maturity to be able to function in a responsible manner in a ministry setting.
  2. They have sufficient faith maturity to be generally supportive of persons desiring spiritual care.
  3. They have the stamina and physical ability to safely manage the physical environment of the site.
  4. They are able and willing to engage in an interactive and collaborative educational program comprised primarily of graduate-level students.
  5. They can articulate learning goals for the program they are applying to enter.

Application procedure

An application will be considered when the following have been received:

  1. A fully completed standard ACPE application form, accompanied by the required written responses.
  2. A personal interview with the Certified Educator or a person acceptable to the Certified Educator.

(Note: If a person is applying beyond an initial unit of CPE, all their final evaluation(s) and that of their Certified Educator(s) must be included.)

Application form

Download our CPE application form [PDF] and fill it out completely. Scan and email it to Yonason Meadows, CPE Manager Midwest Region, at yonason.meadows@aah.org for further processing.

Get more information

If you need more information or assistance, contact:

Yonason Meadows
CPE Manager Midwest Region
Email: yonason.meadows@aah.org