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Clinical Pastoral Education

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a distinct form of interfaith professional education for ministry. It aims to assist students of all faiths or no faith (e.g., pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, humanistic care-providers, etc.) in their development as spiritual care providers.

At the heart of CPE is an experiential encounter with persons in need. Students provide spiritual care in diverse clinical settings, meeting regularly with their CPE peers and educators to receive feedback and reflect on the interplay between their personal history, values, and beliefs and their practice of ministry. Students develop greater self-awareness and skills in
active listening, empathetic communication, interprofessional collaboration, and ethical decision-making.


THE CPE PROGRAM AT ST. LUKE’S
PENN FOUNDATION

The CPE program at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation is part of the St. Luke’s University Health Network and is unique in that all clinical placements incorporate a behavioral healthcare perspective. CPE students provide spiritual care and emotional support to clients, residents, and community members, drawing on the rich heritage of Penn Foundation and its innovative community-based approach to mental illness and addiction treatment.

The program also places a strong emphasis on the work of spiritual integration and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students will have access to clinical and educational resources of St. Luke’s Bethlehem Level 1 Trauma Hospital, St. Luke’s School of Medicine, and St Luke’s Spiritual Care team of Chaplains, Clinical Preceptors, and CPE Educators.

Who takes CPE at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation?

  • Persons in ministry and/or ministry training
  • Clergypersons and laity who wish to become Board-Certified Chaplains
  • Persons seeking ordination in faith groups that require CPE as a prerequisite
  • Care-providers from other professional disciplines who seek to deepen the spiritual dimension of care as a part of their work with clients and families

Learn More


Upcoming CPE Unit at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation
Beginning January 2025

Our 2025 Winter-Spring Extended Internship Unit will focus on the “Ministry of Spiritual Care with People affected by Mental Illness and Addiction.” This part-time unit is designed especially for those who are in ministry or ministry training and wish to have an experience of chaplaincy in a community-based clinical setting. It will also be a good fit for other caregiving professionals who seek to deepen the spiritual dimension of their work.

Dates: January 13 – May 23, 2025

Weekly Commitment: 20 hours per week

  • 4 hours of supervised education
  • 16 hours of spiritual care ministry in the clinic

Clinical Contexts: St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, St. Luke’s Bethlehem Level 1 Trauma Center, and other campuses across St. Luke’s University Heath Network

If you are interested in the 2025 Winter-Spring Extended Internship Unit, please contact:
Rev. Natalia Shulgina, ACPE Certified Educator
Email: Natalia.Shulgina@sluhn.org
Phone: 215-453-5168

 

How to Apply

  • Complete the ACPE application form, identifying whether you are applying for Residency or Extended Internship. Please note that the application includes several written essays.
  • Complete ACPE Consent Form.

Send the completed application to:

Rev. Natalia A. Shulgina, PhD
ACPE Certified Educator
St. Luke’s Penn Foundation
807 Lawn Avenue
Sellersville, PA 18960
Phone: 215-453-5168
Fax: 484-526-4336
Email: Natalia.Shulgina@sluhn.org


About the Application Process

  • There is no application fee. If you are accepted into the St. Luke’s Penn Foundation CPE program, the deposit of $150 secures your position. This non-refundable deposit is your first payment toward the tuition of $450. The remaining $300 is due the first day of the program.
  • We welcome CPE applications throughout the year. This is a competitive program, and we strongly encourage an early submission of documents. Please note that we do not interview all candidates.
  • Criteria for Admission: a willingness and readiness to learn as demonstrated in written application materials and interview, curiosity about self and others, and an ability to provide ethical spiritual care with persons of diverse faiths and cultures without imposing one’s own perspective.
  • Because of the nature of the work at Penn Foundation and St. Luke’s hospitals, all CPE students will be required to submit healthcare and behavioral health clearance documentation, including up-to-date vaccination records, Criminal Background Check, Child Abuse Clearance, and FBI finger printing. Specific details provided upon acceptance into the CPE program.

I’m interested in CPE but would like to learn more before I apply.

 

CPE Faculty

The Rev. Dana C.J. Schroeder, MDiv, BCC, is ACPE Certified Educator and Manager of CPE. Originally from the state of Washington, his career in ministry and pastoral education has taken him from coast to coast, including time in Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio. From 2015 to the spring of this year he served as a Certified Educator and Staff Chaplain in the Advocate Health System in Chicago, IL. He is married to Lynnette, and they have two adult children, Christopher and Emily, and two grandchildren, Henry and Hudson. Lynnette is also an ordained minister and hospital chaplain. They especially like the outdoors, walking every evening and escaping to the country to hike and canoe whenever we can.

 

The Rev. Natalia Shulgina, PhD, PharmD, BSN, is a Russian-Korean ACPE Certified Educator. She is an ordained elder in the Russia United Methodist Church, Lay Cistercian oblate at Gethsemani Abbey, and long-term practitioner of Zen meditation. Most recently, Natalia served as a ACPE Certified Educator and Pastoral Care Manager at UNC Health REX. With background in surgical nursing, clinical pharmacology, and practical theology, she brings a strong interdisciplinary orientation, research competency, and cultural diversity to her CPE practice. Natalia has taught in congregational, seminary, and university settings, and has a special interest in trauma-informed education, caregiver resilience, and compassion-based spiritual health. She shares her life and learning adventures with her husband Mark and Rhodesian Ridgeback Rey.

 

St. Luke’s CPE program is accredited by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE).

Address: 1 Concourse Parkway | Suite 800 | Atlanta, GA 30328

Phone: 404-320-1472

Fax: 404-320-0849

Email: acpe@acpe.edu

Website: www.acpe.edu

To understand St. Luke’s protocols governing the CPE Admission process, please review the Admission Policy & Procedures. To understand St. Luke’s protocols governing the management of CPE student records, please review the Annual Notice.