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PASTORAL CARE
Episcopal Health Services Inc. (EHS) chaplains are
available to patients, residents, their families, and
staff. The pastoral care ministry of EHS chaplains
can be summarized in three words presence, interpretation,
and prophecy (PIP).
Presence: The ministry of presence includes,
but is not limited to: identifying and addressing
the spiritual needs of residents and patients, their
families and staff; comforting the distressed, confused,
and overwhelmed; helping others acknowledge and process
life issues that may surface during health care challenges
(so that these do not become obstacles to treatment
and decision making); and defusing, debriefing, and
challenging staff.
Interpretation: Chaplain’s translate
the experience and values of patients and residents
allowing medical staff to better understand the person
they are treating. They also represent hospital
services to patients and their families in order
to reduce frustrations and facilitate access and
use of hospital and nursing home services.
Prophecy: Chaplains advocate for patients
and residents and for their access to quality care.
They remind managers and administrators to pursue,
honor and uphold the institution’s mission
so that administrative concerns and clinical duties
do not carry us away from purpose.
CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a professional
training and education program for ministry. It
brings theological students, ordained clergy, members
of religious orders and qualified laypersons into supervised
encounters with hospital patients and nursing home
residents. The program facilitates the development
of pastoral identity, interpersonal competence, skills
for pastoral assessment, professional collaboration,
group leadership, pastoral care and counseling; and
pastoral theological reflection.
CPE programs function at three levels: Basic, Advanced,
and Supervisor-In-Training. Within this graded, competency-based
curriculum, trainees provide pastoral care service
in hospital and nursing home settings under supervision. Supervision
is the heart of the learning process, wherein trainees
learn and acquire skills through multiple structures
of responsibility (i.e., pastoral care service, group
relations, and case presentations) and reflection (i.e.,
individual supervision, case presentations, and self,
peer and group evaluations).
EHS’ Clinical Pastoral
Education Program
EHS’ CPE Program, established in 1994 by the
Rt. Rev. Orris Walker, Jr. for the Diocese of Long
Island, is the only diocesan owned and accredited program
in the United States. Over the years, this program
has attracted and trained a diverse applicant pool. The
diversity of our trainees and the skills of our supervisors
make this program unique and outstanding.
The wide variety of patient/resident populations served
by the CPE program also enriches the training experience.
EHS’ clinical sites are located in an inner-city/urban
setting. The contrast between inner-city and urban
settings lifts class differences, justice issues, as
well as social and economic concerns. Two of
the CPE Center's clinical sites are situated within
minutes of Kennedy International Airport, an eastern
gateway in America to the world. The populations of
Kings, Queens, and Nassau counties represent a microcosm
of the nations of the world. The ethnic communities
served by EHS facilities include Russian, Italian,
Chinese, Greek, African, Indian, Egyptian, Hispanic,
Caribbean Islander and African-American. With pride,
they preserve, express and share their cultural, religious,
and ethnic heritages. Such diversity harbors
potent experiences and lessons in pastoral care for
students at this CPE Center.
EHS-CPE clinical sites are organized into three campuses:
Bishop Henry B. Hucles Nursing Home in Brooklyn; St.
John's Episcopal Hospital; and Bishop Charles Waldo
MacLean Episcopal Nursing Home in Far Rockaway. Class
days take place in the CPE Training Center on the campus
of St. John’s Episcopal Hospital.
EHS partners with hospitals, denominations, governmental
agencies, and seminaries outside the United States
of America to provide CPE training. EHS has established
CPE centers in Tanzania, Italy, Singapore, and Korea.
Through EHS’ Indigenous CPE Programs centers
are being developed in the Philippines, Malaysia, the
Bahamas and Ghana.
Class Descriptions and Schedules
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