Clinical Pastoral Education
Parkland Health's Mission
We will advance wellness, relieve suffering, develop and educate.
Parkland's Spiritual Care Mission
We will advance wellness through holistic care and education.
Parkland's Spiritual Care Education Mission
We will develop and educate people in the art and science of spiritual care.
About Us
The Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program at Parkland is Dallas’ longest running spiritual care education program and is one of the most sought-after training environments in the country. We celebrate over 67 years of training persons for a variety of careers in spiritual care, including institutional chaplaincy, religious leadership, non-profit ministries, pastoral counseling and volunteer ministries. The program is situated within one the busiest county hospitals in the nation and offers a challenging learning environment that will prepare persons well for nearly any potential ministry context.
Education Opportunities
Accredited by ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education since 1960, our program offers Level I through Level IV and Certified Educator CPE. Our program offerings include a summer internship from early June to mid-August, a four-unit year-long residency that spans August to August, and Certified Educator CPE that takes two to three years to complete.
We currently offer five summer intern positions and five extended positions with a modest stipend and six resident positions each year, which includes a stipend with benefits. Additionally, we have one Certified Educator CPE fellowship (a minimum of two to three years) that includes a stipend with benefits that are available on a rolling basis.
Spiritual Care Training and Development
Students in our programs will learn about and become proficient in:
- Developing listening skills that serve as the foundation for performing accurate spiritual assessments
- Creating a theoretically informed basis for their spiritual care work grounded in their spiritual/religious identity in conversation with cutting-edge behavioral sciences
- Reading research in spiritual care so that their care is informed by the most recent developments in the discipline
- Understanding the sociocultural factors that contribute to poverty and homelessness and learning how to utilize specific approaches to spiritual care that take into account a variety of contexts
- Initiating interdisciplinary relationships around the hospital to better care for the whole person and to offer spiritual and emotional support to medical staff
- Demonstrating intercultural competency that takes into account the diversity of cultures, religions, spiritualities, and identities that give meaning to persons’ lives
- Becoming more grounded in self-awareness, self-compassion, and self-authorship through a clear and sober assessment of their strengths and growing edges in ministry
English language proficiency that is adequate to function in the clinical and educational settings is necessary.
Application
Please contact us regarding openings in our Certified Educator CPE program before submitting your application.
ACPE applications can be found here.
Location
Parkland Memorial Hospital
5200 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, 75235
Get Directions
Contact Us
Questions and completed applications may be directed to:
Krister White, M.Div., ACPE Certified Educator
Director, Spiritual Care
469-419-0775
krister.white@phhs.org
Statement of Confidentiality and Student Rights
Annual Notice
This ACPE CPE program guarantees to its students the rights to inspect and review education records, to seek to amend them, and to specify control over the release of record information. A student has the right to object to record content. If not negotiable, the written objection will be kept with and released with the record.
A student has the right to object to record content. If not negotiable, the written objection will be kept with and released with the record. Grades are exempted from this right.
Violations of these protocols may be reported to the Chair of the Accreditation Commission at: ACPE, 1 Concourse Pkwy, Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30328 or via email at accreditation@acpe.edu.