Your journey can take many paths, and helping others with their spiritual needs can be part of whatever road you take.
What is Clinical Pastoral Education?
Our Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program consists of residency, internship and Certified Educator programs for those seeking to serve others with their spiritual and emotional needs. Our program is designed to emphasize the importance of relationship and each person's sacred story. The curriculum integrates skills with:
- personal history
- philosophy/theology
- behavioral sciences
- spiritual development
- leadership skills
As part of a clinical setting, our residency will expose you to individuals in periods of high stress and worry. You’ll engage with patients, family members and our team members to help them with their well-being and spiritual needs.
Our CPE experience is based on the action-reflection-action model of education. This model allows us to study the "living human document" — a term pioneered by the Reverend Anton T. Boisen — which helps us approach our interactions from a case study method.
Our curriculum
Our Clinical Pastoral Education Program is accredited by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). For our CPE programs at WellSpan Health, we follow ACPE accreditation standards that can be viewed in the ACPE accreditation manual. The learning outcomes and indicators apply to five categories:
- spiritual formation and integration
- awareness of self and others
- relational dynamics
- spiritual care interventions
- professional development
We also utilize ACPE competencies for our Certified Educator CPE Program. The competencies for certified educator CPE are also available in the ACPE certification manual.
Training environment
WellSpan York Hospital
WellSpan York Hospital clinical assignments link students to patients (inpatient and outpatient), families, and staff of a service line. Service lines include Behavioral Health, Cardiovascular, Medical, Neuroscience, Oncology, Surgery, Trauma and Emergency Services, and Women and Children.
WellSpan Health's CPE Program also includes training in a $2.3 million 4,500 square feet medical simulation laboratory to facilitate development, enhancing reflection and articulation of the action reflection model of Clinical Pastoral Education. We use professional actors in the simulation environment to re-create common spiritual care scenarios.
Through the CPE Programs, students will discover, explore, research, and practice introductory and advanced methods of providing effective spiritual care. CPE Residents will present a research project and results in the third unit.
Focus of residency units
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Unit 1
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"The Relational and Cultural Context of Spirituality and Spiritual Assessments"
Focus: Orientation to the clinical work, resources for spiritual care, models of spiritual assessments, praxis of theological, relational, and contextual awareness in spiritual care.
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Unit 2
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"The Developmental and Psychological Contexts of Spiritual Care"
Focus: Study of developmental and psychological models, self-assessment tools, trauma-informed care, ethics training, and consultation.
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Unit 3
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"The Integration of Pastoral Formation, Competence, Reflection in Leadership."
Focus: Study of leadership, integration of cognitive and affective knowledge in spiritual care and formation of future ministry plans and demonstrated use of research tools.
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This focused experience is augmented by the experience of being the "on call" chaplain. The "on call" chaplain is responsible for provision of spiritual care throughout the hospital 24/7 on days, nights, weekends, and holidays.
Programs available at WellSpan York Hospital are Extended CPE, Summer CPE and CPE Residency. See application and admission processes for more information.
WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital
WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital is a community hospital. Student assignments are in settings that provide diversity, with emphasis on community health and extensive involvement in clinical placements outside the hospital. Through individual supervision and a variety of seminars, we provide the CPE student with an opportunity to learn from experience, through active reflection on ministry.
Programs available at WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital are Extended CPE and Summer CPE.
CPE faculty
WellSpan York Hospital
The Rev. Peter Kuhn, director of Spiritual Care and Education, WellSpan Health, is an ordained minister in the Protestant Church of the Rhineland in communion with the United Church of Christ and part of the Protestant Church of Germany. He holds an M. Div. from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Peter was trained at North Carolina Baptist Hospital and has served as pastor of different congregations in Germany. Peter is an ACPE Certified Educator and a Board Certified Chaplain of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC).
WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital
The Very Rev. Vasyl E. Marchak, PhD, MDiv, MTh, MBA, MHA, BCC-E, manager of Spiritual Care and Education at Gettysburg Hospital, is an ordained priest and holds ecclesiastical endorsement in the Catholic Church of Byzantine rite. He holds a M.Div. from Odessa Theological Seminary, Ukraine, and M.C.L. and Ph.D. from Pontifical Gregorian University, Institute of Law, Rome, Italy. He did his post-doctoral studies and research at Oxford University, U.K. He obtained a M.H.A. degree from Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, MD and is certified as a LEAN Six Sigma green belt. Dr. Marchak finished his M.B.A. degree with concertation in finance at Richard J. Bolte, Sr. School of Business, Mount St. Mary’s University, Frederick, MD. Very Rev. Dr. Vasyl Marchak received his Master degree in Theology with Concentration in Bioethics and Ethics from the Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Cromwell, CT. He also obtained certification from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, PA. Vasyl is ACPE Certified Educator and a Board-Certified Chaplain of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains.
WellSpan Health - system
The Rev. Angela Flack, Manager of Clinical Pastoral Education, WellSpan Health is an ordained minister in the Baptist Tradition. She holds an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Currently, she attends both Episcopal and Unitarian churches. Angela was trained at University of Virginia Hospital. Prior to coming to WellSpan, she served as the Director of Education, Assistant Professor, at the Virginia Commonwealth University for fifteen years. She is an ACPE Certified Educator and serves the ACPE Accreditation and Certification Commissions, respectively, in various capacities.
Professional Advisory Group
The Professional Advisory Group assists the director of spiritual care and education and the managers of spiritual care in the supervision of the program. Membership consists of key stakeholders at each hospital as well as other department staff and community faith leaders.
Contact Us
The Rev. Peter Kuhn, Director
ACPE Certified Educator
WellSpan York Hospital
1001 S. George St.
P.O. Box 15198
York, PA 17405
Phone: (717) 851-2305
Email: pkuhn3@wellspan.org
Fax: (717) 851-4714
The Rev. Angela Flack
ACPE Certified Educator
WellSpan York Hospital
1001 S. George St.
P.O. Box 15198
York, PA 17405
Phone: (717) 356-6292
Email: ahillflack@wellspan.org
Fax: (717) 851-4714
The Very Rev. Vasyl E. Marchak, PhD, MDiv, MHA, BCC-E, Manager
ACPE Certified Educator
WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital
147 Gettys St.
P.O. Box 3786
Gettysburg, PA 17325
Phone: (717) 337-4300
Fax: (717) 339-2037
Email: vmarchak@wellspan.org
WellSpan Health is accredited by ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education, 1 Concourse Pkwy, Suite 800, Atlanta GA 30328, (404) 320-1472, www.acpe.edu, to offer Level I A/B CPE, Level II A/B CPE, and Certified Educator CPE.
