Hybrid Program - Clinical Pastoral Education

The hybrid program of CPE is designed for chaplains, seminary students, ordained clergy in active ministry, members of religious orders and qualified laypersons. This program integrates training in a clinical setting with seminar, group process, and one-on-one work with an accredited CPE supervisor or educator. Consequently, CPE students actively serve people in crisis at one of the many Ochsner locations while strengthening their personal, professional and theological capacities through reflecting upon, understanding and growing from the lived experience of ministry. Intensive interaction with peers, staff, seminar leaders, and the educator, helps students to develop new awareness of themselves as persons and professional pastoral care providers.

The Hybrid Unit option is often chosen by chaplains in rural locations where CPE is usually not available because it provides the educational hours on-line, Tuesdays from 230pm to 630pm or Friday from 1pm-5pm. This option can also be chosen by those who do not have a theological degree at the master’s level and plan to be certified by the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC). This CPE allows time for them to work on accumulating academic credits required by APC while they are doing the hybrid unit of CPE.

The Hybrid Unit is based on a semester model (depending on group availability). Hybrid Units begin either in December, February, June, and mid-August once a clinical placement agreement is established with the Ochsner location nearest the student.

Tuition: Covered for all students completing their clinical hours at Ochsner locations.

Benefits

Meal tickets while serving on-call duty

Requirements

Required:

• High school graduate and some theological education from your religious tradition.

Preferred:

• Undergraduate degree from the CHEA-member organization with concentration in divinity/theology/religious studies
• And a master’s degree with concentration in divinity/chaplaincy/religious studies from a CHEA-member organization.

Note: If your spiritual/religious tradition does not prioritize/recognize traditional graduate education, provide proof of mentorship/training in that tradition in the form of a letter of endorsement.