Clinical Pastoral Education


As a faith-based health system, Saint Luke’s understands spiritual wellness plays a vital role in caring for patients. Saint Luke’s is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri and practices a holistic care model that addresses patients’ physical, mental, and spiritual needs.

Saint Luke’s Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) allows laity, theological students, and clergy to serve alongside an interdisciplinary team of professionals who care for patients and families in crisis. Since the 1970s, the Clinical Pastoral Education program at Saint Luke’s has been educating pastoral students to serve as chaplains and helping students discover their professional identity and capacity for effective pastoral relationships.

The CPE program accepts students from all religious traditions, denominations, cultures, and nationalities to prepare them to serve as chaplains, facilitating whole-person health and healing. More than the absence of illness, a healthy person is one who has discovered meaning and purpose in life and understands the importance of the mind-body-spirit balance.

Clinical Pastoral Education at Saint Luke's Hospital offers:

  • 12- and 30-week internships, one-year residency, and three-year supervisory education residency
  • One-to-one education and supervision during training
  • Faith-based, holistic care environment

Career Opportunities

Saint Luke’s CPE program’s practical application of spiritual education is transferable to many ministry settings. Our students have gone on to work in:

  • Health care and hospice
  • Industrial chaplaincy
  • Military chaplaincy
  • Care and counseling in churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples

Many graduates find full-time and part-time chaplaincy positions in the Kansas City area and across the country. Many of our CPE students have also gone on to become board-certified chaplains with the Association for Professional Chaplains (APC) or National Association for Catholic Chaplains (NACC), National Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) or to be an Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE) certified educators/supervisors.

Program Dates

Internship

  • Summer unit: First week of June – second week of August 
  • 30-Week Extended unit: First week of September – last week of March

Residency

  •  First week of September – last week of August

Accreditation

The CPE program is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, whose standards comply with the U.S. Department of Education criteria for outcomes-based education programs.

Students receive credit for each 400 hours of training. Many students accumulate 1,600 hours toward application for board certification by the Association for Professional Chaplains.

Faculty

Rev. Joanna Tarr
ACPE Certified Educator
Ordained Clergy Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
United States Navy Reserve Chaplain

For questions or more information, call 816-932-2180 or email cpe@saintlukeskc.org.

Apply Now

Apply for the Clinical Pastoral Education program.