alberta supervised pastoral education communiqu · volume!3,!issue!1!–!june,!2016! educating to...

Alberta Supervised Pastoral Education Communiqué Volume 3, Issue 1 – June, 2016

Alberta Supervised Pastoral Education Communiqué

The past six years have seen Alberta’s Supervised Pastoral Education (SPE) programs undergo very challenging times. Thriving residencies and internships of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and Pastoral Counselling Education (PCE) in both Calgary and Edmonton experienced brokenness due to organizational redesign and budget cuts. In late 2013 the picture was quite bleak. It was in that bleakness, however, that “golden joinery” began to occur. Now, in 2016, there is new life and promise for SPE in Alberta.

What is “golden joinery”? It is a Japanese art form emanating from acceptance of transience and limitation. The word “kintsugi” is used to express a belief that we are made more beautiful by the scars we bear with honour and dignity. Kintsugi is exquisitely expressed through the 15th and 16th century Japanese art form of repairing broken pottery with a lacquer resin sprinkled with powdered gold. The idea being that the piece becomes more beautiful and valuable because it was broken.

Alberta CPE is experiencing kintsugi with the “golden joinery” of program redevelopment that is now gaining strength and stability. The past two years of collaboration, dedication of time and expertise shared generously by many educational and placement partners, and the restructuring of individual SPE programs into a provincial Alberta Consortium for Supervised Pastoral Education (AC-‐SPE) is a great testimony to words found in Leonard Cohen’s song Anthem: “Ring the bells that still can ring,

Forget your perfect offering, There is a crack, a crack, in everything, That’s how the light gets in.”

Current Issue 1. “CPE Kintsugi” – A Tale of

Brokenness and Golden Joinery

2. Three-‐year Program Approval with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC/ACSS)

3. Sacred Art of Preceptorship Course Successfully Underway

4. FAQ: CPE “Unit” or “Course Based Practicum”?

5. CPE Program Offerings include Provisional Teaching Supervisors

6. Alberta’s Teaching Supervisors Receive National Award

7. Changing Hands on the AC-‐SPE Steering Committee

We celebrate both Brokenness and Light with much Gratitude!

“CPE Kintsugi”


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Volume 3, Issue 1 – June, 2016

Educating to create competent, compassionate spiritual care and pastoral counselling providers to meet the needs of Albertans.

The Sacred Art of Preceptorship Course Successfully Piloted

To offer CPE or PCE an education centre must first seek Program Approval, and then proceed to seeking Program Accreditation within CASC/ACSS. Last June 2015, the AC-‐SPE received a one-‐year program approval that endorsed the offering of CPE in both “unit” and “course-‐based practicum” delivery methods. With the successful supervision of extended 2015-‐2016 and summer 2016 CPE program offerings, the AC-‐SPE has now received a three-‐year Program Approval. This means Alberta’s Teaching Supervisors can provide CPE without further formal review until the end of 2019. After that, it will be opportune for the AC-‐SPE to proceed with implementing self-‐study guidelines in CASC/ACSS Accreditation Standards that may lead to program accreditation. For the present, we celebrate the great achievement represented by AC-‐SPE’s three-‐year Program Approval! In their communications with the CASC/ACSS Accreditation Committee, Alberta’s Teaching Supervisors have experienced much support and encouragement. For this, all involved are sincerely grateful.

Three-year Program Approval with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC/ACSS)

A previous issue of this Communiqué (Volume 2, Issue 1) provided information about the Sacred Art of Preceptorship course established at St. Stephen’s College. Forming a network of well prepared Spiritual Care professionals who serve as Preceptors within the AC-‐SPE is considered integral to the successful transfer of CPE programs from their previous location within healthcare institutions to a variety of educational, ministry, and placement settings where spiritual care is needed and chaplains can serve. There have now been two offerings of this course, one in August 2015 at St. Stephen’s College and the second in April 2016 hosted at Ambrose University. Course design includes a three-‐day, in class Orientation Intensive that is team-‐taught by faculty from Newman Theological College, St. Stephen’s College, and Taylor Seminary. This is where theory, concepts, roles, and responsibilities are discussed. When CPE students are assigned to placement locations with Preceptors, a further day and a half

First Preceptor Course participants, August 2015: Front row, L to R (Instructor Team): Dr. Joyce Bellous, Dr. Margaret Clark, Rev. Elaine Nagy, Sr. Dr. Zoe Bernatsky. Middle Row, L to R: Caroline Nolan, Cheryl Krueger, Teresa Bond, Jennifer Hauck, and Art Petersen. Back Row, L to R: Daince Kurian, Lauren Aldred, Jaeun Macon, Jonathan Moll, Marcel Leffelaar, and Lyn Beddoes.

are completed through Telehealth. These seminars facilitate discussion about how things are going with the sites, how the Preceptors are integrating their role, and how systems thinking can contribute to Preceptors’ successful liaising between patients, residents, or other clients and the CPE Teaching Supervisors who oversee all aspects of the CPE students’ learning. The plan going forward is to offer the Sacred Art of Preceptorship course annually, locating the Orientation Days where summer CPE units occur (either in Edmonton or Calgary).


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FAQ: Do I take a CPE “unit” or a “course-based CPE practicum”?

CPE Unit

Step One: Contact a St. Stephen’s College CPE Teaching Supervisor -‐ who will discuss CPE application and screening procedures with you.

Step Two: Upon being admitted to CPE by the Teaching Supervisor, register at St. Stephen’s College for the 6-‐credit CPE5889 Course-‐Based CPE Practicum. (Wherever you are geographically, all “Course-‐Based CPE Practicum” students register through St. Stephen’s College.)

Step Three: Following registration, and within a month to six weeks prior to the course-‐based CPE practicum start date, the CPE Teaching Supervisor will contact you with further information relevant to “onboarding” (i.e. ensuring that you complete documents to give you access to your clinical placement location).

Contact Person: Dr. Margaret Clark [email protected]

In the AC-‐SPE there are two forms of CPE program delivery. One is called a “CPE unit”. The other is called a “course-‐based CPE practicum”. Both forms of CPE comply with the Education Standards of CASC/ACSS. Both forms are part of the approved AC-‐SPE program. Both include group supervision (i.e. verbatim/case-‐review seminars, interpersonal relations/IPR seminars), intentional intrapersonal reflection, individual supervisory conferences, a minimum of 200 clinical/ministry placement hours, and professional written reports (verbatim, case study, critical incident, process notes, etc.).

So what’s the difference? The difference is in the way theoretical knowledge is learned. In a CPE “unit” theoretical learning is part of group supervision. CPE students attend “theory/didactic” seminars on topics such as: listening skills, spiritual assessment, grief and bereavement, clinical ethics, diversity in faith and culture, personality theory, family systems theory, role identity and authority, etc. In a “course-‐based practicum” theoretical learning is part of individual supervision. That is to say, each CPE students identifies theoretical learning needs within her or his learning covenant and accounts for this learning by means of a “learning portfolio” that is reviewed regularly during individual supervisory conferences. Course-‐based theoretical learning may take the form of professional reading (books, articles), workshops on relevant topics (e.g. listening skills, grief and bereavement, conflict management, intercultural communication, etc.), and/or academic coursework (i.e. taking credit courses on such topics as spiritual assessment, professional ethics, life span development, theological reflection, theories of counselling and psychotherapy etc.). For both “unit” and “course-‐based” CPE learners it is expected theoretical learning will comprise approximately 35-‐40 hours of the total CPE experience.

At present, in the AC-‐SPE, CPE “units” are aligned with Alberta Health Services (AHS) Teaching Supervisors and “course-‐based practica” are aligned with Teaching Supervisors at St. Stephen’s College. Interested CPE students are encouraged to read through the following summaries of CPE delivery methods and contact a Teaching Supervisor for more information.

Course-Based CPE Practicum

Step One: Contact an Alberta Health Services CPE Teaching Supervisor -‐ who will discuss CPE application and screening procedures with you.

Step Two: Upon being admitted to CPE by the Teaching Supervisor, register at Ambrose University for the 6-‐credit SC715 or SC716 Clinical Education in Spiritual Care (I or II) course. (Wherever you are geographically, all “CPE Unit” students register through Ambrose University.)

Step Three: Following registration, and within a month to six weeks prior to the CPE Unit start date, the CPE Teaching Supervisor will contact you with further information relevant to “onboarding” (i.e. ensuring that you complete documents to give you access to your clinical placement location).

Contact Person: Rev. Dr. Philip Behman [email protected]


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CPE Program Offerings include Provisional Teaching Supervisors

In autumn 2015, CPE student groups formed in both Calgary and Edmonton. Edmonton’s group was special insofar as it included both “unit” and “course-‐based practicum” students. Calgary’s group was special insofar as it included the AC-‐SPE’s first Provisional Teaching Supervisor, Rev. Kathy Spate. Photos of both groups are found to the left.

With ongoing stabilization of CPE delivery in Alberta, the plan is to offer both a “unit” and a “course-‐based practicum” each autumn (running from September through March), and a “unit” each summer (running from early May through late July). Autumn programs will operate in both Edmonton and Calgary. Summer programs will alternate between Calgary and Edmonton. Further details about all Alberta CPE Programs can be found at the AHS Hospital Chaplaincy Training Programs website. This site is updated regularly.

http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/services/page13213.aspx

Looking ahead to 2016-‐2017, there will be two Provisional Teaching Supervisors in Alberta. Kathy Spate, located at Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, will continue to work alongside Philip Behman, and Blaine Allan, located at Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton, will work alongside Margaret Clark. Provisional Supervisors are CASC/ACSS certified Specialists who, in the field of their specialization, have achieved formal admission to learn the theories and competencies required to supervise SPE and who, having student standing in the field of SPE supervision, supervise students under the supervision of a CASC certified Teaching Supervisor. A person typically completes two or three Provisional programs, and supervises approximately eight SPE students, before applying for the next level of supervisory recognition. The presence of Provisional CPE Supervisors within the AC-‐SPE represents hope for the future of the Consortium. This is a true joy!

Edmonton CPE Group; Front row, L to R: Elaine Nagy (Teaching Supervisor), Wenda Salomons, Kathleen Ibsen. Back row, L to R: Donville Colquhoun, Margaret Clark (Teaching Supervisor), and Jill Burt.

Calgary CPE Group; Front row, L to R: Philip Behman (Teaching Supervisor), Kathy Spate (Provisional Teaching Supervisor). Back row, L to R: Kristy Dyer, Jerrod McCormack, Kimberley Stever, and Trudy Gryshuk.

Alberta’s Teaching Supervisors receive a National Award

Each year, at its annual Convention, the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC/ACSS) recognizes members who have made a significant contribution to professional practice. This year, in Vancouver, Alberta’s three CPE Teaching Supervisors received the Award of Excellence for Pastoral Practice in Education. It was Board Members of the Alberta Association for Spiritual Care (AASC/AASS), together with CPE students participating in Alberta CPE programs, who made the nomination. This experience of recognition served as another sign of hope within the AC-‐SPE that work of the past several years is visible nationally as well as provincially. Philip Behman Margaret Clark Elaine Nagy


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Photos downloaded from Internet sites were gathered through Google searching “kintsugi”. Recognition is made of each site that contributed to the photo collage on page one of this Communiqué.

Changing Hands on the AC-SPE Steering Committee

For two years the Alberta Steering Committee for Supervised Pastoral Education has functioned with six or seven core members in collaboration with three Working Groups. Previous issues of this Communiqué listed members by name. These people have completed tremendous work, envisioned a laddering approach to involvement in the AC-‐SPE, depicted a program logic model for measuring change as this occurs relative to identified AC-‐SPE goals, written by-‐laws for application as a Society within Alberta, and hired consultants for program design, legal advice, and program evaluation. Diagrams to the left represent various stages of development, including attention given to program approval, structure, and curriculum. In its current form, the Steering Committee is well positioned to realize its goal of becoming a not-‐for-‐profit Society within the coming months.

In early spring 2016, the Steering Committee issued limited circulation of a Consultant Report authored by Rev. Dr. Ken Bellous of Practicing Collaboration. The Alberta Association for Spiritual Care (AASC/AASS) provided funding for this consultation. Ken’s complete report is now available at the Alberta page of the CASC/ACSS website. It offers a summary of interviews and insights relevant to AC-‐SPE’S ongoing development (http://www.spiritualcare.ca/page.asp?ID=103).

Last summer Lana Hawkins, AHS Senior Practice Lead, transitioned off the Steering Committee and Zinia Pritchard, AHS Spiritual Care Senior Practice Lead transitioned on. This year May and June have seen some further changes to the Committee. Elaine Nagy has taken a position in Toronto at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Peter Ralph and Margaret Clark have fulfilled their contracts with Ambrose University and St. Stephen’s College, and leave their position as co-‐chairs of the Committee at the end of June.

With departures there are also arrivals, and remaining members of the Steering Committee are poised to invite new members to join Philip Behman, Ralph Magnus, Zinia Pritchard, and Bonnie Tejada in furthering initiatives of the AC-‐SPE currently underway.

Therefore, in this time of pause, gratitude, and reflection, let us remember the words of Dag Hammarskjöld:

For all that has been, Thanks For all that shall be, Yes.

AC-‐SPE Diagram for CASC/ACSS Program Approval

Structure Diagram envisioning core relationships

Theory & Praxis Diagram envisioning Curriculum

alberta supervised pastoral education communiqu · volume!3,!issue!1!–!june,!2016! educating to...

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