About the Program

The Clinical Pastoral Education Program at Saint Louis University was first accredited in 1991 by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.(www.acpe.edu) and received re-accreditation in 2001. SLU offers Level I and II CPE in summer, extended, and yearlong residency programs as well as a three-year supervisory education curriculum.

The CPE program is guided by four habits of Jesuit education:

• Inquiry, asking questions about oneself as pastoral caregiver in particular contexts
• Service, offering oneself in ministry "to the glory of God and health of God's people"
• Leadership, taking a stand and knowing why one ministers out of certain convictions
• Contemplation, reflecting on the meaning of one's life, values, and ministry activities

Clinical Pastoral Education is an interfaith educational ministry of Saint Louis University under University Mission and Ministry through the Pastoral Care Department, that is contracted to serve Tenet-owned Saint Louis University Hospital.

Students in the CPE program function within the hospital as University students, and are accountable to policies and procedures of both the Hospital and the University during their educational program.

The educational environment includes:

• University academic resources with graduate programs in social work, ethics and medicine.
• The clinical resources of SLU Hospital.

The St. Louis Cluster, ACPE, is a long-standing cooperative educational venture of ACPE-accredited centers and graduate theological schools. The Cluster presently includes the accredited centers of:

• Barnes-Jewish Hospital
• The BJC Community-based program
• Barnes-Jewish Hospital--St. Peters
• Christian Hospital
• Forest Park Hospital
• Lutheran Senior Services
• Saint Louis University
• Veterans Administration Medical Center

The Cluster also includes three graduate theological schools:

• Aquinas Institute of Theology
• Concordia Seminary
• Eden Theological Seminary

The Cluster provides common policy structure, cooperative educational seminars and shared programs for residency and supervisory education.

The cultural environment of Saint Louis University and Saint Louis University Hospital provides CPE students a rich learning milieu.

Students interact with a diverse ethnic, racial, religious and socio-economic population from urban and regional geographies.

The metro-St. Louis area offers an internationally recognized symphony, art and history museums, zoo, botanical garden, theater productions, universities, professional sports and the Arch. Parks abound for recreation.