Clinical Pastoral Education Program
The Pastoral Care Department offers Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) to those hoping to gain skills for professional chaplaincy or the provision of spiritual care in another community setting. The graduate-level training provides students an opportunity to practice crisis care and attend to the distress of individuals, families, and small groups. Students are also expected to participate in class discussions on topics such as one’s personal spiritual development and the formation of one’s pastoral identity.
The CPE program is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE) to offer Level I, II, and Certified Educator education. An accredited unit of CPE requires at least 3 students in a cohort and the completion of 400 education and clinical hours. At least 100 hours must be education, at least 250 hours must be clinical, and the remaining 50 hours may be split according to the primary educator of the unit. Students will be given the curriculum plan on the first day of the unit.
Internship
The internship provides 1 unit of CPE for students who are considering professional chaplaincy, pursuing ordination, or those who want to gain spiritual care skills that can be applied to other contexts. We offer 3 intern units each year, structured like academic semesters. During the intern unit students meet in-person at Mary Washington Hospital (MWH) one day each week for class. They then complete the clinical requirements by sharing in the on-call rotation.
When a student is on call, they are present at MWH for the duration of their shift, responding to crisis calls and routine requests for care. Each student is expected to complete day shifts and night shifts, according to the curriculum plan of the educator. We do have a Pastoral Care sleep room where the on-call chaplain can rest between calls during the night shift.
We are currently accepting applications for any of the 2026 intern units. We do not have an application fee or deadline, though onboarding new students takes 3-4 weeks prior to the start of the unit. The tuition for any intern unit is $400, due at orientation. We are not currently offering stipends for intern units.
Spring 2026 Intern Unit: January 5 – May 15, 2026 (19 weeks)
Summer 2026 Intern Unit: May 18 – August 21, 2026 (14 weeks)
Fall 2026 Intern Unit: August 24 – December 31, 2026 (19 weeks)
Residency
After a student completes an initial unit of CPE at an ACPE accredited program and a graduate degree, they are eligible to apply for the year-long residency to complete units 2, 3, and 4, thus meeting the CPE requirement for board certification. In the residency, students continue a process of reflection for increased self-awareness and the integration of pastoral care theories into practice.
Residents are also full-time employees of MWHC and expected to be present for 40 hours each week, which includes class and clinical work. In a typical month residents are asked to complete 2 overnight on-call shifts and collaborate with other interns and residents to ensure that we have clinical coverage 7 days a week. As employees, residents earn a stipend and are eligible for benefits such as health insurance and retirement savings.
We are currently accepting applications for the residency that will begin in late-August/early-September 2026. We are no longer offering a second-year residency or any unit after the completion of 4 units of CPE.
Application Process
Interested candidates for the internship or residency must complete an ACPE application, including addressing the essay prompts in 2-5 pages per prompt. The educators are assessing applicants based on their ability to reflect critically on their life experiences and spiritual formation. Completed applications can be submitted using the link below or by emailing Pastoralcare@mwhc.com. Applicants for the Residency must also apply for the position on our Careers website.