Skip to main content

Clinical Pastoral Education

Clinical Pastoral Education

CPE Application & Deadlines

NewYork-Presbyterian
Application for Clinical Pastoral Education

Our priority deadlines are:

  • Residency Program: December 1st
  • Full-Time Summer Internship: December 1st
  • Part-Time Extended Internship: June 1st
  • Fall Unit: July 1st

Applications received after the priority deadline will be considered as space allows.

Before completing the online application it is recommended that you first prepare your responses to the five essay questions, which are described below.

*Note: Please type your answers using a standard word processor (e.g., MS Word). On the Essay page of the online application, use the “Choose File” button to upload your responses to our server (allowable file formats include pdf, doc, docx, xls, csv, txt, rtf, and html). Be sure to type your name at the top of your document.

  1. A reasonably full account of your life.
    Include, for example, significant and important persons and events, especially as they have impacted, or continue to impact, your personal growth and development. Describe your family of origin, current family relationships, and important and supportive social relationships. This essay should be between three and six single-spaced pages (or between six and twelve single-spaced pages if you combine your response with item 2, as described below). Please clearly indicate in the heading that it is a response to both questions.
  2. A description of your spiritual growth and development.
    Include, for example, the faith heritage into which you were born and describe and explain any subsequent personal conversions, your call to ministry, religious experiences, and significant persons and events that have impacted, or continue to impact, your spiritual growth and development. This essay should also be between three and six single-spaced pages.
  3. A Resume.
  4. An account of a “helping incident” in which you were the person who provided the help.
    Include the nature and extent of the request, your assessment of the issue(s), problem(s), and situation(s). Describe how you came to be involved and what you did. Give a brief, evaluative commentary on what you did and how you believe you were able to help. If you have had prior and recent CPE, please attach a copy of a recent verbatim as your 'helping incident' and add to the verbatim your own notes on how and what you learned from sharing this verbatim with your CPE Educator and/or peers. If you have had CPE, but it was more than two years ago, include a recent account of a helping incident, written up in a verbatim format. If possible, include feedback from current pastoral colleagues and/or administrative supervisor.
  5. Your impressions of Clinical Pastoral Education.
    Indicate, for example, what you believe or imagine CPE to be. Indicate if CPE is being required of you. Indicate any learning goals or issues of which you are aware and would like to address in CPE. Finally, indicate how CPE may be able to help you meet needs generated by your ministry or call to ministry. If you have had prior CPE, please indicate the most significant learning experience you had during CPE. State how you have continued to use the clinical method since your previous experience. Indicate strengths and weaknesses that you have as they relate to your ministry and your identity as a professional person. Indicate any personal and/or professional learning goals and issues that you have at this time and how you believe that CPE will help you to attain or address these learning goals and issues.

Once you have submitted your application, please direct your reference-givers to our webpage, where they can complete the online reference form.

The essay questions in our application are different from those on the standard ACPE application. We ask you to write 3–6 single-spaced pages for each of the autobiographical/reflection essays to demonstrate your capacity to reflect meaningfully upon your life experiences and religious/spiritual journey and to demonstrate your ability to articulate how major experiences have shaped you positively or negatively. We also offer you the option of combining the questions about your personal autobiography and your religious/spiritual journey.

Please note that your application is not complete until we have received your three references (academic, denominational and personal). We will not call you to schedule an interview until your file is complete. It is the applicant's responsibility to make sure that the file is complete and that we have received all essays, paperwork and recommendations. If you have questions about the status of your application, feel free to email [email protected].

The NYP ACPE program does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, culture, disability, age, sex, religion or spiritual tradition/faith group, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, source of payment, or any other characteristic protected by law, in admission to its programs. All religious and spiritual observances are respected and accommodated as fully as possible.

There is no application fee for any of our programs.

To begin your application, please complete the contact information, below:

Contact