Clinical Pastoral Education

Program Information: This ACPE-accredited Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program is designed for aspiring CPE students who live more than 70 miles outside the Portland metro area and cannot reasonably commute to attend an in-person program. This is a 22-week, part-time Level 1 CPE program, designed to accommodate those able to volunteer in a local health care setting (hospital, hospice, VA, nursing home, etc.) with some flexibility in their hours. Students will choose their own clinical sites with the guidance and support of the instructor. 

The total hours required to earn ACPE credit for this unit equal 400, of which a minimum of 300 hours will be spent in direct in-person patient care and 100 hours in online educational activities. Weekly reading and writing assignments are also required.  All students will need a reliable internet connection and will be given access to Canvas, a virtual platform on which the course will take place.   

Required Education Hours: All students must be available on Tuesdays from 1-5 pm, which is the online class day. All classes will take place virtually except for four in-person Tuesday afternoon sessions over the course of 23 weeks. These in-person gatherings will include opening day, mid-unit and final evaluations, and graduation. They will be held in a central Maine location, to be confirmed well before the start of the class. In addition to class time, each student will also have one hour of individual supervision time with the ACPE Certified Educator. This will occur bi-weekly by mutual arrangement and can be held in person or online.

Required Patient Care Hours: There are two ways that students can fulfill the requirement of a minimum of 300 hours spent in direct patient care.

1. Students who are already employed in a health care setting may count work hours served at your institution toward the requirement, with the approval of the course instructor.
2. Students who need or want volunteer experience in providing spiritual care in a health care setting may choose an appropriate local site placement. A site mentor who can provide orientation and support will be assigned on each campus that agrees to host a CPE student. The clinical staff at your site will assist in introducing you to your role as a student chaplain and to the clinical units where your patient visits will occur. After orientation, your work shifts may be individually scheduled in collaboration with staff at your institution with attention to fulfilling the ACPE requirement of 300+ total patient care hours over 22 weeks.  

Admission Requirements: Applicants must have a high school diploma, a bachelor’s degree, and some graduate-level theological education and/or min­istry experience. Any request for exceptions to these requirements should be directed to Rev. Heather Weidemann, Director of Spiritual Care, MHMMC Portland and the ACPE Certified Educator for this course. Heather can be reached at 207-662-2352 or heather.weidemann@mainehealth.org.  

Application: All ACPE-CPE programs require the use of the ACPE application form. There is no application fee. Applicants must fill out and submit a full application (5-10 pages) and may also be assessed in an interview for their readiness for clinical learning and capacity to meet professional expectations. Completed applications should be emailed to kasey.grover@mainehealth.org. Receipt of application is acknowledged within four business days.  Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis starting August 1 until October 25.

Tuition: $1200.00 (books and course materials included)

Extended Fall 2024 Session

The extended fall 2024 session has been filled. Applications will no longer be accepted.

Extended MHMMC Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program: October 1st, 2024 – April 18th, 2025

Program Information: This ACPE-accredited clinical pastoral education (CPE) program is designed primarily for theological students, clergy, qualified laypersons, and/or those preparing for professional chaplaincy. This is a 30-week, part-time Level I – II CPE program, designed to accommodate those in a graduate academic program or working in a part-time job with flexibility in their hours. The total in-person hours required to earn ACPE credit for this unit equal 400, of which a minimum of 300 hours are spent in direct patient care and 100 hours in educational activities. Weekly reading and writing assignments are also required. 

Required Weekly Hours: All students must be available on Thursdays from 1 pm to 5 pm, which is the primary class day. A mandatory orientation will be held on October 1st – October 4th from 8 am to 4pm. Those 4 days will be spent orienting you to the department of spiritual care, our CPE program, your role as a student chaplain and the clinical units where patient visits will occur. Attendance during the full period of orientation is mandatory.

Additional weekly on-call shift information, beginning week two and beyond: Starting the week of October 7th -11th, you will begin visiting patients. These are called on-call shifts and they may be individually scheduled on weeknights, weekends and/or holidays. Each student will typically work 1-2 on-call shifts per week over the course of the program. These shifts, which last either 8 or 12 hours depending on the time of day selected, will be scheduled in collaboration with our department staff to fulfill the ACPE requirement of 300+ total patient care hours over 30 weeks. In addition to class and visiting time, you will also have one hour of individual supervision time with the ACPE certified educator. This will occur bi-weekly by mutual arrangement. 

Admission Requirements: Applicants must have a high school diploma, a bachelor’s degree and some graduate-level theological education and ministry experience. Any request for exceptions to these requirements should be directed to Rev. Heather Weidemann, Director of Spiritual Care and ACPE Certified Educator and Rev. Shelly Snow, Director of Spiritual Care and ACPE Certified Educator Candidate. Applicants will be assessed by the ACPE Certified Educators and other staff in an interview for their readiness for clinical learning, suitability for functioning in the chaplain role, and capacity for serving according to the hospital’s expectations. 

Application: All ACPE-CPE programs require the use of the standard ACPE application form found on the ACPE website. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the Unit is full. Completed applications can be mailed or emailed to Kasey.Grover@mainehealth.org. Due to volume of applicants, not all applicants are interviewed.  We will post on our website when the program is full. 

Tuition: $900.00 (books and course materials included)

Summer 2025 Session

Current as of November 1, 2024: No summer unit will be offered in 2025.

Summer 2024 Session

The summer 2024 session has been filled. Applications will no longer be accepted.

Level I - Full Time Summer Intensive Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program at MHMMC: (Biddeford, Sanford, Portland) May 28th – August 16th, 2024: This program is designed primarily for theological students enrolled in seminary, although others such as clergy, qualified laypersons, or those preparing for professional chaplaincy are welcome to apply. This is a 12-week, full-time Level I Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program, designed to accommodate those in a graduate academic program or other ministry workers with schedule availability for an intensive (40 hours), three month-long clinical immersion experience. The total hours required to earn ACPE credit for this unit equal 400, of which a minimum of 300 hours are spent in direct patient care and 100 hours in educational activities. Weekly reading and writing assignments are also required.

Required Weekly Hours*: All students must be available Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm which are the primary class/clinical visiting days and times. The first nine CPE class days on May 28th-June 7th will occur from 8 am to 4 pm and are devoted to orientation. 

Additional weekly visiting hours and on-call shift information: Starting the week of June 10th, you will begin visiting patients. CPE class time occurs on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 8 am - noon, with 1 pm - 4:30 pm on those days dedicated to patient visits on your assigned medical units. This will take place on our Biddeford Campus. Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays are clinical visiting days with no classes. In addition to class and visiting time, you will also have one hour of individual supervision time with the ACPE Certified Educator. This will occur biweekly on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and will be scheduled by mutual arrangement.  Periodic in-house on-call shifts also occur throughout the unit, and these may be individually scheduled on weeknights, weekends and/or holidays. A minimum of 7 such shifts, which last either 8 or 12 hours depending on the time of day selected, will fulfill the requirement of 300+ total patient care hours when combined with your regular weekday visiting times over 12 weeks.

Admission Requirements: Applicants must have a high school diploma, a bachelor’s degree and some graduate-level theological education and ministry experience. Any request for exceptions to these requirements should be directed to Rev. Heather Weidemann, Director of Spiritual Care and ACPE Certified Educator and Rev. Shelly Snow, Director of Spiritual Care and ACPE Certified Educator Candidate. Applicants will be assessed by the ACPE Certified Educators and other staff in an interview for their readiness for clinical learning, suitability for functioning in the chaplain role, and capacity for serving according to the hospital’s expectations. Admission Policy and Financial Policy.

Application: All CPE programs require the use of the ACPE application form. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the unit is full. Due to volume of applications, not all applicants are interviewed. We will post on this page when the program is full. Completed applications can be submitted via mail or email (kasey.grover@mainehealth.org):

Total Tuition: $1200.00