The College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy is a theologically based covenant community, dedicated to "recovery of the soul" and promoting competency in the clinical pastoral field.
The key to leadership is not how a leader manages others but how a leader manages herself. Edwin H. Friedman
Over the last several weeks I've had conversations with Perry Miller in which he has emphasized the importance of leadership in CPSP from a systems perspective.
During these conversations Perry invited me to reflect upon the importance of CPSP paying attention to our ongoing self-definition in terms of differentiation and not pathology, comfort, or herding for togetherness. This is a difficult posture to maintain given that organizations tend to opt for the safety of the status quo rather than risk the adventure of creativity and the threat of change.
I share Perry's hope for CPSP. We must take on the courage to continue defining ourselves, what we stand for and maintain our own self-regulation in the face of challenge as well as our own tendency to deny the unique gift CPSP brings to the whole clinical pastoral movement.
I applaud Perry’s wisdom and the leadership he provides to the CPSP community and for great conversations out of which possibilities emerge.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 8:34 AM
Dear Editor:
Not many things in my life make me say, "WOW!!!"
This "Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight" was great.
I will look forward to some of the others.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Charles Kirby
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 11:07 PM
Dear Editor
Thank you for introducing us to TED!
May I add, in urgency, one more name to your list...LESTER R. BROWN, founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute in D.C. He has written a remarkable book, PLAN B 3.0, MOBILIZING TO SAVE CIVILIZATION. Brown investigates the most salient issues from global warming to the impact of unstable governments on our global society. He diagnoses the central ecological problems affecting our planet and offers a response for individuals and governments. Among other concerns, he considers how to raise energy efficiency world-wide and how to harness alternative energy sources on the scale needed.
The entire book can be downloaded free at http://www.earth-policy.org/. Thanks for spreading the word far and wide.
Dorothy P. Greet
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 10:45 PM
I've often thought all that would be needed to be educated, informed, imaginative, and creative, regardless of one's formal education or the lack there of, would be ownership of a laptop computer, access to broadband connection and to simply listen to National Public Radio (NPR) and the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). Recently I've come to add one more item to my list: TED.COM.
Technologies for Economic Development, better know as TED, consists of brief video presentations by some of the world's most creative and provocative thinkers. Without exception these presenters exhibit great passion in their belief that they and and we can change the world in such a way that all humanity is helped, celebrated and honored. They model leadership and the power of ideas and commitment to deeply held missions and challenges. All of the presenters seem to know that the NEW-new possibilities and a new and hopeful future- become possible by stepping outside the box to think and act with courage and boldness.
Continue reading "TED.COM Added to My List by Perry Miller"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 7:09 AM
We applaud the Board of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC) that last month unanimously voted in the affirmative to invite CPSP to join the Spiritual Care Collaborative.
We also applaud the National Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) for taking the same action.
However, neither CPSP nor any other organization should hold its breath waiting for an invitation to join the SCC. The SCC Board reported on June 16 that it was unable to reach a consensus because it does not know how to revise its founding documents in order to include new groups such as CPSP. It seems that the SCC has built a monster, an organization unable to act on such critical issues. It crows about its inclusivity but has no process for including anyone. It is an organization muscle bound, unable to make a decision. The decision-making process they have created is dysfunctional.
The SCC decision-making process goes like this: All important questions are first presented to the individual boards of member organizations for a decision. After all the individual boards have met (a process of many months), representatives of the respective boards hold a phone conference. Unless there is total unanimity there is hardly any way for a decision to come out of such a phone conference. The SCC appears to have created itself in such a way as to make tough or controversial decisions impossible.
On Feb 23, 2003 in Toronto, George Hanzo famously said of the formation of the embryonic SCC (at that time called the Council on Collaboration):
“Ten years from now, you won’t recognize the face of professional chaplaincy, and it’s because of the incredible work we’ve done here today.”
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 5:15 PM
Benson Thomas gave voice to what I consider a powerful CPSP slogan that emerged from his focus on the CPSP Logo while attending his first CPSP Plenary this spring. His words served as the inspiration for me to sit before my Mac to see if I could produce a 30-60 second video that might be used to promote CPSP mission and its values.
For more detail about Thomas' experience of really "seeing" the CPSP Logo, read his article, The CPSP Logo: A Power to Communicate Beyond Words published on the PR.
I hope this video with Benson Thomas' memorable phrase will serve as an encouragement for others to try their hand at creating brief videos that communicate the specialness of our unique CPSP community.
In addition to the PR, the video can be found on YouTube as well as the Pastoral Report Web Gallery. The latter is useful if your institution blocks YouTube. From the PR Web Gallery, you can download a copy to your computer.
Perry Miller, Editor
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 1:04 PM
I’m trying my darndest to reflect on the past two days, but after driving for nearly five hours to Mahwah, New Jersey from Rockville, Maryland Monday evening, spending all day Tuesday at the spring 2008 CPSP NCTS, which completed Wednesday early afternoon, and then driving home to Rockville, I’m tired. Well, my body is tired and it aches. But my mind and soul are energized. It’s 12:17 am, but if I don’t do a brain dump now while the muse is here on my shoulder, she might leave and not come back for several hours.
The Spring 2007 NCTS was my first CPSP event. I missed the Fall 2007 NCTS, but attended the Plenary in Little Rock, Arkansas.
One of the things I’ve learned to do during my units of CPE training, is to set learning goals, to set professional goals for myself, and to measure the growth along my journey. And what growth I’ve experienced! And what growth I’ve witnessed within CPSP….. not only on a national level, but within my chapter (Washington, MD) as well.
Our growth from Plenary to NCTS has been significant.
I saw familiar faces from a year ago and from Plenary, and I met new folks. I was pleasantly surprised at how easily I remembered the people I met a year ago, and how easily they remembered me. The friendly greetings, hugs and smiles were energizing.
Continue reading "National Clinical Training Seminar: A Time for Discovery by EILEEN RODGERS"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 10:10 PM
On May 6-7, 2008, a group of Supervisors- In-Training and other CPSP members gathered for the National Clinical Training Seminar (NCTS) in Mahwah, New Jersey. The air was crisp, warm and all of the foliage of the northeastern United States was in full bloom. The weather warmed up to the high 70’s, which certainly pleased me as I have lived in the warmth of Florida for the past 15 years. You could tell that God was showing off a bit after the cold and snow of the winter months. There was something hiding in the midst of nature all winter that was in the process of bursting forth with fresh energy and excitement akin to a Vivaldi movement.
But, of course, there was more. There was a keen sense of fellowship. It had only been a few weeks since our Plenary in Little Rock, so I was encouraged to see so many of the same people iat the NCTS who had been at that meeting. It is the individuals who make up CPSP that make it such a warm and stimulating organization. We all walk on level ground when we attend a CPSP meeting. This may not be true at home or work, but it is an accepted practice at CPSP meetings. It is my impression that in CPSP we are all have the same rank – pilgrim.
Then there were the two supervisory training sessions that were led by James W. Pruett, Ph.D. I know Jim well from being a member of the Stoney Mountain Chapter for several years. I knew that the training would be good, but the time with Jim exceeded my expectations. It was great!
Continue reading "2008 National Clinical Training Seminar: A Reflection by RON GAUDIO"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 5:05 PM
I am new to the membership of College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy (CPSP). I am not new, however, to the spirit and fellowship of CPSP.
Currently I am working as a retired ACPE Supervisor supervising a variety of clinical training programs at Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, MS where Dr. Al Carden is the Director of the Department of Pastoral Care.
Acting upon the encouragement of Dr. Carden to explore membership with the CPSP, I attended a meeting of the Deep South Chapter where he is a member. Immediately I felt not only welcomed but that I had found a sacred home. There was in this gathering the experience of serious professionalism and rich community. Recently I became a member of the Chapter as a CPSP Diplomate in Clinical Pastoral Supervision.
My journey into the meaning of the CPSP community continued beyond the Chapter. A rather ineffable experience occurred while waiting for the opening session of the 2008 CPSP Plenary. Looking around the room my eyes focused on the CPSP logo displayed behind the podium. The circle, form, colors and movements of blue and green leaped out at me with an inspiration of visual empowerment.
Continue reading "The CPSP Logo: A Power to Communicate Beyond Words BY BENSON THOMAS"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 10:30 PM
Raymond Lawrence's article, Pain Pays, was recently published in CounterPunch. Dr. Lawrence expresses concern about some hospital executives receiving excessive salaries, especially those providing leadership in hospitals founded by religious bodies for charitable purposes. He sites one medical center where its top eight executives divided up $20 million for their annual salary. Quite a feast.
As such Lawrence questions:
How can a volunteer, giving time to assist the sick, work side by side with a person raking in several million dollars a year in salary? How can a hospital staff person trying to survive on an annual salary of $50,000 work for and respect an administrator who takes home during the same time several million? How can an institution maintain it tax-exempt status while making its executives filthy rich? How can hospitals pay excessive salaries and complain about hemorrhaging money caring for patients who are unable to pay? Why should benefactors consider naming in their wills an institution whose budget includes the gaudy enrichment of its senior executive officers?
Continue reading "Pain Pays By RAYMOND LAWRENCE"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 1:23 PM
My wife, Linda Walvoord deVelder, and I had the opportunity to travel to Xiamen, (Amoy)China to celebrate the 110th Anniversary of the Hope and Wilhelmina Hospital now developed into the Xiamen #2 Hospital. Hope and Wilhelmina Hospital was started and built by the RCA's first medical missionary to China, John Otte, M.D. Dr. Otte was the father of my father's first wife, Margaret Otte. Margaret died in childbirth in China when my brother, Philip, was born. My mother, Harriet Boot deVelder, who had been born in Amoy to RCA missionary parents, Harry and Anna Boot, assisted the birth of Phil and the witnessed the death of Margaret. My mother was emotionally attached to Xiamen and to the island of Golongyu (Kolongsu). She often told her five children of her growing up in the area and what she did on the island. The family has many old photographs of the early 1900's. I spent 3 years in Longyen (Lengna) from 1946-1949 and have memories of some aspects of Xiamen. Thus this trip to celebrate the anniversary of the Hospital and to visit churches in China was a very emotional journey for me. I was moved to walk the streets of Golongyu; to see the ruins of the old Hospital now being re-built into a museum; to walk near the house where David Abeel lived for his brief years in Amoy; to see buildings designed by Otte; and to walk where my ancestors walked and worked in the Amoy Mission.
Continue reading "Ecumenical Relations Report From Xiamen, China by John deVelder"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 1:13 PM
2008 CPSP PLENARY
MARCH 30, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, AK
CPSP PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
FRANCINE ANGEL, CPSP PRESIDENT
When god asked Solomon, “What do you want me to give you?” Solomon responded, give me wisdom. I ask god today for wisdom to know how to go out and to come in among this people.
First and foremost to God be the glory! To our esteem General Secretary, Raymond J. Lawrence to this company of stalwart presidents, my predecessors who have set the bar high and paved the way for me to continue moving our organization from good to great: Jim Gephart, Richard Liew, Foy Richey, John Develder, Ken Blank, to our plenary planners George Hull and Al Henager and great honor to you the Diplomates, Pastoral Counselors, Clinical Chaplains and members of this CPSP community! I would be remiss, if I did not give honor to the three supervisors who trained me, Richard Liew, Joel Harvey and Joel Warner. Honor to the Convener of my Chapter (New York/New Jersey) Steven Voytovich.
I think that I ought to tell you that I am aware that I tread In the footsteps of IllustrustIous PresIdents those who have made and wIll continue to make their mark upon this our beloved CPSP community through the newly formed Council of Presidents.
Continue reading "CPSP PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: Casting a More Perfect Dream by Francine Angel"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 10:22 PM
– Comments Honoring the Rev. Dr. Edward Everett Thornton –
delivered at the Plenary in North Little Rock, AR, on 31 March 2008
on the 65th anniversary of the publication of
[Helen] Flanders Dunbar’s Psychosomatic Diagnosis
Robert Charles Powell, MD, PhD
The College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy has had a lot of fun, I’d like to suggest, with its annual presentation of The Helen Flanders Dunbar (1902-1959) Award for Significant Contributions to the Field of Clinical Pastoral Training. Those honored thus far include G. Allison Stokes, Myron C. Madden, Robert C. Dykstra, A. Patrick L. Prest, and Henry G. Heffernan.2 Tradition dictates that the audience be kept in a bit of suspense, so let me construct a conceptual picture of our next honoree, focusing not on the work for which he has become most famous – but focusing, rather, on the notion of clinical pastoral transformation, for which he should become more well known.3
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 5:52 PM
James Gebhart, CPSP Past-President & Francine Angel, CPSP President
The Rev. Francine Angel was installed as the Eighth President of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy at the 2008 CPSP Plenary held in Little Rock, AR this April.
She is an honor graduate of Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center, 1996. She received her M.Div in Psychology of Religion and Pastoral Care. In 1995 she was listed on the National Dean List and in Who’s Who among Students in American Colleges and Universities.
In addition to her academic accomplishment, she spent years being clinically trained that culminated in significant accomplishments in the clinical pastoral field: Board Certified Chaplain, Board Certified Pastoral Counselor and Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor.
For many years she has been the creative force as the Coordinator of the National Clinical Seminar (NCTS) for the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy. This seminar is scheduled twice a year (Spring and Fall). NCTS is geared toward offering continuing education and clinical consultation within a psychodynamic small group process. Under her leadership the NCTS has soared.
She served as the Acting Director for the Department of Pastoral Care and as the Program Coordinator of Clinical Pastoral Education Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Presently, The Rev. Francine Angel is a CPE Supervisor for Episcopal Health Services in Far Rockaway, New York. In this context she directs both the CPE Residency program and the Extended Evening CPE Internship program.
The CPSP community is delighted and honored that for the next two years we will have the talent, experience, wisdom and leadership ability of The Rev. Francine Angel, not only as a trusted colleague but as our CPSP President.
Perry Miller, Editor
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 8:44 AM
REPORT TO PLENARY
COLLEGE OF PASTORAL SUPERVISION AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
MARCH 30, 2008
RAYMOND J. LAWRENCE, GENERAL SECRETARY
1. Introduction
I report to you that our professional community is prospering. We are seeing steady growth. In numbers of certified members, we are now the third largest organization in our field in this hemisphere. We have problems too. Some of our Chapters need more attention than they are receiving. We need not be embarrassed about our failure to be a perfect community. But we need to be more assertive in approaching under functioning Chapters, because those with problems tend not to ask for consultation as we expect them to do. And we need to do more in the public relations arena, informing persons and institutions about our uniqueness and what we have to offer.
2. The Changing Character of CPSP
18 years ago this month 15 persons met in Virginia and decided unanimously that we should create a new certifying community, that the then functioning organizations were not serving the professional community adequately. In the intervening years we have now grown to a community of more than 600 persons. Our progress has involved very little exchange of money, and no paid leadership. It has relied on grass roots motivation and the initiative of emerging leadership. We attract persons who want responsibly to shape their own professional destiny. Persons who like to rely on direction from corporate offices tend not to be interested in us.
Continue reading "REPORT TO 2008 PLENARY BY RAYMOND J. LAWRENCE, GENERAL SECRETARY"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 2:38 PM
The 2008 Plenary of the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy was held March 31 through April 2, 2008, at the Wyndham Riverfront in North Little Rock Arkansas.
During the Plenary many of the CPSP community enjoyed meeting and having conversation with this warm, engaging and compelling person. Her creative, insightful and deep understanding of Hospice was not only informative but contagious as she captured the sprit of care that is at the core of Hospice movement.
Carolyn Cassin has graciously granted permission for the Pastoral Report to publish the Power Point presentation, Open Access Hospice: America's Challenge, she use during her address to the CPSP Community.
Download file: OPEN ACCESS HOSPICE: AMERICA'S CHALLENGE BY CAROL CASSIN
Carolyn Cassin, an internationally recognized expert in end of life care, organizational management, and the efficient, effective delivery of healthcare services was one of the Keynote speakers for the 2008 CPSP Plenary.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 5:24 PM
Carolyn Cassin spoke to the facts and myths of Hospice. She gave us statistics and information about the state of the US regarding Hospice and Hospice legislation. As a matter of fact her PowerPoint presentation was perfect for the Ethics Committee meeting I chaired this week. She spoke to the dilemma of under utilized availability of hospice services. Carolyn spoke to the need to educate physicians, nurses, patients, and families to the fact that Hospice is not about dying, it is about living. She emphasized the need for earlier referral and the use of referrals to specialists in Palliative and Hospice Medicine. Carolyn spoke with a passion that made her presentation great.
The problem is that I can get her PowerPoint but I can’t take her with me each time I present the information. I am sure that others can relate to this dilemma. There was though another reason that I was so impressed with what Carolyn had to say. You see William I. Wilcoxson, 89, passed away Friday February 1, 2008. His story can be told with passion, even if you didn’t know him personally.
In early December 2006 my dad, Bill Wilcoxson, had an episode where he was too weak to get out of bed. Against his wishes, but in his best interest, he was transported by EMS to the hospital. He was found to have exacerbation of COPD due to an upper respiratory infection that had triggered dementia symptoms. After a five day stay in the hospital it was determined that he should be sent to a skilled nursing facility for rehab.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 9:45 PM
Dr. Mario Ceballos is the newly appointed Endorser for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
We welcome Mario to his new position and look forward to our continued association with him.
Mario is leaving his current position as Vice-president for Spiritual Services and Mission at the Kettering
Health Network in Dayton Ohio where he has been administrator for Diplomates Henry Uy and Basharat Masih.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 9:19 PM
From left to right: Rogelio Williams, Evelyn Sanchez, Beverly Staton, Simon Weinstein, Ernesto Espiritu
A Clinical Pastoral Education Training Center since 1994, the Department of Pastoral Care and Education at the Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Brooklyn, New York, remains a center of excellence in professional pastoral education.
Continuing a tradition of excellence begun at the LICH CPE Center under the leadership of the Reverend Dorothy Greet, CPSP Diplomate and CPE supervisor from 1994 through 1999, the Reverend Dr. Belén González y Pérez assumed the leadership of the Pastoral Care Department and CPE Center as director and CPE supervisor in 1999.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 5:33 PM
“Don’t worry,” said the smiling but very tired resident, “You’re doing fine and I am going home now. I will see you in the morning.” I glanced at the clock and with its big numbers, I read, 2:00 AM. Then the Chaplain in me tuned in and said, “Yes, you look so tired, please go and get some rest.” Then I closed my eyes, punched my morphine button, said a prayer for the resident and blissfully drifted back to sleep. Some three hours later I was awakened by the doctor; the team of residents that had done the surgery and follow-up, and their news was good. They had removed a basketball-sized tumor and various other parts from my abdomen and the preliminary report showed that it was not cancerous. A tear slipped from my eye with that news. Yet, that good news would slip from my mind as I faced the reality found in the hours, days and weeks to come.
Continue reading "The Chaplain-Patient By Connie Hill"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 5:26 PM
Curriculum is generally understood as the academic courses or programs offered by a school or other learning institution. The academic structure is divided into different fields, areas, or departments on the basis of the subject matter with which each field deals. Most schools make a genuine attempt to prepare their academic programs across the various disciplines.
Understanding that curriculum is not just a synopsis of the courses offered by a school is paramount to its construction. Curriculum is the articulation of the very purpose and method of doing theology in context. While affirming diversity in perspectives, the curriculum of a school must recognize certain common and basic affirmations. First, that commitment is the first act of doing theology --- commitment meaning the promise to transform one’s self, the church, society, and the earth. Second, that the epistemological privilege of the victims, the traumatized, the dispossessed, and the sick is an act of praxis in solidarity with the underside of history.
The sources for doing theology are yet another important aspect in one’s search to re/define curriculum. The traditional sources such as the scripture and tradition of the church need to be approached anew from the perspective of the sufferers. One needs to broaden his or her understanding of both scripture and tradition. Plurality of the scriptures and the theological authority of oral traditions are quite important. A new understanding of ecclesia must lead one to search for tradition in the so-called “heretical communities,” and also in the emergence of social movements and faith-based communities of the Dominated/Developing World.
Continue reading "THEOLOGICAL CURRICULUM: WHAT IS IT, ANYWAY? By Cesar G. Espineda, PhD"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 4:37 PM
Walker Evans, a famous American documentary photographer in the 1930s and 1940's, noted that many photographers have no trouble framing a photo and having light that reflects well off the subject in interesting ways. Greatness from his point of view lies, however, in those who have the gift to "capture the light that's in the air".
"Capturing the light that's in the air" is a metaphor. It speaks of those who have the uncanny gift of understanding what is happening in the culture, the times and who intuitively know the work that needs to be done and they set out to do it. It's about discerning the essence of time, space and need within a particular and often crucial moments of the cultural and the human predicament. If addressed, the world is a better place. If not, we all suffer because there was the failure to "capture the light that's in the air."
The College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy’s (CPSP) mission is dedicated to "capturing the light that's in the air" for the clinical pastoral movement. As a community its dedication is: To see what others have not seen, to embrace the new rather than cling to the old, to risk rather than play it safe, to reinvent itself rather than re-package the old, to imagine the unimaginable, to let go rather than holding on, to create rather than duplicate, and to dream dreams that have never been dreamed. All of this and more is CPSP's way "to capture the light that's in the air" for the clinical pastoral movement.
Continue reading "Capturing the Light That's in the Air by Perry Miller"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 1:07 PM
CPSP rocks and so does Little Rock, AR where the 2008 CPSP plenary will soon convene.
Consider using the CPSP Chapter Life Blog as a CPSP MeetUp Space. Create a post to see who would like to share a taxi ride to and from the hotel, create a group night out on the town, share the expense of a hotel room, explore Little Rock's cultural offerings, etc. Check the blog during the Plenary to see what might be happening and/or to create your own event.
See you at the Plenary.
Perry Miller, Editor
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 7:22 PM
Mary Davis has posted on the CPSP Chapter Life Blog the CPSP Chapter Convener Manual. All Chapter Conveners and Chapter members are encouraged to review and provide consultation. In particular, those who will be attending the 2008 CPSP Plenary's Chapter Life Pre-Conference on Sunday, March 30 at 1:15 PM are urged to review the document and be prepared to discuss it at the Pre-Conference.
If you are a member of the CPSP Community and have not registered to be a member of the blog, please send your name, and the names of your Chapter and its Convener to the Chapter Life Committee.
Perry Miller, Editor
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 4:55 PM
The gathering of the CPSP community for the 2008 CPSP Plenary will occur in Little Rock, AR starting March 31.
In addition to a well planned and exciting conference, the city of Little Rock offers attendees of the Plenary many opportunities to explore and experience art, music, entertainment, restaurants and the charm of the city and its people.
Listed below are a list of such opportunities to not only help you plan your stay prior to your arrival but as a quick reference resource during the Plenary. All are within walking distance or a short trolley ride from the Wyndham Riverfront Hotel and the CPSP Plenary.
Transportation
River Rail Trolley System -http://www.cat.org/rrail/
Continue reading "Enjoy the City of Little Rock"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 8:07 AM
Eighteen years ago today CPSP was created. Fifteen persons meeting
near Roanoke, Virginia, to discuss the question of whether a new,
alternative certifying body was called for, unanimously agreed to
create CPSP. Then President of ACPE, Julian Byrd came to offer counsel
to us and was the sixteenth person present. He urged us not to take
this action, but he did so in a collegial way without acrimony. Since
then more than six hundred certified persons have joined us. We look
forward to the future with commitment and optimism.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 4:17 PM
At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences cooperation between the Pastoral Care department, the Medical Center Auxiliary & Volunteer department and the Healing Arts committee has resulted in a creative approach to patient pastoral and emotional support. Working together these departments have developed a pilot project to bring on board the services of a Therapeutic Harpist.
Commenting on the pilot project George Hankins Hull, director of the Pastoral Care department related “It took a significant degree of cooperation between the Pastoral Care department, the Auxiliary & Volunteer department and the Healing Arts committee to bring the Therapeutic Harpist on board. We have had a wonderful response from staff and patients for this creative and leading edge venture. This is a success story in terms of vision and cooperation to better support the emotional and spiritual of our patients. We are very happy to have secured the services of Andrea Sadler, Ph.D. as our Therapeutic Harpist for our pilot project.”
Dr. Sadler's article, Therapeutic Music and Patient Care, was recently published in the Pastoral Report.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 8:47 AM
What is Therapeutic Music?
Music is therapeutic in a variety of ways. Most people have experienced feeling cheered up by listening to music when in emotional distress. The everyday experience of listening to music in order to relax, cheer up, etc., can be likened to use of an over-the-counter analgesic. It is self-administered and very effective for many situations. Therapeutic music in a medical setting is analogous to a prescription drug; the therapeutic musician chooses music “prescriptively” in order to effect a deeper level of care for more serious conditions.
The field of therapeutic music is an emerging modality of whole-patient care. While the term “therapeutic musician” is general, my own training is that of Certified Music Practitioner (CMP); other titles, such as Harp Therapist, are conferred by other training programs.1
In the work of a CMP and other trained therapeutic musicians, therapeutic music is defined as live, individualized music provided at a patient’s bedside to create an environment wherein healing can occur. “Healing” is an open-ended term to describe a move toward balance; it is distinguished from “curing,” i.e., the cessation of disease symptoms. In practical terms, the healing offered by a therapeutic music session can occur on one or more of the following levels:
Continue reading "Therapeutic Music and Patient Care by Andrea Kielpinski Sadler, PhD"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 8:43 AM
Al Henager, CPSP Clinical Chaplain, is attending the 2008 national conference of the Association of Professional Chaplains in Pittsburgh, March 6 -13. He is sending updates about the conference especially regarding CPSP. He is calling his reports "Blogging from the Spot."
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Today, Wednesday, March 13, the APC conference officially ends. All-in-all it has been a good conference with what I believe to be a lot of good will gained for CPSP.
Earlier at the "Dialogue with the Board," (of APC) someone asked how the relationship between APC and CPSP is progressing. Mary Whetstone, APC President, reported that she had met with Jim Gebhart, CPSP President, and myself in Columbus this year, along with Ted Lindquist, APC Certification Chair, by conference call. She said that the dialogue is continuing and things are in process.
I also reported that CPSP had adopted the Common Standards of the Spiritual Care Collaborative this last year, with the caveat we be added to the list. In addition, Mary told me personally that the APC Board will consider our membership in the SCC this coming Thursday, March 14. She said she has every hope that APC will concur with our membership in the SCC.
Mary is attending our 2008 Plenary in Little Rock. She says she hope to bring us good news. The picture is of Mary Whetstone and myself at the APC conference.
See you all in Little Rock at the end of the month! Ya'll come! Ya hear?
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 9:42 PM
Until CPSP came on the scene, never before in the history of the CPE Movement, CPE training in a Correctional Facility included inmates as trainees in a regular CPE training group. This is the creative genius of CPSP.
A special forum will be held at the 2008 Plenary, on Sunday afternoon, March 30, for those who want to know more about this pioneering effort as well as to explore developing similar endeavors. Principals who are involved in this project, including possibly inmates who were CPE trainees will be on hand to share their experience and insights.
An article about the trainees’ CPE experience was recently published in The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling (Winter 2007, Vol. 61, No. 4).
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 5:45 PM
Al Henager, CPSP Clinical Chaplain, is attending the 2008 national conference of the Association of Professional Chaplains in Pittsburgh, March 6 -13. He is sending updates about the conference especially regarding CPSP. He is calling his reports "Blogging from the Spot."
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Today at the APC conference in Pittsburgh, CPSP Diplomate Ken Blank received his 25- year membership award. The picture shows Ken receiving his award from Mary Whetstone, APC President.
By the way, Mary Whetstone will join us as our guest at the CPSP 2008 Plenary in Little Rock.
Speaking of the CPSP Plenary, it is coming up right away. If you haven't registered yet, shame on you. And, as we say in Arkansas, "What in the world are you a-waitin' fer?"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 5:12 PM
Al Henager, CPSP Clinical Chaplain, is attending the 2008 national conference of the Association of Professional Chaplains in Pittsburgh, March 6 -13. He is sending updates about the conference especially regarding CPSP. He is calling his reports "Blogging from the Spot."
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Greeting again from Pittsburgh! I cannot tell you the amount of interest I am seeing in CPSP from chaplains here at the APC conference. It is only Sunday, and we have almost run out of brochures already. Luckily, we had 1000 flyers printed just before I left. These match the display and have www.CPSP.org listed for more information.
Today, Sunday, I am to co-present in a 90-minute workshop. Dr. Reed Thompson, Medical Director for the Palliative Care Service at UAMS Medical Center, where I serve as Staff Chaplain, is joining me today to present "Transforming Death into Healing at the End of Life."
Often in the medical community, death is seen as the “ultimate failure.” Drawing on the discipline of palliative care and the traditions of the hospice movement, this workshop tries to equip chaplains with strategies for transforming the dying process into one of “healing” for patients, for their families, and for the medical staff. Goals of the workshop are to identify and explain the four domains of care at the end of life, to engage in six strategies of care to persons at the end of life, and to articulate what the concept of “dying healed” means.
The picture above shows Dr. Thompson and myself presenting the workshop. Also, for those who attended the workshop, I am attaching the PowerPoint presentation for them to download. Of course, anyone who wants the presentation may download it as well.
Download file: Transforming Death into Healing at the End of Life
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 4:37 PM
“If you knew that you would be alone,
Knowing right, being wrong,
Would you change?” - From a song by Tracy Chapman, entitled “Change”
I was asked recently to do a brief reflection on the above lines from a Tracy Chapman song, “Change” for a worship service at the seminary I attend. The song asks, in effect, “What will it take for you to change?” I felt compelled to offer a response from the point of view of the people that I minister with—people who are snowed under with a mental health disorder, or a terminal illness, a chronic disease that is slowly narrowing their world to a sliver of its former self, or the sudden death of someone they love.
When people hurt deeply, they almost always feel alone. That aloneness feels like forever – there is no sense of time. In the midst of grief, or intense fear, or physical or emotional pain, one moment can feel like a thousand years.
From the outside, being deeply hurt can have many faces:
a bitter, hostile person who has nothing good to say about anything;
an arrogant, condescending person who knows better than anyone else;
a timid, fearful person who refuses to take a stand;
a cheerful back-slapper who listens to everyone’s problems but who never listens to themselves or ponders the depth of his own soul;
A competent person who conscientiously performs good work but never honors her own needs and limits.
Though it seems like it should, not even being a person of faith automatically heals this hurt. We are broken people, some more broken than others.
Continue reading "What Will it Take for You to Change? by Alexis Versalle"
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 4:09 PM
Al Henager, CPSP Clinical Chaplain, is attending the 2008 national conference of the Association of Professional Chaplains in Pittsburgh, March 6 -13. He is sending updates about the conference especially regarding CPSP. He is calling his reports "Blogging from the Spot."
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Greetings from Pittsburgh! The rain continued, but I had more work to do at the APC conference. This year, CPSP arranged to have a display in the exhibitor's area of the conference. For the last several months, in consultation with Raymond, Perry, and others, we had developed a professional CPSP display unit just for such exhibitions. It packs light and travels well. As soon as I was allowed to do so, I set up the display at table 816 reserved for CPSP.
Almost immediately, people began to stop by to ask questions. There is an amazing interest in CPSP with chaplains from all over. Just in the first hour, I handed out dozens of brochures and flyers, all directing folks to our website for more information.
There are several CPSP folks attending the conference. Among them are Charles Kirby, Beverly Jessup, David Plummer, Phil Pinkard, Don Marsh, David Baker, Ken Blank, and myself.
In the picture, CPSP Diplomate Beverly Jessup talks about CPSP with an APC conference attendee at the CPSP booth. As pastoral caregivers, one of major tasks is "ministry of presence." That is exactly what we are doing at APC. The value of our presence here cannot be measured.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 10:09 AM
Al Henager, CPSP Clinical Chaplain, is attending the 2008 National Conference of the Association of Professional Chaplains in Pittsburgh, March 6 -13. He is sending updates about the conference especially regarding CPSP. He is calling his reports "Blogging from the Spot."
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I arrived in Pittsburgh on Thursday evening greeted by cold, rainy weather. Ironically, my wife told me when I phone her that it was snowing in Little Rock! In fact my daughter's school was closed the next day. The rain, however, did not dampen my spirits.
The first big thing on my agenda was, on Friday, March 7, to present a four-hour pre-conference workshop called "Forging Relationships of Understanding -- Communicating what Chaplains Do."
Often chaplains are unable to explain exactly what they do or how they make a difference. This workshop was designed to help chaplains articulate what they do in a way that others, particularly in administration, can understand. I tried to focus on ways to measure their productivity, common outcomes of their work, and a common language to describe what chaplains do.
There were about 20 people who attended, which is really good for a pre-conference workshop. I received quite a few compliments on the workshop, and I am posting the PowerPoint presentation here for downloading anyone who would like it. Download file
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 9:20 AM