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.
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Abstract: It has become the practice within our Pacific {Nautilus) Chapter to assure that each person seeking certification has a Mentor to nurture this process. I have been asked to provide a document that presents the context and expectations of this special role within our Chapter life. The following is NOT exhaustive, but it does present a reasonably complete presentation in concise form. As we continue to consolidate the documentation of our Chapter practices, this document is intended to be a basis for an authoritative description. Please especially note what the Mentor is not, and also that the Mentor becomes the advocate of the candidate within the entire process. At the end of this description, I will reflect on the importance of this material in the context of our field and the development of the CPSP. - The Rev. Dr. Bill Scar, CPSP Diplomate
A Concept and Function of a Mentor in the CPSP
The Nautilus Pacific Chapter
Background
For those considering the pursuit of certification within the CPSP, the starting place is the CPSP Covenant to which we subscribe. This is not a “creed” or a “contract”, or even a “pledge”. If you will examine the CPSP covenant closely, you will see that the foundation of our mutuality is willful commitment by persons who agree to journey together and become a “we”. It is within the circle of persons committed to one another that the freedoms of our organization exist. And, this is experienced within a matricular model, which was philosophically important to the CPSP founders in 1989 and 1990. In other words, the commitment to one another comes first...it precedes all other elements of our encounter of one another and our mutual growth within the CPSP.
Commitment is not the same as total acceptance; commitment does resemble a contract in that we agree to what each one of us has promised she or he will do; it is even more like a vow in its function, which is a promise you make to yourself about who you will be, and you make this promise in front of others and God.
You will remember that we each claim our alma mater based on having matriculated and not having graduated or yet achieved anything of substance. Once the CPSP Chapter and the individual seeker agree to join with one another in the pursuit of certification, then it is the responsibility and honor of the Chapter members to put every reasonable and legitimate effort into supporting the success of every individual who participates. The implications of these stated values directly impact our understanding of notions such as support and criticism. There is no “other”; in a matricular model, criticism is in itself support.
The MENTOR
Our intent is that the Mentor embody the very best of matricular energy. Therefore, the Mentor is not a Psychotherapist, with the responsibility to evaluate and support the removal of pathological clinical impediments and the development of a healthy matrix of conscious and unconscious forces within the patient. The Mentor is not a Supervisor, with the responsibility to legally oversee the care of persons treated by the supervisee and journey with the supervisee in the process of direct service and ministry. The Mentor is not an Employer, with the responsibility to assure that the employee's work fulfills the goals and standards of the institution, identify proper compensation for the work of the individual, as well as assure that the institution is legally protected.
The Mentor IS the personal embodiment of the matricular commitment of the CPSP Chapter. The Mentor is responsible to assure that the Mentee is prepared personally and has completed all documentable requirements before being presented for professional review. The Mentor is responsible to identify struggles that get in the way of successful membership and ministry, and refer the Mentee back to the therapist, supervisor or employer to deal with issues properly in those arenas. The Mentor is also the advocate of the Mentee and most often represents the strengths and weaknesses of the Mentee to the Chapter, in a way that blesses the growth of the Mentee.
To fulfill the role of a Mentor, experience both in the field and within CPSP is essential. The individual must have been a certified clinical member of CPSP for at least a year and have served as a professional specialized pastoral care provider for at least two years. These are very minimal expectations, but they are necessary in order for the Mentor to understand the distinction of the role and serve as a qualified advocate. The Mentor is the first person the Mentee consults when questions arise about the pursuit of certification. If the Mentor is unable to satisfy the need of the Mentee, then the two of them will consult one [or another] of the available Diplomates. The Diplomates are always directly available to the Mentor.
The Mentor/Mentee relationship is recognized and approved by the Chapter members. Sometimes matters arise that prevent these two persons from working well toward the common goal. Any change of Mentor does require the approval of the Chapter members.
Certification Review
When the Mentor and Mentee agree that all requirements have been addressed in anticipation of the Chapter review for certification, then the Convener is informed of this readiness to proceed. In general, new candidates are reviewed in January and February, in anticipation of the annual certification renewal of all CPSP members that occurs during that time and is confirmed at the national Plenary in March. It is the Mentor who then presents the candidate to the certification committee and functions as the candidate’s advocate within the meeting.
When the Chapter evaluates a candidate, it is engaging a person who is already an active participant in Chapter life. Every candidate has already been matriculated into the Chapter, whose members have already made a faithful commitment to journey with the person toward whatever goals, both personal and professional, that person has in his or her life in specialized pastoral care ministry. A certification process and interviews are a direct extension of the ongoing life of the Chapter and its members' affiliation with one another.
REFLECTION
One reported misconception about the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy is that it lacks “intentionality,” because our lines of authority and accountability are minimally vertical in structure and our processes exist primarily within the local groupings of colleagues known as “Chapters”. In the classic words, “Nothing could be farther from the truth.” In fact, it was precisely the intention of the founders and subsequent members and leaders of the CPSP to make the changes in process that would restore and reinvigorate the field of specialized pastoral care ministry. We believed that it was indeed this very vertical structure and layers of administration that contributed to the lack of integrity and justice that were evident in the field in the 1980s, including the obscene amount of time and money that were absorbed within the certification and accreditation activities. The human consequence was that “vested interests” had to justify themselves and defend what was necessary for them to survive as institutions.
These negative developments were not led by people with wrong motives, but were largely reflective of what happens in most organizations as they age and develop and become established. Some of the most prominent leaders of the then existing certifying bodies were determined to respond with conscience to a situation tjat they themselves had helped to create: What had become established ceased to serve the real values of the field and stood in the way of addressing the needs of God’s people at the end of the 20th century. Those leaders came together and became the founders of the CPSP.
The other misconception that continues without merit is that the CPSP is deficient in its standards. Our standards are almost precisely the same as our cognate groups in the field of specialized pastoral care ministry. We are bold to say that our processes is substantially superior, which we strive to evidence with missionary zeal and not critical judgment. The current irony is that so many leaders in the other groups now understand and support our processes, but most are hesitant to publicly celebrate what we have achieved and promoted because that would recognize the legitimacy of our organization itself.
Some of the most important manifestations of our CPSP ethic and logic are the ways we assist candidates to achieve certification within our Chapters. We are all volunteers and willfully choose to associate with one another and support one another. Mentoring is carried on in various ways among our Chapters and exemplifies the commitment of our colleagues in the CPSP to bring forth persons who are fit vessels for the work God has given us to do. The Pacific [Nautilus] Chapter continues to refine its use of the Mentor and, in the true spirit of the CPSP, we are pleased to share both our exploits and our failures with others, both within our own fellowship of Chapters and beyond to the field of ministry that we love.
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Email: The Rev. Dr. Bill Scar, CPSP Diplomate,
Pacific {Nautilus) Chapter
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 9:19 AM
No pastoral care and certifying organization can be compelled to adopt
a posture of critical self-reflection. However, one would expect that
one of the marks of an organization standing within the historical
clinical pastoral care and training movement would be a posture of
critical self-reflection.
Given this tradition of self-critical reflection this would not negate the critique of one cognate group by another rather it would promote it. The self-critical faculty is the
sine qua non of the pastoral care and training movement. The movement is best safeguarded when the all the serious voices of critique are validated and none are censored. In contrast to movements seeking to speak with one voice the clinical pastoral care and training movement speaks with many voices and is best represented by the voice of many.
______________________
Email George Hull
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 12:25 AM
The Fall National Clinical Training Seminar will meet November 10th and 11th at the Days Inn, Parsippany, New Jersey.
A reminder that the NCTS is opened to all members of the CPSP community, not just those who are currently engaged in a supervisory process as a clinical trainee. All members of the community are encouraged to attend.
As always, the format of the seminar is a combination of presentations relevant to the clinical pastoral field as well as small group presentations of clinical cases and other personal and professional issues for reflection and review within a psychodynamic group process.
Mark the dates of your calendar. Detail information will be posted in the PR in the near future.
Contact Francine Angel
NCTS Coordinator
CPSP Preident
-Perry Miller, Editor
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 11:24 PM
The Mid-South Fall Pastoral Care Institute will be held October 30-31, 2008 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Gather this Fall in Little Rock with chaplains, pastoral counselors, pastoral psychotherapists, and other pastoral care givers from across the South for this educational event, beginning at Noon Thursday October 30, 2008 with workshops followed by a dinner and speaker that evening. The Institute continues with a day of educational seminars on Friday. Mark your calendars.
PRESENTERS:
Thursday evening, October 30, 2008
James D. Hester, Ph. D. , Crawford Professor of Religion, University of Redlands, Redlands, CA, and Founding Editor of the Rhetorical New Testament Project of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity of the Claremont Graduate University at Claremont, CA.
Topic: Returning to the theological roots of pastoral careFriday morning, October 31, 2008
D. Micah Hester, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Medical Humanities/Pediatrics and Clinical Ethicist, Division of Medical Humanities University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Arkansas Children's Hospital.
Topic: Can't We All Just Get Along? – Considering the Ethics of Goods, Duties, and Virtues
More information coming and a call for workshop proposals will be coming soon.
CO-SPONSORED BY:
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Pastoral Care and Clinical Pastoral Education
Arkansas Association of Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors
Little Rock Chapter of CPSP
Mississippi Chaplains Association
LOACATION
Trinity Presbyterian Church
4501 Rahling Rd
Little Rock, AR 72223
(501) 868-5848
Contact Al Henager for more information.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 2:22 PM
Here are some studies for the curious and critical-minded, as well as for the cognitively functioning female and male species.
The impact of rapidly changing cultural, religious/spiritual, moral, historical, and personal contexts of pastoral ministry demands that lay and ordained pastoral leaders of the 21st century be trained in a variety of disciplines so as to address the issues that affect the lives of patients in the post-modern world. The issue of post-modernity includes an emphasis on pluralism and otherness, and the challenge of accountability on the part of pastoral leaders and their mission for the local and global faith communities, organizations, and health care institutions.
One of the challenges for pastoral leaders is to engage in ongoing educational renewal which includes active prophetic dialogue with other persons, faiths, and cultures. Because the lay and especially the ordained are responsible for delivering the appropriate pastoral care and ministry at the bedside, they must be equipped bio-spiritually, -emotionally, -psychosocially, and -ethically in order to do so. This challenge is even greater when one considers the multi-faceted contexts of the post-modern world which is an age of cutting-edge technological discovery and advancement. It is also an age in which the world has witnessed the changed nature of patients’ illnesses, sufferings, and the general population’s attitudes towards diseases like AIDS (Cadwallader, 1998; Daniels, 1994; Goldsmith, 1994; Hansen, 1994; Pollet & Wright, 1998; Shapiro, 1994). The world of cutting-edge technological discovery and advancement, managed health care, diverse horizons of professional pastoral ministry, and contexts of patient care (Henley & Schott, 1999), all demand that the professional pastoral leaders of the 21st century respond critically and decisively, especially in the face of such illnesses (Backe, 1994; Bamforth, 1987; Filochowski, 1994; Greeley, 1994; Wert, 1994; Zion, 1994).
The challenge for the ordained pastoral leader to be bio-comprehensive in delivering his/her professional role is even more daunting when one reviews the educational achievements and contexts of employment of the lay pastoral leaders of today. The number of lay professionals serving the church has risen dramatically since the early 1970s, and most of these have been women (Z. Fox, 1997). These professionals are persons “with Master’s Degrees in theology, religious education, or an approved equivalency, and at least three years of administration or teaching experience who have demonstrated skills in organization and are salaried, full-time members of a parish staff" (Walters, 1983, p. 4).
In light of this compelling landscape of educated and competent lay professionals, there is an even greater challenge for present-day ordained professionals to stay abreast of contemporary issues in theology, pastoral ministry, social sciences, and self-transformative courses or training. These issues not only affect their identities, roles, and ministries, but also the lives of the women, children, and men entrusted under their spiritual leadership and management. Embarking on renewal and ongoing education is one sure way that pastoral leaders can avoid tunnel-vision or parochial mentality with regard to conceptualizations of leadership and ministry. Schenk (1995) argues for the indispensable role of the church and, for that matter, leadership in a post-modern world in order to sustain the faithful in the community. He elaborates:
T]he church must have a character that allows it to embrace peoples of most diverse backgrounds, and must do so across time. When the church allows itself to be taken captive by a particular culture, ethnic group, or class, it forfeits its claim to be a faithful witness to the reign of God. This has crucial implications both for the individual Christian and for the church itself. For the individual who is seeking to be a faithful disciple, the reality of the church will either support or undercut discipleship. Loyalty to the church cannot be sustained over time if there is lack of congruence between the gospel and the existential ecclesial reality. (p. 8)
1) personal (my relationship with myself); 2) interpersonal (my relationships and interactions with others); 3) managerial (my responsibility to get a job done with others); and 4) organizational (my need to organize people – to recruit them, train them, compensate them, build teams, solve problems, and create aligned structure, strategy, and systems). (p. 31, italics, numberings, and parentheses in original).
According to Drucker's (1999) philosophy, future leaders are to become “leaders beyond the walls” (p. 9, italics in original). He argues that becoming “leaders beyond the walls” entails that leaders lead their own institution. This echoes Covey’s notion of “principle-centered” leadership. For Drucker, to lead is the first requirement for leaders in “leading beyond the walls.” Drucker also insists that future leaders learn to become leaders in the community, and to create a community for the sake of the common good. The insights of Kanter, Covey, and Drucker are relevant reminders for future lay and ordained pastoral leaders as they exercise their roles and functions in health care institutions, if not in congregational settings.
As the world continues to become a borderless global village, tomorrow’s leaders will require “new competencies” in order to appreciate cultural diversity in the workplace. Such cultural diversity includes leadership styles, industry or organizational styles, individual behaviors and values, race, and gender (Goldsmith & Walt,1999, p.159). In a similar voice, Bennis (2000) points out that in a post-bureaucratic, top-down leadership style, the alliance between leadership and followership is necessary and must be promoted. In this new alliance, Bennis reasons that “the new leader will encourage healthy dissent and value those followers courageous enough to say no” (p.152). And the leader who encourages cultural diversity does not see cultural differences as markers or divisions. On the contrary, the leader exults in these differences and “knows that diversity is the best hope for long-term survival and success” (p. 152). Bennis’s observation, according to R.R. Thomas (1996), implies that: “In the future, even more than in the past, the visibility of the country and its communities will demand effective diversity management skills at the community, organizational, leadership, and individual levels” (p. 72). For today’s lay and ordained pastoral leaders, such calls and challenges for “new competencies” and “new alliances” are especially fitting for our present-day multi-faith health-care institutions, as well as for a pluralistic society like the City of New York and other cities in the USA.
In order to lead, inspire action, and empower persons of all stripes, pastoral leaders in health-care ministry need to craft a vision and possess a sense of mission. They are to be “leaders with vision” (Starrat,1995, p.14) because, as Steinke (1996) observes: “Vision offers meaning; vision instills hope; vision directs energy” (p. 105), whether the leaders’ platform is a school or some other area of institutional life in the wider world.” Starratt further contends that future leaders are to be “bridge builders” in order to lead others to a common vision and goal. Frick and Spears (1996) claim that “foresight” is one trait that leaders must possess, as it is an essential part of the “lead” aspect of leadership. In their studies, they view leaders as historians, contemporary analysts, and prophets (pp. 317-322). For Schon (1983), the professional leaders are to become “reflective practitioners” (p. 295). This means that the leaders’ relationships with their employees, clients, subordinates, or patients must take the form of a literally reflective conversation with the situation. In a reflective conversation, the credentialed and technically competent leader and “his claim to authority is substantially based on his special knowledge in his interactions with his clients” (p. 296). The relationship between the competent leader and follower in a reflective conversation is not one of “blind faith” in a “blind box,” but one where the follower remains open to the leader’s competence as it emerges in professional interactions with the situation.
Harris (1989a), in discerning a wholesome and effective pastoral leadership style, argues for a new church curriculum or a process that embraces a total course of “pastoral vocation” (pp. 23-37) and “educational vocation” (pp. 38-54) in the life of the people of G-od. These curricula or courses must include community service, worship, proclamation, and instruction of all the church’s members from their births to their deaths. It is in this total teaching mission of the church that the church can truly fashion a new people of G-od.
Above all, Arbuckle (2000a) contends that “the issue of change is the most important contemporary challenge facing leaders of any organization, whether business, church, school, or religious community” (p. 31). In light of Arbuckle’s observation, and in the midst of rapid technological and organizational change, the leaders of the post-modern world are challenged to become “leaders with soul” (Bolman & Deal, 1999). They are called to the possessions of the intangibles; namely, spirit, courage, and hope. In the words of De Pree (1997), they are to become “leaders without power.” They are called to the possessions of love and morality. In this vision of leadership, Bolman, Deal, and De Pree perceive contemporary, future and, enlightened leaders as integrated and proactive individuals; individuals who feel the pulses of the people they lead. Therefore, contemporary, future, and enlightened leaders are souls who take risks and journey through uncharted paths; driven, imaginative, and innovative individuals who “venture into the unknown, beyond the boundaries of perceived purity and into chaos, in search of new meanings or new ways of doing things” (Arbuckle, 2000a, p. 9).
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Email CESAR ESPINEDA
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 1:35 PM
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will be venue for the Symposium that will be held on November 17-21, 2008.
The Topics and Keynote Speakers are:
K. Samuel Lee, Ph.D.
Much Depends on the Kitchen: Pastoral Practice
in Multicultural Society
Steven Voytovich, D.Min.
World Without Walls – a Multi-Cultural Typology.
John de Velder, D.Min.
Pastoral Care as Wounded Story Telling and
Listening: Issues of Indigenous Ministry in the Multi-
Cultural & Multi-Faith Realities of Globalization
The symposium is sponsored by the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia, the New York-New Jersey Chapter of The College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy and the Clinical Pastoral Education Training Center of the Episcopal Health Services.
For more details and contact information about the Symposium please download the Conference Brochure and the Registration Form listed below.
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 1:05 PM
The Rev. Robert B. Lantz died after a very brief illness on Saturday, July 5, at his home in Annapolis, MD. He succumbed to multiple myoloma.
Bob was the founder and convener of the Chesapeake Chapter of CPSP for the past 18 years. He was a faithful and well-loved colleague to so many of us.
Those who may wish to send condolences may write his widow, Katharine, at 257 Providence Road, Annapolis, MD 21409.
A private funeral service will be held in Virginia, followed by a memorial service several weeks from now, at a time and place to be announced.
Further inquiries may be addressed to Martha Camaggio or Diana Mathis at the Pastoral Institute, 410-263-8310.
Raymond Lawrence
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at 9:37 AM
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