Washington Regional’s Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program is the region’s premier interfaith training in Northwest Arkansas. Our 425-bed hospital provides the highest level of trauma care in the region. Students serve as chaplains in a variety of situations including trauma, crisis and end of life. Students respond to needs in the ICU, emergency department, general medical/surgical units and palliative care.

The CPE program is graduate-level education based on experiential learning within an interdisciplinary, multi-faith and multi-cultural setting. Students process self while learning pastoral care skills and professional functioning through case studies, reflection papers, didactics, group and individual supervision, and more.

CPE isn’t only for professional chaplain training and certification. Many come to CPE to enhance skills with people in crisis, engage in spiritual and occupational discernment, obtain clinical hours for social work or counseling, and learn skills such as interdisciplinary teamwork, non-anxious presence and active listening.

Each CPE unit includes 400 working hours, including 100 hours in formal learning and 300 clinical hours. Students can work a variety of clinical hours including, day, evening and overnight shifts.

Tuition is $700 per unit or $275 with an additional 40 clinical hours.

Washington Regional offers standard units in the fall and spring and an intensive summer unit.

Course/Unit Dates

Orientation will be held a week prior to class.
Summer 2025: June 2 – August 8
Fall 2025: September 1 – December 19
Spring 2026: January 5 – May 15

The CPE program at Washington Regional is accredited by Clinical Pastoral Education International (CPEI), a COMISS member, and further accredited through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

• CPEI will not discriminate based on race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, sex/gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability and will provide an environment from harassment.
• Completing a course(s) or one of the Certificate Programs does not guarantee employment or certification as a Board-Certified Chaplain or a Supervisor-Educator.

To complete a CPE application, click here or on the button below.

If you would like more information about CPE, please contact Beth Snyder Jones, Director of Spiritual Care and CPE Supervisor, at bsnyder@wregional.com or 479.463.1267.

Testimonials

CPE was a great experience for me, even with over 25 years of pastoral care experience. I was trained and empowered to meet and serve people of all kinds of backgrounds who were experiencing a health concern and its impact on their whole life and relationships. I developed skills and practices that have enhanced my life in all its dimensions. Beyond the learning and self-reflection, CPE allowed me to serve needs of people in very meaningful ways and to do so as part of the health care team of WRMC. I highly recommend CPE at WRMC for any person who wants to make a difference for others, grow personally and open up new horizons in their life.
- Brian S.

I came to CPE from the field of education. I had a lot of experience caring for people’s minds, but not necessarily their spirits; I wanted to be able to show up for the whole person. In CPE I learned a set of skills to help people make meaning from their struggles and setbacks so they could reach their full potential, flourish and truly reflect the divine image in which we’re all created.
- Teresa Y.

I have been trained as a nurse to provide holistic patient care and I strongly believe that spiritual care plays a major part in the art of nursing. It has been a great blessing to see this lived out so many times over the last several months of the COVID pandemic and that is what helped inspire me to enroll in the CPE training and dig deeper into spiritual care. Through the CPE course, I have learned so much about the art of pastoral care in such a short time. This new focus of pastoral knowledge and skills enables me to better serve patients and their loved ones through the gift of being a non-anxious presence during some of their darker days. CPE has also deepened my faith and led to more effective communication with my own loved ones. CPE training is truly a “win-win situation” and I encourage you to give it a try!
- Sue W.