Clinical Pastoral Education at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center


Welcome to PeaceHealth St. Joseph and our ACPE Certified Clinical Pastoral Education Program! 

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is an experiential theological education designed to increase self-awareness and develop and sharpen one’s ability to provide spiritual care for patients, families, as well as for the staff at PeaceHealth St. Joseph. The guiding principles and underlying assumptions include the following:

  • One’s own personhood is the most important tool one has for providing spiritual and pastoral care.
  • Ministry takes place in the context of relationship.
  • Significant awareness of one’s impact on the recipient of spiritual care as well as the recipient’s impact on the spiritual caregiver is critical.
  • One must have a basic understanding of one’s own spiritual/religious perspective and how to use it to connect with the spiritual/religious perspective of the recipient of one’s care.
  • The spiritual caregiver must have a basic awareness of how one’s personal history impacts one’s functioning as a chaplain.
  • One must be open to personal and professional growth.

Students who join us in the study and practice of Spiritual Care do so in an atmosphere that is supportive of their personal and professional growth. We value our students’ contributions to the spiritual care provided to patients, patients' loved ones and staff at PeaceHealth St. Joseph’s. Our aim is to make this experience equally valuable to our students.

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Washington, is nationally recognized for its dedication to both exceptional medicine and compassionate care. With 283 beds, we are the largest hospital between Vancouver, British Columbia and Everett, Washington. As the primary acute-care hospital serving this large segment of northwest Washington, PeaceHealth St. Joseph’s cares for a wide range of patients, from healthy, full-term newborns to critically ill neonates, from adults with straightforward knee replacements to complex heart cases, cancer, and behavioral health issues. We are committed to serving the needs of the community.

Guided by the values of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, our sponsoring order, we keep healing and compassionate care as the focus of all that we do.

PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center is an ACPE Accredited Center for Clinical Pastoral Education. 
We offer Level IA, IB, IIA, IIB units of CPE. 
ACPE, The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education 
1 Concourse Pkwy, Suite 800 
Atlanta, GA 30328 
Phone: 404-320-1472 
www.acpe.edu