Clinical Pastoral Education

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is an experiential learning program that teaches spiritual care. Working under the supervision of an ACPE Certified Educator, students engage in educational seminars and provide spiritual care to patients. Students explore their clinical work with their Certified Educator and training cohort to deepen their clinical skills and their reflective practice. Mount Sinai’s CPE program is accredited for Level 1, Level 2, and Certified Educator CPE by the ACPE: The Standard in Spiritual Care and Education. Our curriculum focuses on:

• Relational Flexibility
• Narrative Reflexivity
• Spiritual Assessment and Outcome-Oriented Chaplaincy
• Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppression, and Structurally-Effective Care
• Religious, Spiritual and Values-Based Competencies
• Ethical Practice
• Research Fundamentals
• Leadership, Team Work and Boundaries
• Reflective Practice and Self-Care

For more information about CPE, please visit the  ACPE’s FAQ page.

Each year, we run three CPE programs: a year-long residency, an 11-week summer program, and an extended unit that runs from the fall to the spring.

If you have questions or would like more information about any of our programs, please email CPEapplication@mountsinai.org.

CPE Residency

Mount Sinai offers a yearlong CPE residency. Applicants must have one prior unit of CPE.

The 2025-26 residency will begin on July 14, 2025 and end on July 10, 2026. We are currently accepting applications for the 2025-26 residency, with a priority deadline of December 13, 2024.

CPE residents serve at one of three Mount Sinai locations:

Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Morningside
Mount Sinai West

Summer CPE

Mount Sinai offers an eleven-week intensive summer program. The program requires a full-time commitment Monday through Friday. There are no overnight or weekend on-call responsibilities as part of the program.

In summer 2025, the program will begin on Tuesday, May 27 and conclude on Friday, August 8. We are currently accepting applications for the summer 2025 program.

Extended Unit

Mount Sinai offers a 25-week extended program that runs from October to March. The program requires five hours per week of class time and 15 hours per week of clinical time.

We will post the dates of our 2025-26 extended unit in January 2025 and begin accepting applications then.

How to Apply to Mount Sinai’s CPE Programs

1. Complete our online application form.
2. Ask three people to serve as references. Send these three people our online reference form and and ask them to complete it. When your references submit the form, it will come directly to us. You should identify one reference from each of the following three categories:
   • Academic or educational
   • Religious, spiritual, or values-based community
   • Personal

Tuition and Deposits

1. Upon acceptance, a non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot in the program.
2. Tuition is due at the beginning of the CPE program.

CPE Certified Educators

Rabbi Jo Hirschmann, BCC, ACPE, FACHE
ACPE Certified Educator
Senior Director of Education, Center for Spirituality and Health
Assistant Professor of Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine
Jo.Hirschmann@mountsinai.org

Jo Hirschmann is a board-certified chaplain, an ACPE Certified Educator, and a rabbi ordained by the Reform Movement. She serves as the Senior Director of Education for the Center for Spirituality and Health, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Jo has adapted CPE’s learning model for healthcare managers and directors and, in partnership with Mount Sinai’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion, co-created a series of training videos on best practices in the spiritual care of transgender patients. She is a co-author of Maps and Meaning: Levitical Models for Contemporary Care, and she teaches and writes about chaplaincy practice and spiritual care education.

Rabbi Rachel Van Thyn, BCC, ACPE
ACPE Certified Educator
Rachel.VanThyn@mountsinai.org

Rabbi Rachel Van Thyn is a board-certified chaplain and an ACPE Certified Educator.  After working in the Jewish community in social justice-oriented positions and in the Jewish camping world, she discerned a call to the rabbinate.  She was ordained through Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City and served as Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck on Long Island, NY before returning to chaplaincy. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Rachel facilitated CPE units online, where students learned to provide spiritual care in the midst of a global crisis. Rachel has worked as a chaplain in a variety of medical settings including cardiology, pre/post-operative areas, and palliative care. She currently serves on the ACPE Advocacy Committee, which engages with issues of justice within the fields of chaplaincy and education.

Accreditation

Mount Sinai’s CPE program is accredited for Level 1, Level 2 and Certified Educator CPE by The ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education.

1 Concourse Pkwy, Suite 800 Atlanta, GA 30328
www.acpe.edu
404-320-1472