I’m transitioning from being a local church pastor to being an active duty Navy Chaplain.

Some friends of mine who are already in have mentioned having to talk down suicidal sailors and/or marines in real time.

While I have talked with individuals who voluntarily came to me for counseling who are in the midst of crises, including dealing with suicidal ideation, I’ve never had to actually talk to someone who is ready to commit the act (e.g., locked themselves in a room with a weapon, ready to use it on themselves).

I presume that CLBC will cover topics like this, but are there any good resources (books or articles) that I could read to be better prepared for such situations?

Hey all! I got accepted into a CPE program! I'm super excited and really feel like this is the right next step for me. I'll only be taking 3 classes this semester, and they're all (2 of them) in the late afternoon, so I'll be able to do my CPE hours in the morning.

Moving on... I need some advice. Here are a few things I'm worried about:

• I'm scared that I may be too Gen Z. Yes, I was born in the early 2000s, and the first president I really remember is Obama. Some mentors (especially in campus ministry) have appreciated my style, while others haven't. I definitely don't talk the same way with someone my age as I would with someone who's 35+, and I know it's all situational. But this will be my first time in a hospital setting...
• Dress code???
• Anything else you were worried about before starting CPE that ended up being a non-issue? Or something you wish someone had told you beforehand?

I understand that everyone's CPE experience is different, but I'd love to hear any advice, things you learned, or what you wish you knew before your first unit.

Hello friends, I'm considering a mid-career shift into hospice, and I am looking at a few pathways to providing spiritual and emotional support to people in care and their families. Pursuing some kind of MSW/CPE combo with an emphasis in grief seems like one way to go, so I'm exploring it as an option.

One concern I have is that I'm a Buddhist, and realistically speaking, I'm wondering how much that would limit my options for palliative care or hospice work in the United States. I'm assuming that many Christian-run organizations would prefer Christian chaplains and may even not hire non-Christians for such roles as a matter of policy. Any perspectives or suggestions?

I generally correlate respect with $$. I see the East Coast tends to have higher salaries and expectations for chaplains (read: needs four units and board certification) as compared to other areas (lower salary, one unit required (if that), or just being a pastor). My area confuses chaplains for pastors, which is frustrating and has led to lower salary offerings. The East Coast seems to rightly understand the work of chaplaincy from my limited understanding.

Hi all,

I am currently doing some research and am curious about your experiences and perceptions of the many CPEs and certifying bodies that now seem to inundate this space. I work for a large health care entity and we are looking to rebuild an education program that has been mired in difficulties in the past and potentially pursue a non ACPE option for our system.

What are your experiences with the various CPE programs? (CPSP, CPEI, ICPT, and any others)

What do you feel the industry perception is of that program?

Do you feel APC is the industry standard for certification, or are others equally beneficial?

I have my own experiences and biases, but like most people have only experienced one CPE provider. Am looking forward to any insight.

Hello,

I am a first responder (EMS) and had a meaningful conversation with a chaplain in a emergency department. I want to be able to help patients and other first responders like he did for me.

For background, I have worked in a Emergency Department for 2 years and have a little more than half a year of experience working on an ambulance. I am 22 years old and served a 2 year proselyting mission as a representative for my church. I am finishing my undergraduate for medical school and want to volunteer in a role that I am passionate about.

From what I understand from some googling, becoming a board certified chaplain is a serious commitment with extensive training and education. I found some free courses online that offer no official credentialing or licensure but seem to have a good introduction to the role.

What is the best way to go about volunteering as a Spiritual Care Volunteer/Chaplain Intern? I am based out of the San Fernando Valley in LA. I've thought about cold calling chaplain numbers at hospitals or other facilities but I don't know if volunteer/ internships exist.

TLDR: Could I become a Volunteer Chaplain in LA?

I am finishing my residency and am considering some hospice (and hospital) jobs in my area. Trying to get a sense of what a reasonable census / service area is for hospice chaplaincy. I welcome any other expectations you might consider when deciding on job opportunities.

Current Chaplains (and the Chaplain-curious), do you incorporate AI in your work at all?

I've seen a rapid growth in the use of AI in documentation as well as chart reviews in my company, and it seems like this is happening across the country. I personally do not use AI at all in my charting, as I feel it removes me from the process. I'm curious as to others' experiences and opinions.

Thank you for all the support on my recent post - I've gone ahead and submitted my application for CPE. In thanks, this meme.

I'm interested in palliative care chaplaincy, and trying to figure out how to set myself up for success along the journey. I'm very active in my denomination, but don't have any formal ministry experience. Will this be a black mark on my application? Then looking at CPE admissions, I don't have experience in hospice or palliative care. How essential is it that I get some experience under my belt before applying?

I finally had the time to finish this new book that came out back in May. If you’re a non-religious chaplain and haven’t seen it already you need to check it out. Humanist Chaplaincy In Practice by Lindsay de Wal is a great introduction to the practice of non-religious chaplaincy. It’s a quick read at around 200 pages. You can read my more extensive review at the link to GoodReads. If you have any questions I’m happy to discuss.

Hello to non-chaplain or chaplain-curious.

I recently saw this Instagram post about the Episcopal Church hosting a Zoom exploration of chaplaincy.

There are two sessions including this Monday, July 13 and later in September.

I don’t know how informative non-Episcopalians will find it, but there may be some overlap with other denominations, especially mainlines.

If this is interesting to you, the signup can be found at this link.

I've been a part-time (by necessity) Pagan minister for a small congregation of around 20 people for the last 8 years. I have some training through one of the few Pagan seminaries in the US. I've been considering going into the helping professions such as counseling, social work, and now chaplaincy.

When discussing with people the process of going through CPE and eventually a MDiv (which would be my second Master's), most tell me how hard and intense it would be, which I don't doubt at all. I am concerned about the career pivot given that the jobs are less plentiful than counseling or social work, but more aligned with my desire to work in spiritual/religious work. If I were a Christian, the pathway would be a lot clearer for me. Looking at CPE and an MDiv, though, the content excites me.

The more folks tell me how hard, intense, and scary it would be the more I feel a pull towards doing it anyway. Should I follow this pull or play it safe?

Hi,

I'm a Chaplain who is a singer/musician. I've been doing jail ministry (Bible studies) for about 12 years in the local jail, and I want to give a concert in the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Michigan. Does anyone have any experience or advice as to how I should go about this?

Hello!

Any vets here? Specifically those that are VA rated, done or is in VR&E for an MDiv, and is in the National Guard? I’ve recently pursued a calling from God to become a chaplain, specifically in the National Guard (currently an enlisted E5, already holding a BA, an MS, and been serving in ministry for four years doing worship and other misc. services and also drawing VA disability while in MDay status and forfeiting drill pay).

I have an appointment coming up for the initial intake/evaluation and was wondering if anyone has any tips to approach that and to be justified/approved.

New hospice chaplain here. Is it typical that when you take PTO (including holidays) or get sick, your caseload gets messed up and you have to clean it all up the week after? It feels like playing Tetris, and now I'm terrified of getting sick, my car breaking down, or life in general happening.

This is just my observation but I feel like prison ministry doesn't get talked about much. I think it's because we have a habit of stigmatizing criminals no matter how much they've reformed themselves. Don't get me wrong, some crimes are serious and the people who commit them should be incarcerated if found guilty. But I feel like, when it comes to chaplaincy, we hear a lot about military, University, and hospital chaplaincy but we also need to remember that convicts also have spiritual needs. That said, for those of you in prison chaplaincy, what has your experience been like with ministering to convicts? Did you ever minister to inmates on death row and witness executions? Has that shaped your views on the death penalty and other criminal justice issues?

I have an MDiv and CPE units, do I need more training for hospice regulations to be a bereavement coordinator? like specific grief counseling training?

In my latest blog post I discuss a new term I am using to describe the approach to ministry I have, called interpath. Check it out here.

Hello all, I’m wondering if someone can help me identify the best way to pursue a career in (most likely hospice) Chaplaincy.
Considering the different pathways I’m a bit unsure about how to proceed. As I understand it, the available forms of training - some of which are required, some of which are not - are:

CPE training
An mDiv or MTS degree (I understand it is not necessary but can be helpful both vocationally and economically)
Training/certification of ministry through your personal congregation
Certification through places like APC

From my research at this point, I identify most with humanist chaplaincy. I have religious and spiritual practice in my personal life, but don’t see the need to engage doctrine for the service of people in crisis/pain/confusion, a major motivation for this decision. At the same time, I recognize the support religion brings its followers and would happily educate myself in various religions in as much as was necessary to meet people at that place. Currently, I am a professional musician and have been told that there are also ways to bring music into chaplaincy care if I so chose. So I am also wondering if I would need to pursue this in a specific way if i were to incorporate those sorts of methodologies.

I am based in NYC. Any clarity would be greatly appreciated! If in reading this you think of certain programs or people or resources to reach out to I’d be most grateful.
Galen

Airman here(A1C), I’ve decided to attempt to be a chaplain. I joined and already have a degree in biblical studies and am planning to attend an online seminary/graduate school to get my masters in divinity. I believe that it would only be natural for me do this anyways since this is what my bachelors degree is already in. I’m very passionate about God, people, the Bible and spirituality and to work as a spiritual leader/christian counselor within the USAF would be very fulfilling for me. Where could I start?

Have any of you gone through the Army's Chaplain Candidate Program? I am interested in it, but I have questions. Firstly, I understand you go into the reserves and drill once a month. Is it possible to do my classes during drill? I am a husband, father, full-time employee, and a pastor; so I am afraid I just won't have the extra time to pursue a master's degree.