Welcome to Anam Cara CPE
A community of learning and spiritual companionship
In early Celtic spirituality, the anam cara served an ancient role as spiritual companions who prioritized equality, deep listening, and a safe, sacred space for individuals to reveal their truest selves.
At Anam Cara, we prepare chaplains and caregivers through Clinical Pastoral Education. We bring our encounters with others into a community where we can examine our care, learn from one another, and practice being more fully present.
The person you bring into the room matters.
Your formation matters.
Our mission is to form spiritual caregivers who can accompany others through suffering, meaning-making, and transformation. We do this through accredited CPE, supervised reflection, and a community that practices what it teaches.
Practice being present
Learn to notice what is happening within you and between people, so your response grows from attention to the person before you.
Develop clinical skill
Learn to assess needs, offer appropriate care, and evaluate whether it helped. Put your learning into practice through supervised clinical work.
Learn through community
Work with peers and educators who help you recognize what you miss on your own. Practice giving and receiving honest feedback.
Care for your whole self
Explore the experiences and convictions that shape your care. Develop boundaries that allow you to serve without losing yourself.
Leadership & Faculty
Meet Our Team
Our staff bring diverse clinical experience in spiritual care, education, healthcare, military, and correctional chaplaincy.
Training Supervisor-Educators
Rick Capezza, ThD, DWS, DMin, MDiv, MA, STM, BCC
Director, Anam Cara CPE & Training Supervisor-Educator
Senior organizational leader in clinical spiritual care with over 25 years of experience in hospice chaplaincy, graduate theological education, and program leadership. Directs Anam Cara CPE and the Center for Integral Spiritual Formation.
William Bevins, BCC
Training Supervisor-Educator
Ordained minister (ELCA), Chaplain and CPE Training Supervisor-Educator (CPEI) in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and Board Certified Chaplain (NAVAC) with a background in modern history and divinity.
Michael A. Rivera, Jr., BCC
Training Supervisor-Educator
Seasoned military chaplain, faith leader, and community builder with 28 years of combined military service across USMC and National Guard. Holds an MDiv from Luther Seminary and PhD candidate in Chaplaincy.
Susann Estle, BCC
Training Supervisor-Educator
Board Certified Chaplain with 15 years in Indiana Dept of Corrections, 5 years in hospital chaplaincy, and 2 in hospice. Specializes in supervising military-oriented CPE cohorts and Quaker ministry.
Supervisor-Educators
Justin Lansdowne, BCC
Supervisor-Educator
Board certified chaplain and U.S. Army Chaplain doctoral candidate shaped by story, presence, and relational spiritual formation across healthcare and military settings.
Aaron Christensen, BCC
Supervisor-Educator
Spiritual Care Manager and hospital chaplain in Minnesota, Army National Guard chaplain (former infantry/medic), committed to forming chaplains rooted in self-care and authentic presence.
Supervisory Education Candidates
Ian Hunter, BCC
Supervisory Education Candidate
Healthcare chaplain and Washington Army National Guard chaplain pursuing a DMin at Wesley Theological Seminary. Rogerian and person-centered in supervisory style.
Joshua Goulet, MDiv, MA, BCC
Supervisory Education Candidate
Senior chaplain at a New Hampshire community hospital and spiritual director, integrating Relational Cultural Theory into pastoral supervision.
Barnabas Johnson, BCC
Supervisory Education Candidate
National Guard chaplain, author, and organizational leader with extensive experience in pastoral care, resilience, and DMin candidate at Wesley Seminary.
Jennifer Capezza, BCC
Supervisory Education Candidate
Board Certified Chaplain serving regional medical center and Air Force Reserve Chaplain Corps, specializing in trauma-informed interfaith spiritual care.
Garold Anderson, PhD, DMin, MDiv, MA
Supervisory Education Candidate
Active duty Army chaplain and organizational leadership scholar in military healthcare, integrating systems theory, moral injury work, and pastoral care.
Dr. Abraham G. Ndungu, Ph.D., D.Min.
Supervisory Education Candidate
Chaplain, educator, and community leader with interdisciplinary training in practical theology, urban planning, sociology, and economics.
Dirk Wooten
Supervisory Education Candidate
Ordained United Methodist Elder with naval service and hospital/hospice background, trained in Bowen Family Systems Theory.
Our Journey
From Chaplain Support to National Formation Leadership
The story of Anam Cara CPE begins with our parent organization, Concordia Clinical, founded in 2016 to support chaplains serving in high-pressure, underserved environments in isolation.
The Birth of a Mission
Concordia Clinical launched as a mentoring and support initiative offering reflective supervision and pastoral care for chaplains in military, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors: "Support the chaplain. Wherever they serve. However they believe."
Concordia Clinical Institute (ICPT)
Launched its first Clinical Pastoral Education program through the Institute for Clinical Pastoral Training (ICPT). It quickly grew into one of the largest CPE programs in the nation serving healthcare and congregational providers.
The School of Military Spiritual Formation (CPEI)
Created an intensive online formation track through Clinical Pastoral Education International (CPEI), serving hundreds of military chaplains across all service branches.
Anam Cara CPE (CPEI) & Center for Integral Spiritual Formation (ACPE)
SMSF and Concordia CPE programs were absorbed under Anam Cara CPE ("soul friend") to serve chaplains across healthcare, military, corrections, corporate, and congregational settings. Concurrently, the Center for Integral Spiritual Formation (CISF) was established to offer ACPE Clinical Pastoral Education in an extended format.
One Mission. Many Paths. One Commitment.
We do not push one accrediting body over another. Our loyalty is not to a system—it is to the chaplain. Wherever you serve, however you are called, we are here to walk with you.
Accreditation
Anam Cara CPE is an affiliate of CPE International. CPEI is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Our Formation-Based Ecosystem
Proud Member of the Spiritual Care Collaborative
Anam Cara CPE is part of a small ecosystem of aligned organizations committed to inclusive, trauma-informed, formation-based ministry in religiously diverse contexts. Together, we support the whole arc of a caregiver's formation — education, clinical training, and spiritual community.
Sacred Life Seminary
Spiritual Formation & Education
Academic and spiritual formation for those called to presence, care, and human flourishing.
Center for Integral Spiritual Formation (CISF)
ACPE Clinical Pastoral Education
ACPE Clinical Pastoral Education uniting clinical rigor with deep personal formation.
Fellowship of Integral Spirituality (FOIS)
Contemplative Community & Endorsement
A contemplative fellowship welcoming wisdom from the world's sacred paths and human experience.
Spiritual Care Fund
Caregiver Support & Respite
A nonprofit sustaining the inner life of caregivers through scholarships, respite, and burnout prevention.
School of Military Spiritual Formation
Military & Veteran Spiritual Care
Equipping military chaplains and religious support teams to navigate complexity with ethical clarity.
The Spiritual Care Collaborative
Continuing Education & Community
A community focused on low-cost continuing education and consulting for spiritual entrepreneurs, providing resources and connection.
Together: One Integrated Path
Graduate Theological Education through Sacred Life Seminary and its ATS-accredited partners. Clinical formation through CISF or Anam Cara. Ecclesiastical Endorsement through FOIS. Community and continuing education through the Spiritual Care Collaborative. Multiple streams, one integrated path — so you can be formed as a whole person for the whole work.