Questions asked along the way

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is theological education practiced in the lived encounter — at a bedside, in a ward, in the room where someone is hurting. You offer spiritual care, then bring those encounters back to a peer group and a certified supervisor who help you notice what you missed. The Celtic tradition calls such a person an anam cara — a soul friend. CPE forms that kind of companion into practice.

Those with a high school diploma or equivalent, ready for reflection and peer learning. You may be ordained or lay, certain of your call or still questioning it. No specific faith affiliation is required.

Deadlines vary by cohort. See Program Options for current dates and the next available term.

Tuition is $1,375 per 12-week intensive unit and covers 400 total hours: 300 clinical hours and 100 educational hours of supervision, group sessions, and didactics. Textbooks and technology ($25–$75 per unit) can be purchased separately. Alternatively, students can purchase SCC Premium during their application process for highly discounted rates on materials, free courses, and other training resources. Anam Cara does not offer payment plans or financial assistance; students may use PayPal Credit to apply for 0% financing for 6 months.

After you submit your application, a supervisor reads it and reaches out within about five days to schedule a conversational interview, virtual or in person. Decisions are typically returned within one week of the interview.

Yes. The Spiritual Care Collaborative hosts a free Skool community — an intentional learning community of seekers, students, chaplains, and educators — open to all.

Anyone drawn to spiritual care — students, professionals, volunteers, supporters.

No. The SCC Skool community is independent of CPE and SCC Premium. Admission to Anam Cara is separate from participation in the community.

No. SCC Premium is optional and never a condition of CPE admission. It is an upgrade to the free SCC Skool community, priced at $199 annually. Students in an SCC program — Anam Cara, CISF, or Sacred Life — can join for $125 as a first-year student discount during their application process.

Asynchronous affinity-based courses (hospice, corrections, military) are included in your premium membership, along with discounts on books and other resources, and lifetime access to our Board Certified Chaplain Writing Preparation Course ($1,300 value). One payment covers all materials needed across the four units required for board certification.

Yes — it's always available for $199. Applicants in an SCC program (Anam Cara, CISF, or Sacred Life) can join for $125, but only during the application process.

Premium is an annual membership ($199). The $125 first-year student discount is available during the application process for students in an SCC program; renewal is at the standard $199 rate.

Tuition is $1,375 per unit. Textbooks and technology run $25–$75 per unit. Alternatively, students can purchase SCC Premium during their application process for highly discounted rates on materials, free courses, and other training resources. SCC Premium is $199 annually — $125 for students in an SCC program during the application process. See the Tuition page for the full breakdown.

No — textbooks and technology ($25–$75 per unit) are separate from tuition. You can purchase them per unit. Alternatively, students can purchase SCC Premium during their application process for highly discounted rates on materials, free courses, and other training resources — one payment covers all four units required for board certification.

Anam Cara does not offer payment plans or financial assistance. Students may use PayPal Credit to apply for 0% financing for 6 months.