A 'unit' of CPE consists of 400 hours of supervised learning, frequently spread over ten-eleven forty-hour weeks. Typically each week consists of 20 hours practical working with people and 20 hours actual training. The 20 hours pastoral practice is in a setting of each participant's choice - usually in the kind of work they normally engage in - a hospital chaplain in a hospital, a priest in a parish, a prison counsellor in a prison, a volunteer in a community agency. The 20 hours training typically involve: 10 hours group work, 1 hour personal supervision and 9 hours personal writing and reflection.
  'Part-time' courses also consist of 400 hours, but are extended over a longer period of time to accommodate people who are unable to give full-time attention to their training.
  The life and development of each training group differs in response to its members. There is no fixed curriculum because the educational goals are decided by each participant for themselves and established with the supervisor and other group members at the start of the group's life. The general educational method consists of an action-reflection model within which people present themselves and their work to the group for critique and discussion, followed by opportunities to experiment and develop new and fuller ways of interacting more effectively with people.
  The standards of training are kept consistent with programmes overseas so that a person can continue on with further training overseas if they wish.
  CPE supervisors have been rigorously trained in the skills and art of supervision and been accredited according to international standards in a comprehensive and formal review process.

Who May Participate?

  The programme is an intense, emotionally demanding educational process. The emotional maturity and sensitivity of applicants are important considerations as to their acceptability for training.
  A screening interview is necessary before acceptance into a course.

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