Education

Educational Programs

Supervised Psychospiritual Education (SPE)

CASC/ACSS offers internships or placements, called Supervised Psychospiritual Education (SPE), within CASC/ACSS accredited teaching centres across Canada. SPE is education in which students develop the art and skills of spiritual care or psychospiritual therapy, work together with a small group of colleagues while being guided by a qualified Supervisor Educator. Supervised Psychospiritual Education is unique in that it supports and trains students to integrate their spirituality and theology with psychology and the social sciences. All courses are delivered in person, and students must be on site.

The program is open to theology students and those with equivalent training in their spiritual tradition, spiritual leaders and individuals with counselling or psychology backgrounds who are interested in pursuing a profession in spiritual care or psychospiritual therapy. Programs are offered at teaching centres throughout Canada, including general and psychiatric hospitals, correctional centres and a variety of other locations. Each centre is connected to a Canadian theological college or university. These interdisciplinary contexts maximize student learning by promoting creative dialogue with other professions and collaborations with other workers/agencies serving the community.

Learn more about SPE

SPE is undertaken in educational ‘units,’ the content and duration of which are determined by the educational stream and centre chosen. SPE may be taken in consecutive units, however, many students find it useful to take time between the units for the integration of learning and completion of other education. “Intensive units” (most often held during summer months) run eight hours a day, five days a week over 12 weeks. “Extended units” usually offered during fall and winter months run two full days per week. Courses are offered at Foundational (Basic), Integrative (1st Advanced) and Contextual (2nd Advanced) levels. Each learner level supports a student to build competence toward becoming Certified Spiritual Care Practitioners or Certified Psychospiritual Therapists.

Internships in Ontario are typically offered as courses within post graduate degree programs. In many cases, you must be enrolled in a graduate degree program within a University or theological college that is affiliated with CASC/ACSS to take part in an internship. There are however other teaching centres across Canada that offer internships without enrolment in a graduate degree program. For more information, please contact the teaching centre directly.

Two Streams

CASC/ACSS offers two streams of SPE depending on your interests and professional goals:

Clinical Psychospiritual Education (CPE) - leading to Certification as a Spiritual Care Practitioner
Psychospiritual Therapy Education (PTE) - leading to Certification as a Psychospiritual Therapist

Education Levels

In both the CPE and PTE streams, education is offered at the following levels:

Foundational (Basic)
Integrative and Contextual (Advanced)
Provisional Supervisor Educator

Internships

Clinical Psychospiritual Education (CPE)

CPE is a fully integrated practical and theoretical experience conducted in units, each totalling a minimum of 400 hours. 200 hours are spent in group settings and seminar instruction and 200 hours are completed in clinical areas. CPE provides training for spiritual care in such places as health institutions, parishes and correctional facilities. CPE units prepare individuals pursuing a profession in Spiritual Care.

Psychospiritual Therapy Education (PTE)

PTE prepares one for work in mental health agencies, religious settings or private practices. Involves a 400 hour internship offered part time over eight months in which students must complete a minimum of 125 – 150 direct client contact hours providing therapy to clients. Students engage in individual and group supervision and group instruction. PTE units prepare individuals pursuing a profession as Psychospiritual Therapists.

Program Essentials

Clinical Experience: Spiritual care or counselling with patients, clients or those who are facing a situation which challenges their mental, emotional or spiritual wellbeing. The frequency and intensity of encounters depends on factors unique to each situation.

Reflective process: Reflective consideration of encounters facilitated by reports (written or taped), role playing, seminars, and discussion with peers and a supervisor. This reflective process considers the dynamics of the care recipient as well as the care provider from theological/spiritual, psychological, and sociological perspectives.

Group Supervision: A group process in which SPE students and their supervisor educator share and learn together.

Individual Supervision for each student with their supervisor educator.

Seminar / Theory / Teaching / Didactic: An opportunity to acquire relevant theoretical information through an educational process including directed reading. Clinical seminars are integrated with the education.

Goals of Supervised psychospiritual education (spe)

1. To become aware, and demonstrate awareness, of one's personhood in the practice of Spiritual Care or Psychospiritual Therapy and of the ways one's practice affects other persons, including sensitivity to ecumenical, multi-faith and multicultural issues.
2. To become aware, and demonstrate awareness, of how one's attitudes, values and assumptions affect one's practice of spiritual care or psychospiritual therapy.
3. To become aware, and demonstrate awareness, of one's Spiritual Care or Psychospiritual Therapy presence in interdisciplinary relationships.
4. To develop the ability to utilize the experiential method of learning.
5. To develop the ability to utilize the peer group for support, dialogue and feedback in a way that integrates personal characteristics with professional functioning.
6. To use individual and group supervision for personal and professional growth and for developing the capacity to evaluate one's practice of Spiritual Care or Psychospiritual Therapy.
7. To integrate the learnings of theology and/or spiritual/religious theories and the social and human sciences in understanding the human experience.

Education Centres

Programs are offered at facilities throughout Canada, including general and psychiatric hospitals, counselling centres, correctional institutions and a variety of other locations. Each centre is connected to a theological institution. A list of education centres for a city, region, or province can be found by clicking here.

CASC/ACSS educational programs include clinical internships at 31 of the leading health authorities and organizations across Canada.

Academic Institutions

CASC/ACSS Education programs are given academic credit at over 20 nationally recognized academic institutions across Canada.

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