Who We Are
Hebrew SeniorLife’s Clinical Pastoral Education programs in Roslindale and Dedham, Massachusetts, provide geriatric-focused spiritual care education through a Jewish lens. We are proud to offer the country’s only Jewish geriatric programs accredited by ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education. We offer levels IA, IB, IIA, and IIB CPE in each unit, and are accredited to offer supervisory CPE. Only one application is required for both programs.
Learn More about our faculty.
What You Will Learn
Our CPE programs promote the integration of students’ personal history, spiritual orienting systems and traditions, ethics, and the behavioral sciences in the practice of spiritual care. Special attention is given to cultural and demographic diversity impacting the spiritual issues of older adults. Our curriculum addresses spiritual care as it relates to:
- Aging and the illnesses of aging
- Working with dementia
- Family caregiving
- Bioethical decision-making
- Grief, dying, and bereavement
- Trauma-informed care and recognizing resilience
- LGBTQ aging and concerns
- Spiritual care of the “not religious”
HSL/HRC CPE programs are proud to be the country’s only Jewish geriatric programs accredited by ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education, and offer levels IA, IB, IIA, and IIB CPE in each CPE unit.
What You Will Do
CPE in a geriatric setting serves as important preparation for the congregational rabbinate/cantorate/ministry, as well as for university and health care chaplaincy positions. CPE students learn to develop their personal gifts for spiritual care through a disciplined program of learning, self-reflection, supervision, and clinical application.
In collaboration with the Spiritual Care Department, chaplain interns support the spiritual and emotional lives of patients in ways that enhance their overall health and wellbeing. In addition, chaplains help the care-giving staff manage the ongoing emotional demands of their work, which include the presence of death and loss on a regular basis, and understand the spiritual aspects of their patients’ needs.
In the spirit of tikkun olam, the programs are committed to teaching their students to provide high-quality spiritual care to the older adults in our care, drawing on respect for others’ beliefs and practices, based on cultural humility, and informed by best practices as shown by research.
Who Are Our Students?
Hebrew SeniorLife CPE programs welcome committed learners and practitioners from a variety of spiritual and religious traditions: rabbinical and cantorial students, seminarians of all traditions, aspiring chaplains, clergy seeking to deepen their spiritual caregiving, laypersons, and health care professionals. Our program attracts students from across North America and as far away as Israel.
What Makes This CPE Program Jewish?
Hebrew SeniorLife’s CPE programs approach spiritual care through a Jewish lens. Learning is informed by the integrated study of relevant Jewish texts, ongoing reflection on the role of Jewish cultural and religious influences on the spiritual care relationship, and clinical experience gained with a majority Jewish population. Our setting requires that chaplains be attuned to Jewish religious/cultural approaches patients have while facing the challenges of aging, loss, end-of-life decision making, dementia, and seeking spiritual fulfillment in their later years, as well as being aware of and sensitive to special needs and concerns of the Jewish community.
Application Process
Please fill out the standard ACPE application and email to cpe@hsl.harvard.edu. (If you are printing it out to fill in, please scan and email back). We do not accept applications by snail mail.
Interviews for candidates are scheduled once the full application is reviewed and your application fee is received. Should you be invited to interview, the interview will be with members of the CPE faculty.
We will send our own reference form by email to the references you provide. Please let your references know that there is no need to send anything ahead of time. We move forward with admissions decisions only after at least two of your three references have been received. You will be informed of the decision within one month of the interview. The decision is at the sole discretion of Hebrew SeniorLife.
Please also note our Attendance Policy, Annual Notice, Admissions Policy, Financial Policy, and Use of Clinical Materials Consent Form.
Upcoming CPE Units
Upcoming CPE Units
Summer 2025 Roslindale: 5/28/25 - 8/14/25 (FULL)
2025-2026 Two/Three unit sequential program (Rolling admissions, preference for students who apply by April 21)
Click here to see info sheet with dates and more information.
Cost
$36 application fee. Tuition is $1,200. A $600 non-refundable deposit upon accepting a position in the program is credited toward the total tuition payment. In the rare case where a student completes some of their clinical hours in their place of employment, tuition is $1,500. Note: This option is not offered on a regular basis and is not guaranteed.
