It is with much excitement that CPSP would like to announce a new partnership with one of our cognate groups, the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC). One of APC's affiliated entities is the Board of Certified Chaplains, Inc (BCCI).   The purpose of the BCCI is to board certify clinical chaplains, and to approve various clinical pastoral education/training providers.  Many healthcare organizations around the United States only recognized APC/BCCI's certification.

 For decades, the only clinical pastoral education or training that APC recognized was from ACPE. This created a competitive disadvantage for many of our accredited institutions which are recruiting CPE trainees. 

 But as the world of clinical chaplaincy continues to evolve, APC realized that other organizations (such as our own) are also providing high-quality clinical pastoral training.  They opened an application process to review whether other organizations’  CPE units are acceptable towards their board certification process. CPSP put together a team made up of David Plummer, Hillel Fox, Jacob George, and Craig Stevens to complete this application process with APC.

We are thrilled to share with you that APC has announced that they will now fully recognize all CPSP CPE/CPT units that are earned within a CPSP- accredited program under the supervision of a CPSP Diplomate Supervisor. This is retroactive to all units earned since January 2024. Any CPSP CPE units earned prior to that are recognized on a case-by-case basis under a streamlined equivalency process.

Although we, within our organization, are aware of the high level of training that takes place in our CPSP centers, this adds another layer of credibility to our organization within the Clinical Chaplaincy and Clinical Pastoral Education and Training world.

Why does this matter to you, the CPSP member? 

  • Our CPE trainees are more marketable in the world of healthcare since, as stated above, many healthcare facilities only recognize APC certification. 

  • This also increases our training centers' ability to recruit CPE trainees, as they now know that their units are fully recognized by APC.

  • The Veterans Health Administration (VA), the USA’s largest healthcare system, recognizes BCCI’s certifications when it comes to hiring chaplains and CPE Supervisors.  CPSP chaplains and Supervisors may now apply for positions.

 It is important to note that completion of CPE units does not guarantee that a trainee will gain APC/BCCI board certification. As with our own clinical credentialing, CPE is just one step in the Board Certification Process.

This announcement in no way changes the importance of gaining certification as a clinical chaplain within CPSP.   APC's announcement actually reinforces the value of our clinical certification. This just adds another option to those seeking certification, especially if you are in a healthcare system that requires APC Chaplain Board Certification.

 Nor does anything change about the way we do CPE. All of our answers to APC/BCCI's application questions were drawn directly from one of five sources:

  • CPSP Accreditation Manual

  • CPSP Certification Manual

  • CPSP Standards Manual

  • CPSP Code of Ethics

  • CPSP Covenant

This recognition applies only to CPSP Diplomates and CPE accredited centers that are in good standing with the organization. That includes adherence to CPSP’s ethical standards, current credentialing, and compliance with our bylaws and governance structures. Units offered by individuals or centers not in good standing will not be eligible under this approval.