Eastern Region, ACPE
General Information

July 1, 2004

Welcome to the Eastern ACPE Region portion of the www.eneacpe.org web page. We hope you find the information you need. If not, please contact me (see details below) and let’s pursue answers to your questions together.

Five states comprise the Eastern ACPE Region: Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. For a time we had a developing center in Puerto Rico, and we hope to offer programs there again. The ACPE Directory lists nine centers in Connecticut, one in Delaware, seven in New Jersey, eleven in New York, and nineteen in Pennsylvania. Eighteen seminaries in the Eastern ACPE Region are members of ACPE.

Diversity is a key to our identity as the Eastern ACPE Region. Each of the four streams flowing into the formation of the ACPE in 1967 were embodied in our early leadership through the persons of Edward F. Dobihal, Jr. (Council for Clinical Training), Richard J. Lehman (Institute of Pastoral Care), Henry Cassler (Lutheran Advisory Council), E. Dean Bergen (Association of Clinical Pastoral Educators), and their distinguished colleagues. In the early 80s women took positions of leadership, as exemplified in Joan E. Hemenway, Denise G. Haines, Emily Jean Gilbert and others. Hemenway was the first woman to be elected Regional Director among the nine ACPE regions. The first rabbi in the nation to be certified as an ACPE Supervisor, Jeffery M. Silberman, is an Eastern ACPE Region "product", as is the first Buddhist priest to be so certified, Trudi Jinpu Hirsch. George L. West, Robin Y. Franklin, and Carlos Alejandro have represented us in the Racial Ethnic Minority Network; James B. Jeffrey and Peter Poulos have served in the Gay/Lesbian Network; and David L. Stickley represents the interests of our 81dues-paying Clinical Members. Myron L. Ebersole has provided significant leadership to the peace movement within ACPE over the years. And Serge Castigliano and John deVelder have been long-standing leaders in the International Network. Jo Clare Wilson and Nancy McCormack were the first Co-Regional Directors in ACPE.

Diversity also describes the Eastern ACPE Region settings in which accredited programs occur. World-class teaching hospitals (including the first two hospitals in the U.S.), psychiatric units, community hospitals, geriatric centers, hospices, retirement communities, facilities for the developmentally disabled, and some parish placements are among the choices, as well as the possibility of tailoring a program to your own special needs and goals.

Diversity includes the reality that programs of clinical training not accredited by the ACPE exist among us. Since ACPE is the only U.S. Department of Education sanctioned option, be assured that your choice of center will have the quality controls and benefits that this status offers.

So, if you feel a little bit "diverse" yourself, surely Eastern is the ACPE Region for you!