Transforming Relationships
 through compassionate conversation

The mission of Pacific Institute for Essential Conversations is to encourage people to 
talk with one another about what matters most 
Who We Are -- What We Do

 CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION

On Becoming a Professional Spiritual Care Provider


PIEC is an accredited learning center providing CPE and Clinical Supervisory Education.  We offer multi-faith and inter-spiritual CPE learning programs which prepare individuals to offer informed, compassionate and client-centered  spiritual care in a wide diversity of settings.  Individuals who complete CPE programs with the Pacific Institute for Essential Conversations become seasoned professionals who foster deep and meaningful relationships with their clients.  Relationships which heal and transform lives because they grow out of the shared 'heart to heart' experience of being human.


PIEC offers CPE programs in institutional locations as well as community-based settings. Our programs are conducted by our team of Supervisory Education Fellows (SEFs) and supervised by PIEC Clinical Supervisors. 


Our Next Sessions of CPE:

September 2026 FULL (with wait list)

and

April 2027

 (submit application in Feb '27)

$1850/unit

Click Here to Meet our Faculty

Contact Us

What is Clinical Pastoral Education
(CPE)
CPE prepares individuals for certification as professional clinical chaplains. It is a rigorous crucible composed of clinical experience at the bedside or with clients, small group work on: case conferences, didactic sessions, theological/wisdom reflections, Interpersonal Relations Seminars and one to one supervision. The primary tool for CPE learning is the case conference where a learner provides a detailed verbatim and analysis of an encounter with a patient or client. The case is presented to the training group where the learner receives feedback, insight, critique and support for his or her work from peers and the supervisor. The goal for CPE training is for the Chaplain’s own Self to become the primary tool for engaging the patient. This concept of the ‘use of self’ is fundamental in the helping professions. Thus the training of chaplains is focused not on religion, theology and belief systems but rather upon the integration and self-awareness of one’s own life experience, spirituality, and knowledge of psychology, sociology, and thanatology. The fundamental skill in clinical chaplaincy is the agility and art of meeting and dwelling with each patient in our common humanity: sorrow, joy, loss, existential uncertainty, regret, despair and meaning. It is only by being a companion with a patient’s experience that the trust is established for the chaplain to be of genuine service.
FAQs About Our CPE Programs Apply for CPE
Pacific Institute for Essential Conversations
What We Do
Our lives and the lives of our families, friends and communities are transformed by the way we talk with each other. Pacific Institute for Essential Conversations (PIEC) is dedicated to the encouragement and cultivation of honest, heart to heart conversation about what matters most in our living and dying. We specialize in the art of skillful conversations that hold the power to change lives, heal spirit and restore soul.

Essential Conversations stand apart from daily chatter because they touch upon core aspects of our shared experience of being human.  Essential Conversations are those conversations in our  lives  that 'need to happen.' They are those discussions that are often avoided because they are difficult, frightening or we simply do not know how to have the conversation.  Though they are challenging, these conversations are essential to the well-being of ourselves, our relationships or those we love. 

The heart and soul of our work is to support the art of skillful conversations which transform our living and our dying. Whether you want to share your final wishes with your loved ones, or if you are an employer needing to have a difficult conversation with staff, or if you are a physician, therapist, pastor or chaplain faced with communicating difficult news, we can help you learn and practice the art of sacred essential conversation. 

Whether it be a chaplain or therapist sitting at the bedside of a patient, or a family gathered around the kitchen table,  Pacific Institute for Essential Conversations (PIEC) is dedicated to the cultivation, encouragement and art of skillful conversations that hold the power to change lives, heal spirit and restore soul.
  
We provide programs for those in professional settings as well as in personal relationships.

We educate and support professionals in the fields of social work,  medicine, spiritual direction and chaplaincy.