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March 18, 2019
From the Executive Director's Desk
What makes for an expert? I have wondered about this several times as I have observed our members develop the new certification process. What does it mean to obtain mastery in a discipline, and how do we assess when a person has reached the "good enough" place, knowing we all continue to grow in our abilities?

These questions surfaced again when I came across a 2012 study by Ericsson and Moxley in the Handbook of Organizational Creativity. ACPE seems to have been living many of the central arguments from this handbook for the last several years! 

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Introducing the ACPE Psychotherapy Commission 
stock nature photo
The interim ACPE Psychotherapy Commission held its first meeting March 8, 2019. The commission reviewed its charge and initial priorities. The commission will continue meeting bi-weekly by video-conference until their first face-to-face meeting during the Annual Conference, May 8-10, 2019, in Scottsdale, AZ.

The commission will also identify key strategic questions that the elected version of this body will continue addressing in January 2020. The interim commission is collaborating with the Leadership Development Committee to establish commissioner terms and job responsibilities for the annual fall elections. A call for nominations will be sent to the membership this summer.

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ACPE Invites Former AAPC Members to Join by March 25, 2019
Amy Greene
Amy Greene,
Board Chair
ACPE members recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of our consolidation. Now we enthusiastically invite you, as a former member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), to apply for ACPE membership. With our shared history and joint commitment to the wholeness and well-being of the communities served by our members, there is much work for us to do together. We hope you will consider joining us in this exciting new chapter of spiritual care, education, and counseling.

We are excited to welcome Dr. Miguel de la Torre, Professor of Latinx Studies and Social Ethics at the Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO, as our Certification Commencement speaker on Wednesday, May 8. On Thursday, May 9, poet David Whyte will serve as our morning keynote. David is the author of nine collections of poetry, three prose books, and one collection of essays. Lastly, our Friday morning keynote session will be led by four Transforming Chaplaincy Fellows, each one giving a Ted-like talk about their research work and experience as a part of the larger Transforming Chaplaincy project. We are delighted to welcome these Fellows, especially as the project looks to complete this phase of its work at the end of June 2019.

Register Today! 
What does it mean to be and become a person in a virtual, technological world? And how do we understand the ethical, relational, spiritual, theological, and psychological implications of humanity's fascination and reliance on technology? Drawing on empirical research, neuroscience, object relations theory, anthropology, and theology, this workshop will offer counselors and caregivers an ethical, "best practices" framework that encourages authentic relationships within and beyond the confines of the therapeutic/care giving space. This workshop will also help participants to identify the necessary dynamics for humans to holistically flourish in an increasingly virtual world. 

Learn More & Register
Who? What? When? Images from ACPE's Past
Do you recognize these folks or the event in the photo above? Send us a note at  [email protected]

Thank you for your responses to last week's photo. Your answers helped us identify ACPE Certified Educator Martha Rutland (far left) and ACPE Certified Educator Ted Hodge (far right) on at a Boisen Fun Run. Date unknown.

Have any photos from your personal ACPE archive that you would like to share? Send them to [email protected] to be featured in an upcoming newsletter. 
In Case You Missed It
ACPE Launches New SharePoint Member Site
SharePoint
ACPE is excited to announce the launch of Microsoft 365/SharePoint, one of the top business collaboration resources today, to create and maintain educator and center portfolios and to share on message boards, files, instant messaging, and video conferencing!

For your convenience, members only have one username and password to access the ACPE website and its Microsoft 365/SharePoint site. Links to the Microsoft 365/SharePoint site are located on ACPE's website on the homepage and under "My ACPE" menu option.

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Do You Want to Become a Member of the National Faculty?
We are pleased to share that the Certification Manual section on Becoming a Member of the National Faculty has been updated. The page includes an overview of how to become National Faculty and what must be done to maintain this status.  Additionally, the page has links to documents that provide the National Faculty Competencies as well as a National Faculty Competencies Assessment Form.
Certification Updates: CEC Evaluations and Pre-Admission Participation in Peer Groups
Cecelia Walker, Certification Chair
I hope everyone is doing well, staying warm, and enjoying winter! Your Certification Commission has been hard at work since we began our terms in January. In our most recent conversation, we focused on two main topics: CEC Evaluations and pre-admission participation in peer groups.

CEC Evaluations
This past January, we implemented a significant change in our certification process that eliminated structured units of Certified Educator CPE. 

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Weekly Highlights
This Week's Reflection
It seems like only a few months ago that the "Arab Spring" was sweeping across the Middle East. Today, the American media has turned its attention to other issues, and yet the struggles continue. I recently read The Return by Hisham Matar, about his family's incredibly painful experience within and beyond Libya. It led me to seek out authors and poets from Libya, which led me to this poem by Khaled Mattawa. He is a former chair of the American Academy of Poets and currently teaches at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). His words speak powerfully to the experiences of the issues and tensions of our day:
"Lyric" by Khaled Mattawa


Will answers be found
like seeds
planted among rows of song?

Will mouths recognize
the hunger
in their voices, all mouths in unison,

the ah in harmony, the way words
of hope are more
than truth when whispered?

Will we turn to each other and ask,
how long
has it been...how long since?

A world now, a world then
and each
is seeking a foothold, trying

to remember when we looked
at one another
and found-A world again-Surely

what we long for is at the wheel
contending.

Surely, we'll soon hear
its unearthly groan.
extra
"0-100" - This series is so wonderful. In this episode, people offer a word that best represents her/his age. So what word would you use to describe your age? 

This Week from the Members
Leona Stucky,
Member
Leona Stucky is the author of The Fog of Faith: Surviving My Impotent God. She's been a psychotherapist for more than 35 years, a Diplomate in AAPC, and a UU community minister. She can be contacted at LeonaStucky.com .


Pounding the Streets and Hiding in Terror: What We Can Do 

Swarming with young people, the streets took on colors of anger and despair, with sounds and signs clamoring for an end to the Vietnam war, and an end to the draft. Young men and women demanded a change to the law that armed young men and trapped them into terror that would haunt many of them for the rest of their lives.

As a baby boomer, these scenes added meaning to my college days. Non-violence was one of my ideals. Appalled that our country would trap young men into violent and terrorizing adventures, I pounded the streets with my activist friends, never once wondering why no one was pounding the streets for me.

Wednesday, March 20 spring equinox
* Eve of Purim - Judaism
A celebration of the Jews' rescue from an evil plot to destroy them while they were living in Persia, the events of which are recorded in the Hebrew biblical book of Esther. The holiday includes reading the Megillah (the scroll of Esther), exchanging gifts, and special pastries called hamantashen.

* Spring Ohigon - Buddhism
For Buddhists who practice in the Jodo Shinshu [Japanese Pure Land] tradition, this is a special time to listen to the teaching of the Buddha and meditate on the perfection of enlightenment as lived in the Six Perfections or Paramitas (generosity, morality, wisdom, honesty, endeavor, and patience).

* Shunki-sorei-sai - Shintō
The time of the spring memorial service, when ancestors' spirits are revered at home altars and gravesites are cleaned and purified.

* Ostara - Wicca
A time to mark the divine goddess's blanketing of the Earth with fertility as the god stretches and grows to maturity, manifested in the reawakening of seeds within the Earth as they are touched by divine love.

* Spring Feast - Native American spirituality
A day to mark the coming and going of seasons and to honor planting through songs, stories, and prayer.

Thursday, March 21
* Magha Puja Day [Dharma Day] - Buddhism
In the Theravada Buddhist tradition, this full moon day of the third lunar month marks the historical Buddha's sermon at Veruvana Monastery in the city of Rajagaha, where he spoke to 1250 en-lightened monks who were ordained by him.

* Holi - Hinduism
This festival is one of Hinduism's most popular celebrations. People throw colored powder or spray colored water to celebrate episodes in the life of the god Krishna, and to symbolize unity and common humanity (since everyone looks the same when coated in colors).

* Naw Rúz - Bahá'í
Marking the beginning of the year 176 of the Bahá'í era, and the beginning of the first month of the year, known as Bahá or "splendor."

* Navruz [Now Ruz or Norooz] - Zoroastrianism
The beginning of the Zoroastrian new year, 1389 AY or 3757 AZ in the Fasli seasonal calendar, which also celebrates the renewal of the world and the creation of fire (which symbolizes righteousness). Zarathustra, the founder of Zoroastrianism, received his revelation on this day.

Friday, March 22
* Hola Mohallah - Sikhism
A three-day festival instituted by the tenth Sikh guru, Gobind Singh, as a time for military pre-paredness exercises, Hola Mohallah now is celebrated with mock battles, music competitions, and festivities.
Visit the ACPE website for more information. 
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Visit the ACPE Memorials and Milestones page for more details. Please email [email protected] to add someone to our thoughts.
This Week's Career Opportunities & Residency/CEC Openings
  • Career Opportunities 
  • CPE Educator, Agnesian Healthcare, A member of SSM Health, Fond du Lac, WI
  • CPE Educator, North Memorial Health, Robbinsdale, MN
  • Chaplain, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA
  • Chaplain, Bayhealth, Dover/Milford, DE
  • Director of CPE Residency Program, Memorial Hermann Health System, Houston, TX
Visit the ACPE website for a complete list of Career Opportunities and Residency/CEC Openings.

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Other Happenings This Week
ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education
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ACPE is the premier, DOE-recognized organization that provides the highest quality CPE programs for spiritual care professionals of any faith and in any setting. We do this through a rigorous accreditation and certification process for centers and educators that provide CPE. The depth of our training enables students to realize their full potential to strengthen the spiritual health of people in their care as well as themselves. 
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