Clinical Pastoral Education

Uniting CPE – The John Paver Centre is one of 9 Clinical Pastoral Education Centres in Victoria.  Established in 2010, the Centre is named in honour of Rev Prof John Paver, who was passionate about Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as a means of personal and professional formation for ministry.  He was Director of Ministry Studies at the Melbourne College of Divinity and, in 1993, was appointed Professor of Ministry with the Uniting Church Theological Hall.  The Centre is registered with the Association for Supervised and Clinical Pastoral Education in Victoria (ASACPEV Inc.) and its programs are run in conjunction with the equipping Leadership for Mission division of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.

CPE is a rigorous action-reflection process of education focused on enhancing pastoral identity, skills, responsiveness through experiential learning and reflective practice. Feedback and learning are gained from small-group peer interaction and individual supervision.

Semester 1 2026 CPE Program

During semester 1 2026 we are offering an online CPE program from 11 February – 29 July 2026 with the education day on Wednesdays.

A flyer is below, please see reverse side for program dates and times.  Applications close on 13 November 2025.  A copy of the application form is also available below.

Semester 2 2026 CPE Program

During semester 2 2026 we are offering an in-person CPE program from 24 July – 4 December 2026 with the education day on Fridays.  Applications close on 16 May 2026.

Placement

The pastoral/spiritual care placement for this CPE program could be in a community setting that the Centre initiates or one that is initiated by the participant.  Applicants already in a pastoral/spiritual care role may negotiate with the Centre Director and their employer for that setting to be the placement.  CPE participants are placed in diverse settings, such as prisons, forensic and community mental health, disability, schools, aged care, congregations and hospitals.  Participants are required to supply evidence of an agency or organisation’s support for the duration of a placement. By negotiation, an on-site Site Manager will also be appointed.

Applications

An application form is available below.

Questions?

For information about Uniting CPE program schedules and placements, or a conversation about CPE in general, please contact CPE Centre Director Lauren Mosso on 0400 569 330 or lauren.mosso@victas.uca.org.au

Applications are welcome from students pursuing academic studies with the University of Divinity.  For more information regarding UD/CPE accreditation and processes, contact Allison Whitby, Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program Director, School of Professional Practice, University of Divinity on +61 3 9853 3177 or awhitby@divinity.edu.au

Admission requirements

Admission requirements are listed in the application form included at the bottom of this page.  For further details about CPE programs in Victoria please see https://www.asacpev.org.au/  For information about CPE in  Tasmania please see https://www.taspe.com.au/

Accreditation

On successful completion of the program, a CPE graduate is accredited with one unit of CPE (either Level 1 or Level 2) by ASACPEV.  University of Divinity students gain credit according to undergraduate or post-graduate enrolment which must be arranged before the CPE unit begins.

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