Journeying Alongside

It has been over a decade since I last posted on this corner of the internet. (I’m suprised I remembered any of my login info!) While I abandoned this blog to focus on finishing up the process to become a CPE Educator, I have now held that role for over 10 years. In a funny twist of fate, I currently serve as the Chair of the Certification Commission for ACPE, meaning, I have been elected to oversee the very process that I began trying to demystify all those years ago!

As I contemplate resurrecting this practice of sharing reflections on my vocation, I am toying with some new formats (my tech-savvy husband tells me blogs are passe!) If you’d like to sign up for my substack (emailed newsletter) please do so here – I make no promises about how frequently my emails will show up in your inbox, but they will absolutely be free! I’ll keep this blog up and running, as plenty of potential CPE students and others email me and tell me how helpful it has been to them. And who knows, maybe I’ll throw up another post or two for posterity’s sake!

For the past several months I have been reading, writing, editing and rewriting my Supervisory Theory Papers. I’d like to apologize to friends and family who I have been neglecting in order to get these done – with a special shout out to my husband, who has become an excellent cook (read: heater upper of frozen dinners & orderer from seamless.com) in the process.

So what are these papers that have been consuming my life as of late? It is a step in the supervisory education process. They are 3 separate papers on theology, education and personality. Each paper is 5 pages, single spaced – which seems easy at first, but answering all the questions in just a few pages has proved difficult. My supervisor and I made a game out of editing words and sentences down to save precious space.

My papers have been submitted and they will now be read by 3 different readers (CPE Supervisors from a different part of the country) who can choose to pass one, two or all three (let’s hope for the latter!) If/When the papers don’t pass, they will give me notes and I have the opportunity to rewrite and resubmit. It takes 45-60 days to hear back from the readers – which seems like an eternity at this point!

For those who are curious – here are the questions that serve as the basis for the papers.

Theology/Spiritual Perspective

How do you understand persons as creatures of God or how do you understand persons in relationship with ultimate reality as defined in your faith tradition? How does that understanding inform supervision?
How do you critically reflect upon your own religious/spiritual heritage and current beliefs/theological practice in relationship to ACPE’s culture and mission?
How do you think theoretically, based on your faith tradition, about interpersonal relationships, human suffering, and relationship with the transcendent or ultimate reality?
What theologians, teachers, and/or spiritual resources inform your theoretical stance?
How do you understand the interplay between your cultural context and theological/spiritual perspective formation or development, as it is understood in your faith tradition, and how spiritual care is offered in a multicultural, multifaith environment?

Personality Theory

Which primary theories/theorists inform your understanding of human personality and development (e.g. psychodynamic, narrative, cognitive behavioral, dialectical-behavioral, etc.)?
How do these theories inform your supervisory assessment, goals, strategies, and interventions?
How is one’s cultural identity development an integral part of understanding personality development, e.g., age, gender and sexual orientation?

Education Theory

What educational theory guides your goals and decision making in supervisory practice? How do people learn individually, dialogically and in groups?
What is the clinical method of learning, and how do people learn by it/why is it essential?
How does culture influence the educational process?
What theory of group dynamics informs your supervision/education? Why use a group model of education?
How and why does the supervisor evaluate students and their work? How does one’s theory inform writing evaluations.