Education & Research
Education
Click here for the Application Form for Supervised Psychospiritual Education.
Clinical Psychospiritual Education
St. Joseph’s Health System is an accredited teaching facility with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care / Association Canadienne de soins spirituels (CASC/ACSS). All Supervisor-Educators are current members of CASC /ACSS and have SPE Program approval via the Accreditation Committee. All Supervisors are also Registered Psychotherapist (RP) and qualified to provide supervision to psychotherapists in training.
Clinical Psychospiritual Education (CPE) equips students for training toward specialist certification with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC). CPE may also be applied as clinical internship/ practicum and a training pathway for qualifying membership with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
We offer Clinical Psychospiritual Care education as:
Twelve Month Residency Program, September 8, 2025 – August 29, 2026
This is a 3-unit full time CPE residency program with residents required to be onsite Monday-Friday. In addition, residents will participate in the 24-hour on-call rotation.
Education will take place at the Hamilton Charlton Site and West 5th Site. Applications will be accepted until March 15, 2025, or until a maximum of four (4) residents have been accepted into the program.
Individual CPE units
In addition to the residency, we offer an opportunity to take individual CPE units. One or two CPE students will join our residents in each of these full-time intensive units. All CPE students will be expected to be on site M-F. Students also participate in the 24-hour on-call rotation. The CPE unit is structured to include education, supervision, and clinical work.
- Intensive CPE Unit, September 8, 2025-November 28, 2025
- Deadline to apply for the Fall Unit is April 25, 2025
- Intensive CPE Unit, January 5, 2026 – March 27, 2026
- Deadline to apply for the Winter Unit is September 19, 2025
- Intensive CPE Unit, May 4, 2026 - July 24, 2026
- Deadline to apply for the Summer Unit is January 16, 2026
CPE Program Overview
CPE Residency 2023-2026
E-Learning
We have a shared vision at St. Joseph's Healthcare; a vision continuing and building upon the vision and mission of the Sister's of St. Josephs' in Hamilton. That vision is to deliver an integrated, high quality care experience - care for the whole person: body, mind and spirit. Spiritual care is a vital part of our shared vision. Spiritual Care practitioners are a vital part of your team.
In these modules we will explore the questions:
- What is spiritual care?
- How does spiritual care help you in your work at St. Joe's?
- How does spiritual care help the patients we serve?
You will hear from a spiritual care practitioner about their experience of providing spiritual care. Medical and allied health practitioners will share their experience of working with spiritual care practitioners. Patients and families who have received spiritual care will speak about the difference spiritual care makes to them.
The modules will enhance your knowledge of spiritually integrated care and how Spiritual Care practitioners can work with you as part of an inter-disciplinary team to help meet the healthcare needs and goals of the patients and families.
To explore and participate in e-learning click here.
Research
The Spiritual Care Department at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton is committed to research in the areas of spirituality and spiritual care practice within the healthcare system. This research includes qualitative, quantitative and hermeneutical research methodologies, all of which enable the means to further understand and explore dimensions of the human spirit and the possibilities for spiritual care. It is through research that chaplains, as part of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team, sharpen and strengthen our practice and can more fully engage the other disciplines in care of the whole person. Members of the department are engaged in research around discourse analysis for the provision of spiritual care in the multi-disciplinary pluralistic healthcare setting. Staff and chaplaincy residents are involved in ongoing research projects that are presented at local and international conferences, such as the Society for Pastoral Counseling and Research.
Additional Resources
We encourage you to explore these links and useful spirituality resources:
Canadian Association for Spiritual Care
Bereaved Families of Ontario - Hamilton\Burlington
Bereaved Jewish Families of Ontario
Centering Corporation (Grief Resource Centre)
Hamilton Hospice Palliative Care Network
Ontario Funeral Service Association
Overnight Accommodations - Please click here for a list of suggested overnight accommodations within the Hamilton area. There are a number of hotels within the city that offer “Compassionate Rate” reduced nightly rates for family members and friends of patients at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Please contact us at 905-522-1155 ext. 33263 for a complete list of these hotels.