Welcome

Now 34-years-old, CPSP is unique in the world of pastoral care. We are the first chapter-based covenant community of clinically trained professionals in the field and the only fully integrated pastoral care organization that includes members at all levels of professional development, from trainees to diplomate supervisors in chaplaincy and psychotherapy. Our membership is international and we are the most wide-reaching professional pastoral care organization world-wide.

Nautilus Pacific (NP), based in California, was the first CPSP chapter established on the West Coast but our members, all diplomates certified at the highest level, today include members from coast-to-coast and in Europe. We continue to provide leadership locally and throughout the worldwide CPSP and wider clinical pastoral/spiritual care communities. 

The Covenant of The College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy

We, the CPSP members, see ourselves as spiritual pilgrims seeking a truly collegial professional community. Our calling and commitments are, therefore, first and last theological. We covenant to address one another and to be addressed by one another in a profound theological sense. We commit to being mutually responsible to one another for our professional work and direction.

Matters that are typically dealt with in other certifying bodies by centralized governance will be dealt with primarily in chapters. Thus, we organize ourselves in such a way that we each participate in a relatively small group called a chapter consisting of approximately a dozen colleagues. Teaching or counseling programs directed by CPSP Diplomates are the primary responsibility of the chapter.

We commit ourselves to a galaxy of shared values that are as deeply held as they are difficult to communicate. “Recovery of soul” is a metaphor that points toward these values. We place a premium on the significance of the relationships among ourselves. We value personal authority and creativity. We believe we should make a space for one another and stand ready to midwife one another in our respective spiritual journeys. Because we believe that life is best lived by grace, we believe it essential to guard against becoming invasive, aggressive, or predatory toward each other. We believe that persons are always more important than institutions, and even the institution of CPSP itself must be carefully monitored lest it take on an idolatrous character.

We intend to travel light, to own no property, to accumulate no wealth, and to create no bureaucracy. We, as a community, are invested in offering a living experience that reflects human life and faith within a milieu of supportive and challenging fellow pilgrims.