David Epps of Sharpsburg recently completed the four unit Clinical Pastoral Education course offered through the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP). All four units were completed at the Spiritual Care Department of Piedmont Fayette Hospital in Fayetteville.
The entire course, which lasted two years, involved 400 hours of classroom activities and 1200 hours of clinical work on the floor of the hospital or at an approved facility.
Among the requirements were: to read and write reports on 16 textbooks, write and present 40 verbatims, read at least 80 outside professional articles, write 75-80 personal reflections, complete a number of projects, and, among other requirements, visit hundreds of patients in the hospital during the clinical hours.
Students responded to numerous emergency codes, comforted families whose loved ones had died or were dying, and attended other conferences and training sessions.
While C.P.E. students worked all over the hospital, Epps spent the majority of his clinical time in ICU and in the emergency department.
Epps is the founding rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Sharpsburg and is the bishop for the Diocese of the Mid-South (Georgia and Tennessee).
His certificate was presented by the Rev. Dr. James C. Taylor, supervisor of the C.P.E. classes that Epps attended and senior chaplain at Fayette Piedmont Hospital.
Epps remarked, “It was one of the most meaningful and life-changing educational experiences of my life. Even as an experienced pastor of over 40 years, I learned so very much.”
