This is a fully virtual Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) unit offered through the Inner Sanctuary Institute. It is designed for clergy, chaplains in formation, and ministry students who want to deepen their pastoral presence and reflective practice. What makes this unit distinctive is its integration of Internal Family Systems (IFS) — a framework that helps participants understand their own inner experience alongside the people they serve.

This program is IFS-informed, meaning it draws from the insights and language of the Internal Family Systems model while remaining appropriate to a pastoral, non-clinical training context. It is not an IFS certification program, and no prior IFS experience is required. Whether you are new to IFS or already familiar with the model, you will find the framework applied in ways that are grounded in ministry practice — not therapy or clinical settings. The goal is to let IFS deepen your pastoral presence, not to train you as an IFS practitioner.

IFS is a non-pathologizing framework that understands human experience as made up of multiple "parts," alongside a core capacity — often called Self-energy — for presence, compassion, and clarity. For ministers and chaplains, this matters because it offers a practical way to understand your own internal responses in the moment of ministry, while also attending more thoughtfully to the inner worlds of the people you serve. IFS supports grounded, ethical, and relationally attuned care — especially in high-stakes moments involving suffering, conflict, and meaning-making.

The program requires a commitment of 400 hours overall: 300 clinical hours and 100 educational hours. These hours are a combination of live weekly group sessions held online, independent ministry practice in your own context, and structured reflection work completed asynchronously.

No. The program is fully online and cohort-based, meaning you can participate from anywhere. Your ministry work happens within your own existing community context — you don't need to move, relocate, or find a new placement site. The program is intentionally designed to integrate with the ministry you are already doing.

The program is built around five integrated components, each designed to strengthen a different dimension of pastoral formation:

• Weekly IFS-Informed Reflections — structured written reflections connecting ministry encounters, inner awareness, and spiritual meaning-making.

• IFS-Informed Verbatims — the traditional CPE verbatim format, expanded to include both internal and relational awareness.

• Guided IFS Reflection in Group Sessions — each live session opens with a guided reflection to help participants access grounded presence before engaging ministry material.

• Self-Energy Listening Circles — structured group experiences designed to build the capacity to remain present across difference.

• IFS-Informed Supervision — supervision that integrates traditional CPE methods with attention to inner and relational experience.

Self-Energy Listening Circles are structured group experiences designed to give participants a direct, embodied experience of Self-energy in community. They are one of the most distinctive elements of this program. In these circles, participants practice sitting with difference — including differences in belief, identity, and experience — without moving to fix, interpret, or resolve. The format emphasizes speaking from personal experience rather than offering analysis or advice, and listening without interruption or correction. The intention is to reduce urgency and reactivity, strengthen the capacity to remain present across difference, and experience firsthand how grounded presence can shift relational dynamics. These are skills that are central to chaplaincy and ministry in diverse settings.

In traditional CPE, verbatims focus on the content of a pastoral encounter — what was said and done. In this program, verbatims are expanded to include both internal and relational awareness. In addition to describing the encounter, participants are guided to reflect on questions such as: What parts of me were leading in this interaction? What might have been happening in the other person's internal system? How did my internal experience shape the relational field? What might a more grounded, compassionate response have made possible? This approach helps participants connect their outer ministry with their inner life, making supervision richer and self-awareness more actionable.

No. This is a pastoral education program, not a clinical or therapeutic one. While it draws on IFS as an informing framework, it is designed for ministry contexts — not clinical practice. Participants are trained to provide pastoral care within an appropriate scope and to recognize when referral to clinical or mental health care is indicated. The program deepens self-awareness and relational presence; it does not train therapists or counselors.

This program is designed to meet all requirements for a CPSP-accredited CPE unit. It may also be applicable toward BCCI and NACC certification pathways. Equivalency is available through Neshama for eligible students. The program is sponsored by House Church Tulsa, a nonprofit organization. If you are pursuing certification through a specific body, we encourage you to reach out to confirm how this unit aligns with your particular pathway before applying.

The program draws on three primary resources that reflect its integration of IFS, relational practice, and grief work:

• Kopald, S. (2023). Self-led: Living a connected life with yourself and with others. — a foundational exploration of IFS principles in relational life.

• Schwartz, R. C. (2021). The internal family systems workbook. — practical exercises for understanding and working with inner parts, by the founder of IFS.

• Weller, F. (2015). The wild edge of sorrow. — a soulful guide to grief as sacred work, reflecting the program's emphasis on grief as a central thread throughout formation.

Tuition is $3,000. The program accepts rolling applications until spaces are filled — and spaces are limited, so early application is encouraged. To apply, visit bit.ly/IFSCPEApp. If you have questions before applying, you're welcome to reach out directly to Program Administrator Rev. Dr. Celeste Lebak at celeste@celestelebak.com or by phone at 918-200-2010.