Milestone for St. Vladimir’s Seminary CPE Program
In a meeting with the Certification Commission on October 13, 2015, Priest Adrian Budica, Supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education [CPE] and Director of Field Education at Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary [SVOTS], became certified as a Full Supervisor by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education [ACPE]. While it usually takes between four and ten years to achieve this distinction, Father Adrian completed the process in under three years, and is now certified to supervise Levels One and Two and Supervisory CPE.
In recognition of his remarkable achievements and his work with ACPE Eastern Region, Father Adrian was recognized as an “Emerging Leader 2015” at an ACPE National Meeting in Atlanta, GA in May 2015.
As Director of Field Education at Saint Vladimir’s, Father Adrian has been preparing students for their CPE units in hospitals, meeting with them afterwards to review their progress and issue final evaluations. Currently, all Master of Divinity students are required to fulfill one unit of CPE, which represents a total of 400 hours—300 hours in clinical/hospital visitation and 100 hours devoted to group and individual sessions. With Father Adrian on the faculty, SVOTS is stepping up its commitment to CPE training via on-campus supervision. [See related story.
“As CPE Supervisor, one of my goals is to transform other existing field placements (prison, parish) and implement a superior education through a standardized curriculum and requirements,” notes Father Adrian. “This will not only benefit our seminarians in their pastoral education and allow them to receive additional CPE credits for their field work, but it will also benefit the ministry and outreach of the seminary and the greater Orthodox community.”
Saint Vladimir’s has been collaborating with the Jewish Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary to become accredited by ACPE as a satellite center. The seminaries already have a long history of connection through the Inter-Seminary Dialogue program, and their approaches to pastoral formation are harmonious.
Father Adrian believes that Saint Vladimir’s growing commitment to CPE represents a milestone.
“This will be the source of tremendous growth in pastoral education for our Orthodox Church,” he notes. “We will be the first Orthodox theological school in the world using this pastoral process model for our seminarians. We plan to train and offer continuing education to future and current clergy, Orthodox chaplains in various settings, leaders of lay ministries, and CPE Supervisors. It will also bring our Orthodox pastoral caregivers and professionals into the larger pastoral education field, as representatives of our faith.”
Since 2011, Father Adrian has served as priest at Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY. He also serves regularly at the seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel. He is currently pursuing additional certification as a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains.