Professional Development
Small groups for connection, consultation, continuing education, and professional growth.
CPEI Cadres are small professional development groups designed to support clinical chaplains, supervisory educators, credentialed professionals, students, and members through regular connection, shared learning, and mutual support.
A Cadre is a small group of CPEI members who meet regularly for professional development, case consultation, support, and shared learning. Cadres create space for members to know one another personally and professionally while remaining connected to the wider CPEI community.
Through regular gatherings, Cadres help members exchange best practices, discuss clinical and professional experiences, encourage continuing education, and strengthen relationships across the organization.
Cadres are intended to foster professional growth, continuous learning, and collegial support. They provide a setting where members can discuss clinical cases, receive feedback, share wisdom from practice, and support one another’s development.
Cadres encourage meaningful relationships among CPEI members. Members are invited to share personally and professionally, build trust over time, and participate in a community of care, accountability, and mutual encouragement.
Each Cadre supports the ongoing professional development of its members. This may include continuing education discussions, case presentations, shared resources, informal blocks of instruction, and reflection on spiritual care practice.
Cadres help maintain open communication between CPEI’s national organization and local members. They provide a setting for sharing updates, identifying needs, and helping CPEI better understand member interests, strengths, and areas for growth.
Cadre Life
Within a Cadre, members participate in a covenant-style community shaped by excellence, care, professional accountability, and mutual support. Cadres are intended to be practical, relational, and grounded in the real work of chaplaincy and spiritual care.
Each Cadre’s rhythm may look different, but Cadre life generally includes several core practices.
Cadres are designed to be small enough for meaningful relationship and large enough for diverse experience. CPEI materials describe Cadre membership as generally including no fewer than six and no more than twelve members.
CPEI welcomes members into Cadre life without preference or prejudice related to race, ethnicity, national origin, class, age, physical ability, faith background, or sexual or gender identity and orientation.
Cadres support members in meeting annual continuing education expectations and identifying meaningful learning opportunities.
Certified chaplains document annual continuing education contact hours related to chaplaincy or spiritual care practice.
Supervisor-Educators and Training Supervisor-Educators document annual continuing education contact hours that support their professional work and educational responsibilities.
Continuing education may include courses, conferences, workshops, research, self-study, writing, presentations, course creation, scholarly reading, connection groups, and other chaplaincy or spiritual-care-related activities.
Cadres may use CPEI’s formation process to identify leadership, membership, meeting structure, meeting frequency, location, and ongoing professional development plans.
Identify a small group of CPEI members who can meet regularly and participate actively.
Choose a Cadre leader or leadership structure to coordinate meetings and communication.
Determine meeting frequency, duration, location, agenda, and expectations for participation.
Submit required Cadre formation or annual reporting forms according to CPEI procedures.
Questions
For questions about Cadres, professional development, or small group participation, please contact CPEI’s Professional Development team.