About Becoming a Professional Certified Chaplain
If you are interested in being a professional chaplain, you first need to know that most working chaplains go through a 3-5 year training process. Just as a therapist or nurse or teacher would, for instance. Given that the people we serve are vulnerable, there is a great need for chaplains to be highly skilled, ethical, and professional.
Many professional chaplains who are gainfully employed are not only well-trained, but also 'certified' by an organization that has assessed their competence. Most Buddhist chaplains seek certification from The Association of Professional Chaplains (commonly called 'APC').
In general, professional chaplains have gone through a considerable training process that often includes:
- Academic education
- Clinical training*
- Faith group/sangha participation
- Ordination
- Work experience
*Clinical training (commonly called 'CPE') for chaplains is offered by: The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.
