“The program’s greatest strength is its diversity of clinical settings in non-traditional areas, such as the Night Walks, Care Line, and both in-person and on-line Community Programs. These cover a wide breadth of care situations with diverse populations. I felt like I was an important member of the spiritual and organizational community of the Night Ministry and am incredibly grateful for this inclusivity.”

“I am so incredibly humble and grateful for the experience, strength and hope that I have gleaned from everyone who works for and with San Francisco Night Ministry, I am transformed because of this experience. In some ways I understand myself better and in other ways I realize I have yet to reach an understanding of all the nuances of being me.”

“This was a life-changing experience”

“SFNM is a unique program in that it offers CPE students a different clinical experience. SFNM is not a hospital where most CPE programs are. After having done a unit at SFNM, I am convinced that for someone completing more than 1 CPE unit, having one from a program like SFNM will diversify their education and enhance their experience.”

“I am so glad to have done CPE with my supervisor at SFNM. This was an excellent experience overall with all of the SFNM staff and volunteers, and my cohort of chaplaincy interns. I highly recommend this program for those seeking to do a unit of CPE!”

“I felt like my CPE educator, Trent, goes above and beyond to support students and the group. He asks great questions and yearns deeply for connection with his students. SFNM was a great fit for my CPE experience, and I learned to love the flexibility of the program and the opportunity to create our own ministry under the banner of SFNM.”

“This has been an amazing program for me! As a distance learning student, I appreciated the opportunity to offer care from home, yet in a variety of different and very impactful ways. The Care Line was an excellent clinical area for me, as was my external site, and I deeply appreciated the ability to do both at once!”

“I would especially recommend SFNM for students likely only interested in one unit of CPE. It was a wonderful discernment tool for me because of the different areas we were exposed to (care line, night walks, Tuesday gathering, Open Cathedral). Not just because we learned pastoral care in these different contexts, but because we got to see a lot of different people embodying their call and modeling ways to do ministry. Observing and processing that taught me a lot about my own pastoral identity and vocation.”

“One of the most positively impactful experiences of my life.”

“This was such a great unit. I learned so much, and I am so grateful to both Trent and Silvia. Bravo!“

“Silvia provides insightful feedback, asks challenging and perceptive questions, and supports the full development of the CPE students. Silvia brings her experiences as a Mexican immigrant and a former military service member to bear in unique and constructive ways.”

“I think that a big strength is that I was able to join the program all the way from Chicago. Since the night ministry is offering the distance option, more people from all over the country and from different walks of life have access to clinical pastoral education.”

“Overall, this was a profound experience that affected my person, professionally, theologically, personally, and socially. I am left with gratitude and confidence knowing that I have what to give and contribute. I am still benefiting and integrating skills and behavioral models we learned.”

“The Community project, in which I got to work with the Buddhist Chaplains and offer a 6 week meditation series on the Brahmaviharas was really powerful. I learned a lot about myself and gained more confidence and pastoral authority in giving a dharma talk to the group and leading group guided meditation. This was hands-down my favorite part of CPE and was a lovely Buddhist-inspired clinically-oriented community service.”

“I never knew that CPE at SFNM would have an effect on my life the way it has. Not only has it created a chosen family of wonderful staff and peers but it changed the way I interact with the world and with the most vulnerable in our society. If you put your whole heart into the program, you will come out of it transformed in some way.”

“Many different Night Ministers, staff members, and volunteers are available for consultation and model various approaches to skillful and compassionate care. We were able to talk explicitly about racial justice, housing, and other difficult contextual factors.”

“A strength was the particular people involved. We had a great cohort with a really effective educator and great support and engagement with the rest of the SFNM staff.”

“In thinking about our CPE unit there is so much I am grateful for, but one thing I frequently circle back to is the safe, learning-lab quality of our group sessions and one-on-one meetings. While this relies heavily on the work and energy and engagement of its members, my experience is that this is also facilitated by the structure of the program.”

“Overall, this was a wonderful program. I couldn’t have asked for a better CPE experience, and I’m very grateful to have been able to do this much-needed work during this challenging time in San Francisco.”

“There were diverse areas for serving as an interfaith chaplain, including weekly outdoor cathedrals, meditation group, gathering, phone, and street ministry. I had the opportunity to bring my practices to all these areas.”