History of Clinical Pastoral Eduction at SFTS

The CPE program at SFTS is made possible by a generous gift from SFTS alumnus John F. (B.D. 1954) and Julia Shaw. The Shaw Family Chair of Clinical Pastoral Education is the first fully-endowed chair in the discipline of Clinical Pastoral Education placed in a theological education institution. It is a unique commitment to a program that SFTS offers that supports the education and formation process of religious leaders. Through the generosity and vision of The Rev. John and Mrs. Julia Shaw, SFTS is the first Presbyterian Seminary to make CPE available to students within its institution.

On July 1, 2006, San Francisco Theological Seminary appointed the Rev. Laurie Garrett-Cobbina, to the Shaw Family Chair for Clinical Pastoral Education, a new faculty position. Laurie is a certified Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor. She has served as the Assistant Director for the Mecklenburg Acute Care System (MACS) Chaplains and the Coordinator of Pastoral Care and Education at the Carolinas Medical Center-Mercy in Charlotte, NC. Laurie is an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church, USA, and served as pastor of Smallwood Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC. Laurie is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div. 1988, Th.M. 1989).

The SFTS Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program is currently a Satellite CPE Center to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center’s Department of Chaplaincy Services and Clinical Pastoral Education (hereafter ABSMC). ABSMC is fully accredited as an ACPE CPE Center with Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc., 1549 Clairmont Road - Suite 103, Decatur, Georgia 30033 - 4635. (404) 320-0849 www.acpe.edu.