Capstone University launches hospice and palliative care CPE for chaplains

Capstone University has introduced a clinical pastoral education program focused on hospice and palliative care chaplaincy, adding new training for spiritual care providers working with aging, serious illness, dying and bereavement. The launch expands education options for chaplains seeking patient-led, culturally responsive care in end-of-life settings.

Why it matters: - The new program is designed to strengthen hospice chaplain training at a time when patients, families and care teams increasingly need support around serious illness, dying and grief. - The curriculum aims to build practical skills that chaplains can use directly in hospice and palliative care settings. - Capstone University is positioning spiritual care as a specialized discipline that combines clinical practice, documentation and interdisciplinary teamwork.

What happened: - Capstone University now offers clinical pastoral education with a focus on hospice and palliative care chaplaincy. - The program centers on spiritual caregiving in response to aging, serious illness, dying and bereavement. - Eric J. Hall, Capstone University president and chancellor, said the university is offering an “entirely new-to-the-field program.” - Hall said Capstone remains focused on advancing the field and providing high-quality spiritual care.

The details: - The program combines academic learning with on-the-job learning. - The training is built for chaplains seeking culturally responsive, patient-led spiritual care for individuals and families across the end-of-life experience. - Dynamic and interactive sessions cover the foundations of hospice and palliative care for chaplains. - The curriculum includes collaboration with interdisciplinary hospice teams. - The goal is to help patients, loved ones and staff find meaning and strength while navigating dying. - Core topics include professional identity, including personal beliefs, and chaplain role clarity and scope of practice. - The curriculum also covers therapeutic listening, non-anxious presence and spiritual assessment models. - Additional subjects include spiritual distress, ongoing reassessment and continuity of care. - The program addresses cultural, religious, interfaith and nonreligious spiritual care. - Other topics include use of memory, music, story, ritual, sensory cues and familiar language for meaning-making. - Training includes hospice documentation, professional charting, Medicare expectations and compliance. - Family dynamics, conflict, reconciliation and forgiveness are part of the course work. - The program also covers life review, legacy, grief before and after death, staff grief, compassion fatigue and burnout. - Spiritual care for people with dementia, and support for their families, is included. - Interested people can email info@capstoneuniversity.org for more information.

Between the lines: - The curriculum reflects a broader shift toward more formalized, interdisciplinary training for chaplains working in complex care environments. - The emphasis on Medicare compliance and documentation signals that hospice chaplaincy now requires both spiritual formation and administrative fluency. - The focus on culturally responsive and patient-led care suggests the field is moving toward more individualized support at the end of life.

What's next: - Capstone University will field inquiries through info@capstoneuniversity.org. - Capstone’s partner, the Spiritual Care Association, is also offering additional hospice and palliative care education through its online Learning Center. - That includes Foundations of Hospice Chaplaincy, a self-guided course that leads to a Hospice Chaplaincy Certificate. - The Spiritual Care Association also offers Hospice and Palliative Care Specialty Certification for Advanced Practice Chaplains (APBCC-HPC). - Additional options include Spiritual Care in Palliative Care, with Fundamentals and Advance Practice courses. - The association also lists foundational papers at its resource page, including “Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplaincy: What Everyone Should Know” and “Hospice Spiritual Care Leadership: Developing a Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Education Department.” - Additional information is available at registrar@spiritualcareassociation.org or on the association’s website.

The bottom line: - Capstone University is adding a focused hospice and palliative care chaplaincy track that blends spiritual care, clinical skills and compliance training for end-of-life work.