The Center for Clinical Pastoral Education and Social Services(CECPES)
Our Story
The Center for Clinical Pastoral Education and Social Services (CECPES) is to the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services chaplaincy and Social Services Departments what the CBC School for Health Personnel (Formerly Private Training School for Health Personnel) is to CBCHS Nursing Department. This program was officially launched in 2008 with funds from the American Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. The program came to help train those who were functioning as “chaplains” at the time with no professional training. Before this program came, there were many men and women of God who were so kind, honest and sincere in what they were doing but very incompetent in the face of human needs.
This program seeks to train Christian chaplains, professional Christian counsellors and church pastors for effective Pastoral Care and Social ministries of the church. This Center also acts as an ideal hands-on practicum site for social workers as well as mentoring program for young seminarians who desire to form a solid Pastoral and ministerial identities as well as receiving seminary credit for their degrees.
The uniqueness of the CECPES is its contextual and interdenominational nature to meet the needs of the Cameroonian church and para-church institutions.
The program has also begun the process of training national supervisors, though the process has halted some logistic and professional reasons.
About CECPES
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Courses Offered
- Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) – Basic and Advanced
- Summer CPE (Mostly reserved for Seminarians) though everyone is welcomed to apply. Usually starts first Monday in June and ends second Friday in August.
- CPE Extended (Day and Night) – Meets once a month for ten months
- Social work training – For now, only candidates selected through recruitment by the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services as social workers are trained through CECPES for 12 weeks of 400 hours with intensive clinical supervision at the clinical sites.
- Counseling Psychology – 36-hour course consisting of 11 compulsory courses, a practicum, an elective and a 30-page integrative paper for those with at least a BA in a related field.
- Residency – A one year Residency program that begins from September to August the following year. Stipends are offered to CBCHS candidates only. Sponsoring organizations may offer stipends to their students.
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Who May Apply
All programs are interdenominational and open to men and women who have a commitment to personal and professional growth. Since direct ministry is the context for such growth, personal maturity and readiness for supervision are the main criteria for admission. Although an adequate academic and theoretical grounding in theology and psychology is expected this is secondary to the ability to form durable pastoral relationships and the ability to enter into assessment of these relationships.
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Academic Credits
Various Seminaries offer credits for successful completion of a unit of CPE.
In considering all our programs, prospective applicants are encouraged to consult with their respective educational institutions. -
Academic Resources
The program has library facilities and internet services (free for students). Students are responsible for their Board and feeding.
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Administration
The program is headed by the Program Director who is directly under the CBC Director of Health Services, and is being assisted by an Administrative Assistant as well as the Clinical Social worker in-charge of social work coordination.
With the introduction of Counseling Psychology, the program draws lecturers from some State and Private Universities in the country.
- Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) – Basic and Advanced
- Summer CPE (Mostly reserved for Seminarians) though everyone is welcomed to apply. Usually starts first Monday in June and ends second Friday in August.
- CPE Extended (Day and Night) – Meets once a month for ten months
- Social work training – For now, only candidates selected through recruitment by the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services as social workers are trained through CECPES for 12 weeks of 400 hours with intensive clinical supervision at the clinical sites.
- Counseling Psychology – 36-hour course consisting of 11 compulsory courses, a practicum, an elective and a 30-page integrative paper for those with at least a BA in a related field.
- Residency – A one year Residency program that begins from September to August the following year. Stipends are offered to CBCHS candidates only. Sponsoring organizations may offer stipends to their students.
All programs are interdenominational and open to men and women who have a commitment to personal and professional growth. Since direct ministry is the context for such growth, personal maturity and readiness for supervision are the main criteria for admission. Although an adequate academic and theoretical grounding in theology and psychology is expected this is secondary to the ability to form durable pastoral relationships and the ability to enter into assessment of these relationships.
Various Seminaries offer credits for successful completion of a unit of CPE.
In considering all our programs, prospective applicants are encouraged to consult with their respective educational institutions.
The program has library facilities and internet services (free for students). Students are responsible for their Board and feeding.
The program is headed by the Program Director who is directly under the CBC Director of Health Services, and is being assisted by an Administrative Assistant as well as the Clinical Social worker in-charge of social work coordination.
With the introduction of Counseling Psychology, the program draws lecturers from some State and Private Universities in the country.
Community Counseling Clinic (CCC)
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Statement Of Purpose
The community Counseling Clinic (CCC) is a service of the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, which provides counseling to people who need guidance on how to deal with personal difficulties, or who want to grow further and live wholly. Through the counseling relationship, the counselor attempts to assist the counselee in his/her effort to live a more productive life.
In this clinic, our staffs, in the course of carrying out this specialized counseling ministry, draw their insights from both psychological and healthy spiritual perspectives. Since our counselors are persons with clear religious stands, we affirm the importance of personal faith in Christ Jesus. Nevertheless, our staffs do not, in any way, seek to impose a particular religious orientation on clients.
Our clinic offers relationship counseling, personal growth and self-discovery counseling and counseling on issues surrounding the meaning of life. In all cases, counselors attempt to be emotionally and spiritually sensitive to the client’s situation. The means that each client is considered unique and valued in their own right, and thus entitled to full acceptance and understanding of their life situation. -
When To Seek Counseling
At some point in our lives, each one of us is likely to face difficulties or situations that we may not be able to completely handle all by ourselves. When this occurs, many people decide to seek support and understanding from professional counselors with deep psychological and spiritual understanding of, and are sensitive to life’s issues.
Others to whom our services will be extremely useful are persons struggling with personal and relational crisis, loss and bereavement, anxiety, personal identity crises, marital or family conflict, parenting worries, poor relationships with colleagues, neighbours, fellow church members; premarital situations, search-for-meaning issues, divorce or separation, spiritual or religious conflict, sexual difficulties (Sexual dysfunction), personal growth and self discovery, etc.Individual Counseling:
- Crisis Intervention
- Supportive therapy
- Long term psychotherapy
- Stress/Depression/Anxiety management
- Sexual, physical and & emotional abuse
- Addictions of all types (sex, alcohol, gambling, smoking, etc.)
- Spiritual mentoring
- Adjustment disorder
- Postpartum depression
- Post-surgery depression (e.g. Mastectomy, hysterectomy, amputation, etc.)
- Abortion related issues
- Grief
- Widowhood
- Mediation (avoiding court cases)
- Financial difficulties
- Infertility/Sterility
Group Counseling (Psychotherapy):
- Grief support counseling
- Debriefing sessions for leaders (churches, organizations, etc)
- Interpersonal relationship for self-awareness
Marriage and family counseling:
- Conjoint marital therapy
- Premarital counseling
- Family counseling
- Conflict resolution
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Seminars
- Anger Management
- Marriage enrichment
- Various disorders identifiable in churches and communities
- Children and other adolescents/adults issues
- Career
- Temperament analysis
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Assessment
- Marital and premarital
- Psycho-educational
- Personality adolescents/adults
- Career
- Temperament analysis
-
Capacity Building
- Training of counselors
- Practicum site for social/mental health workers
- Guidance counseling
-
Appointment And Fees
All inquiries can be made by calling the Receptionist (during working hours) 677279295
Working Hours
Mondays – Fridays: 07H00 – 15H30
Saturdays 07H00 – 12H00 Noon
The community Counseling Clinic (CCC) is a service of the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, which provides counseling to people who need guidance on how to deal with personal difficulties, or who want to grow further and live wholly. Through the counseling relationship, the counselor attempts to assist the counselee in his/her effort to live a more productive life.
In this clinic, our staffs, in the course of carrying out this specialized counseling ministry, draw their insights from both psychological and healthy spiritual perspectives. Since our counselors are persons with clear religious stands, we affirm the importance of personal faith in Christ Jesus. Nevertheless, our staffs do not, in any way, seek to impose a particular religious orientation on clients.
Our clinic offers relationship counseling, personal growth and self-discovery counseling and counseling on issues surrounding the meaning of life. In all cases, counselors attempt to be emotionally and spiritually sensitive to the client’s situation. The means that each client is considered unique and valued in their own right, and thus entitled to full acceptance and understanding of their life situation.
At some point in our lives, each one of us is likely to face difficulties or situations that we may not be able to completely handle all by ourselves. When this occurs, many people decide to seek support and understanding from professional counselors with deep psychological and spiritual understanding of, and are sensitive to life’s issues.
Others to whom our services will be extremely useful are persons struggling with personal and relational crisis, loss and bereavement, anxiety, personal identity crises, marital or family conflict, parenting worries, poor relationships with colleagues, neighbours, fellow church members; premarital situations, search-for-meaning issues, divorce or separation, spiritual or religious conflict, sexual difficulties (Sexual dysfunction), personal growth and self discovery, etc.
Individual Counseling:
- Crisis Intervention
- Supportive therapy
- Long term psychotherapy
- Stress/Depression/Anxiety management
- Sexual, physical and & emotional abuse
- Addictions of all types (sex, alcohol, gambling, smoking, etc.)
- Spiritual mentoring
- Adjustment disorder
- Postpartum depression
- Post-surgery depression (e.g. Mastectomy, hysterectomy, amputation, etc.)
- Abortion related issues
- Grief
- Widowhood
- Mediation (avoiding court cases)
- Financial difficulties
- Infertility/Sterility
Group Counseling (Psychotherapy):
- Grief support counseling
- Debriefing sessions for leaders (churches, organizations, etc)
- Interpersonal relationship for self-awareness
Marriage and family counseling:
- Conjoint marital therapy
- Premarital counseling
- Family counseling
- Conflict resolution
- Anger Management
- Marriage enrichment
- Various disorders identifiable in churches and communities
- Children and other adolescents/adults issues
- Career
- Temperament analysis
- Marital and premarital
- Psycho-educational
- Personality adolescents/adults
- Career
- Temperament analysis
- Training of counselors
- Practicum site for social/mental health workers
- Guidance counseling
All inquiries can be made by calling the Receptionist (during working hours) 677279295
Working Hours
Mondays – Fridays: 07H00 – 15H30
Saturdays 07H00 – 12H00 Noon
LOCATION
Opposite Mbingo Annex
Baptist Centre, Nkwen, Bamenda
North West Region
DIRECTOR: Rev. Mbuh Julius
CONTACT
CBC Health Services
P.O. Box 1, Bamenda
North West Region, Cameroon
Tel: (+237) 670344418 (Director, CCC)
mbujullius@gmail.com cecpesccc@gmail.com
Website: www.cbchealthservices.org