Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) was started about 90 years ago in the United States of America and is an approach to training Pastoral caregivers and Counsellors that integrates theological, educational, and psychological theories while the trainee pastors simultaneously work on their own personal wellness, maturity and competence.

Training was conducted by Associate Director of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education in Atlanta Georgia, Rev. Deryck Durstan. The initial group of seven students were selected with difficulty from an eligible group of sixteen students.

;UTCWI Dean of Studies, Rev. Dr. Glenroy Lalor, the coordinator of the programme said, “ It has been for us at UTCWI the desire to lift the level of training for Pastoral Counselors and Chaplains in Jamaica to international standards of best practice. This is our commitment and we see CPE as the vehicle through which we can achieve this.”