The NACC Certification Commission and the NACC Board of Directors are pleased to announce a new certification level: Associate Certified Chaplain.
Adding the Associate Certified Chaplain level will offer NACC certification to those who are already providing strong spiritual care in their organizations, dioceses, and communities and who need to meet certification protocols. In this way, NACC continues to advocate for its members and for the overall profession of spiritual care. It also aligns NACC with other chaplaincy strategic partners offering a similar certification opportunity, and provides a growth point for those working toward eventual full board certification.
The Certification Commission created NACC-Specific Qualifications and Competencies for Associate Certified Chaplains. This protects the Common Qualifications and Competencies, which were approved jointly by the five spiritual care Strategic Partners.
The NACC-Specific Qualifications and Competencies for certification of Associate Certified Chaplains follow the CQCs with the following exceptions:
- A minimum of 32 hours of graduate-level study is required rather than a graduate degree.
- A minimum of two units of CPE are required rather than four units of CPE.
- A minimum of 1,000 ministry hours post-CPE is required.
- Competencies to be met include all NACC-Specific competencies and all competencies in the Professional Identity and Conduct and Professional Practice Skills sections.
- The Spiritual Care Encounter has substituted competency OL 4.1 for ITP2, as Associate Certified Chaplain Applicants are not required to cover ITP2.
Conversations about the new program focused on the persons who might benefit from this level:
- Diaconate and lay ministry formation programs vary widely, so we needed a set number of hours of graduate-level study for persons in such programs (many of whom are already functioning in chaplaincy positions).
- We wanted to retain CPE, yet recognized the challenges of completing four units, due to hardships or accessibility to CPE.
- We felt that a requirement of work hours would give seasoning to the persons seeking this level.
- We focused on the Professional Identity and Conduct (PIC) and Professional Pastoral Skills (PPS) sections in the competencies as these are among the competencies most cited by interview teams as NOT met by applicants.
- The competencies mentioned in NACC-Specific Competency OL4.1 cover and exceed what is noted in ITP2.
The NACC-Specific Qualifications and Competencies for renewal of certification of Associate Certified Chaplains follow the CQCs with the exception of completion of 30 hours of educational activities per year for the five-year renewal period, rather than the 50 hours required of the BCC. The hours would be focused on the competencies required for Associate Certified Chaplain certification in place at the time of renewal.
PREREQUISITES FOR CERTIFICATION AS AN ASSOCIATE CHAPLAIN:
- Be Roman Catholic or a member of one of the churches in union with Rome.
- Have completed at least 32 graduate-level hours of theological studies from an accredited academic institution or pastoral formation or ministry program.
- Have completed an undergraduate degree from a college, university, or theological school accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (www.chea.org).
- Have completed a minimum of two units of Clinical Pastoral Education (Level I or II) accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Commission on Certification and Accreditation (USCCB/CCA), or the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC/ACSS).
- Have completed a minimum of 1,000 ministry hours post-CPE experience. The 1,000 hours may be employment or volunteer ministry hours.
- Be a full member of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. In order to receive a certification application, you must have completed a full membership application and be current on your payment of annual fees.
QUALIFICATIONS:
All of the above, and:
- A current letter of ecclesiastical endorsement requested by the NACC National Office.
- Adherence to the NACC Code of Ethics and knowledge of the requirements of that Code (Code of Ethics 100).
- Current completion of the NACC Ethics Accountability Statement (Code of Ethics 206.11.1).
- Application for Associate Chaplain Certification.
SUBMITTED MATERIALS
- Completed Associate Certified Chaplain application form.
- Autobiography addressing personal, professional, and faith development with numbered pages.
- One current example of provision of spiritual care utilizing the Associate Chaplain Spiritual Care Encounter Cover Sheet addressing, at minimum, Competencies OL4.1, PPS10 and PPS11
- Final evaluations by applicant of two CPE units.
- Final evaluations by the CPE supervisor of two CPE units.
- Associate Chaplain Narrative Statement documenting how the applicant meets the Common Competencies required for certification in the sections: Professional Identity and Conduct (PIC) and Professional Practice Skills (PPS) (excluding PIC8 and PIC9 which will be assessed through materials and within the interview), and the four NACC-Specific Competencies (ITP2.2, OL2.1, OL2.2, and OL4.1).
- Integrative Theological Essay (Competency ITP2.1), addressing the applicant’s familiarity with the documents and theologies of the competency, including ministerial examples demonstrating how the theologies have enhanced the applicant’s practice of spiritual care.
- The certification application fee, two-thirds of which is non-refundable if the process is discontinued for any reason.
- Current letter of recommendation from the person to whom the applicant reports in his/her place of ministry. If the applicant is not currently ministering, a letter from anyone in a reporting position who can attest to the ministerial experience of the applicant is required.
- Letter of Recommendation: If the applicant is a lay person, the applicant requests a current letter of recommendation from his/her pastor or from a priest in active ministry, to be submitted by the pastor/priest directly to the NACC national office.
- Certificate of completion of e-learning module and post-test on NACC-Specific Competency ITP4.1.
- An official transcript of undergraduate degree.
- Official documentation of the 32 graduate-level hours of theological study. Coursework must be clearly noted by title, faculty for the course, length of course, dates and graduate hours provided for the course.
- Documentation of 1,000 ministry hours (employment or volunteer) completed post-CPE. Applicant will document required ministry hours (on Ministry Hours form) and request ministry supervisor(s) to submit directly to the NACC National Office a current letter that attests to the ministerial hours and dates, including a brief description of the ministry provided.
- Current completion of the NACC Ethics Accountability Statement (Code of Ethics 206.11.1).
The Certification Commission, interview team educators, and interview teams look forward to opening the certification process to those who are partnering in the ministry of spiritual care in many and diverse ministries. In this way, all of us can continue the healing ministry of Jesus in the name of the Church.
