College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy

What College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy does

The College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP) is a theologically-based covenant community and nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1989/1990 by 15 individuals to raise standards in clinical chaplaincy and pastoral psychotherapy training. It operates a chapter-based model across the United States and serves four primary member segments: Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training programs, board-certified chaplains, pastoral supervisors, and pastoral psychotherapists, with indirect customers including ecclesiastical endorsing bodies and federal chaplaincy employers such as the Veterans Affairs.

CPSP's core offering is a unified portfolio of accreditation, qualification, certification, and continuing professional education services. Accredited centers and training programs are reviewed through a multi-stage process involving chapter review, the Accreditation Oversight Committee, and the Accreditation Commission. Supervisors and clinically trained chaplains are certified through defined qualification pathways, and members must maintain active chapter involvement to retain credentials. The organization also runs the annual CPSP Plenary (34 iterations as of the 2024 cycle), the CPSP LIFE podcast open forums, and the Pastoral Report newsletter.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit association model. Revenue is generated from membership dues, accreditation and reaccreditation fees, certification and annual renewal fees, and continuing education events, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Distribution is relationship-driven through regional chapters and ecclesiastical endorsement networks, supplemented by a self-serve member portal at cpspdirectory.org. CPSP holds no patents, develops no proprietary software, and has no disclosed technology platform beyond its website and directory; its intellectual property is concentrated in the "Recovery of Soul" philosophy and the accumulated pastoral care content published through its newsletter and podcast.

Name

College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy

Legal name

College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy

Website

https://cpsp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CPSP is a nonprofit, chapter-based covenant community founded in 1989/1990 that accredits clinical pastoral training programs and certifies supervisors, chaplains, and pastoral psychotherapists across the United States, deriving revenue from membership dues, accreditation and certification fees, and annual Plenary events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pastoral Care Professional Certification and Accreditation

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADACAF

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDAAALAD

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

SECONDARYEDAHAKAE

Ministerial Training Institutes (Clergy Formation)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Religious & Theological Colleges

Keywords

• Pastoral supervision
• Clinical pastoral education
• Chaplaincy certification
• Pastoral psychotherapy
• Religious endorsement

Headquarters

HQ city

Hampton Roads

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Accreditation Fees: Training programs undergo an accreditation process that includes application, self-study, and review fees. Programs undergoing initial accreditation or reaccreditation pay fees associated with the multi-stage review process involving the chapter, Accreditation Oversight Committee, and Accreditation Commission.
2. Membership Dues: CPSP generates revenue through membership fees from diplomates, certified supervisors, and pastoral psychotherapists. Members include those in Clinical Pastoral Training, board-certified chaplains, pastoral supervisors, and pastoral psychotherapists.
3. Certification Fees: The organization charges fees for certification and annual renewal processes for supervisors and clinical pastoral education professionals.
4. Continuing Professional Education: CPSP offers continuing professional education through events including the annual Plenary, CPSP LIFE open forums, and chapter-based learning opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CPSP accredits clinical pastoral education and pastoral psychotherapy training programs, certifies and qualifies clinical pastoral supervisors and board-certified chaplains, and provides ongoing membership in a chapter-based covenant community that delivers career-long peer review, supervision, and continuing professional education. Its portfolio combines accreditation, certification, membership, and continuing education into an integrated offering centered on a psychodynamic, theologically grounded approach to pastoral care.

Product overview

CPSP is a theologically based covenant community offering a unified portfolio of clinical pastoral training, certification, and accreditation services centered on the "Recovery of Soul." The organization provides accredited clinical pastoral education programs, supervisory training, certification for chaplains and pastoral psychotherapists, and ongoing membership through its distinctive chapter-based model. Supporting offerings include the Pastoral Report newsletter and CPSP Life podcast, which deliver educational content on psychodynamic approaches to pastoral care. CPSP positions itself as the highest standard in clinical chaplaincy and clinical pastoral training, uniquely combining accreditation, qualification, certification, and continuing professional education within a relational covenant framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pastoral Report: The newsletter of CPSP featuring articles on pastoral care, psychotherapy, and community matters
• CPSP Life

Products and services

• Clinical Pastoral Education Accreditation Accreditation of clinical pastoral education and pastoral psychotherapy training programs through pre-accreditation and initial accreditation processes with ongoing oversight by the Accreditation Oversight Committee and Accreditation Commission. Intended for healthcare institutions, seminaries, and religious organizations operating CPE programs.
• Supervisor Certification and Qualification Certification and qualification of pastoral supervisors, including Diplomate Supervisor status in Clinical Pastoral Education, with annual renewal requirements and supervisory training programs. Intended for experienced chaplains and clinicians seeking to supervise CPE trainees.
• Board Chaplain Certification Board certification for clinically trained chaplains and pastoral counselors, with annual renewal and access to peer review and continuing professional education. Intended for chaplains working in healthcare, hospice, VA, military, and federal prison settings.
• Pastoral Psychotherapist Certification Certification for clinicians practicing psychotherapy from a theological and psychodynamic perspective, integrated with CPSP's chapter-based community and accountability structures. Intended for pastoral psychotherapists and clinical pastoral counselors.
• CPSP Membership Recurring membership in the CPSP covenant community providing chapter-based peer review, supervision, support, and access to continuing professional education; required for obtaining and maintaining CPSP credentials. Intended for chaplains, supervisors, pastoral psychotherapists, and CPE trainees.
• Annual CPSP Plenary Conference Annual gathering of CPSP members featuring workshops, Tavistock Group Relations sessions, leadership meetings, certification celebrations, and continuing education programming such as the 2026 Plenary featuring Dr. Dykstra and Chapter Life engagement. Intended for CPSP members and credentialed chaplains seeking continuing professional education.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Veterans Affairs (VA) ChaplaincycoreOthersCPSP has a principle of accepting the official list of VA endorsers. The Veterans Affairs Chaplaincy accepts the findings of the Armed Forces Chaplains Board and conducts its own processes for vetting religious organizations. CPSP certification is recognized within the VA chaplaincy endorsement framework, making this a core regulatory relationship for member chaplains seeking VA employment.
• CPSP ChapterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPSP operates through a network of regional chapters that are central to the organization's governance and operations. Chapters are not administrative subsidiaries but the beating heart of the covenant community, where real authority and accountability are enacted. The organization's bylaws were changed to facilitate leadership transitions, ensuring leadership emerges from within the CPSP community itself.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC): NAJC certifies Jewish chaplains and accredits Jewish CPE training programs, serving as a faith-specific parallel to CPSP's chaplaincy certification and training-program accreditation services.
• National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC): NACC certifies Catholic chaplains and provides professional development analogous to CPSP, serving a parallel faith-based chaplain certification niche that competes for denominational endorsement-recognized chaplains.
• Association of Professional Chaplains (APC): APC is a major U.S. board-certifying body for healthcare chaplains, overlapping with CPSP's board-certified chaplain membership and competing for the same chaplain-recognition market.
• ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education: ACPE is the historical standard-bearer for accrediting Clinical Pastoral Education programs and certifying CPE supervisors — the most direct competitor to CPSP's accreditation and certification services for chaplains and pastoral educators.
• Spiritual Care Association (SCA): SCA offers chaplaincy certification and educational programming and emerged as a newer entrant to chaplain credentialing, competing with CPSP for healthcare-system chaplain recognition and CPE training-program relationships.

Emerging players

• Chaplaincy Innovation Lab: Chaplaincy Innovation Lab is a newer research and convening organization exploring the future of chaplaincy, an emerging player whose research may shape demand for psychodynamic vs. outcomes-based chaplaincy — directly relevant to CPSP's positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Healthcare Chaplaincy Network: Healthcare Chaplaincy Network advances chaplaincy research and professional practice, overlapping with CPSP's pastoral-care training and certification ecosystem at the systems level.
• COMISS Network: COMISS is the coalition of pastoral-care certifying and accrediting organizations that convenes competitors including CPSP, ACPE, APC, and NACC — relevant as a broader-industry umbrella affecting CPSP's positioning.

Others

• Endorsers Conference for Veterans Affairs Chaplains (ECVAC): ECVAC is the VA-endorser body whose recognition is necessary for VA chaplaincy appointments; CPSP members depend on ECVAC-accepted endorsing bodies, making it a key ecosystem counterpart.
• The Coalition of Spirit-filled Churches: A federal Religious Endorsing Body for VA chaplaincy whose endorsing executive (David Plummer) is a CPSP past president — illustrating how ecclesiastical endorsers channel demand into CPSP-certified chaplaincy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/college-of-pastoral-supervision-and-psychotherapy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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