Clinical work is done where the student is already, or will be, providing spiritual care and counseling. The curriculum for each unit is flexible and is developed in accordance with the expressed needs of students. It also takes into consideration the context in which the students minister. Such topics for study and discussion can include, for example, calling on inactive church members, hospital and nursing home visitation, responding to crisis situations, conflict management, and how to make referrals, as well as the development of listening skills and grief ministry. The time and place of group meetings and individual supervision is also flexible.
Some groups meet monthly, some every other week, some each week.
The tuition charged varies from program to program. Some supervisors contract with students or local institutions to provide units of CPE on a cost plus expenses basis. In this format, students together pay some or all of the total cost of the supervisor's salary and expenses, and tuition for the unit. Many students take CPE to fulfill their denomination's requirement for ordination. Some receive academic credit for it through seminaries or other graduate institutions.