Background on Interviewee
I was able to interview Pastor Jeremey Griffith, who is a licensed, and an ordained pastor.He has been a lead pastor for nine years. He is definitely been called by God, and shows it in his daily life, and from the pulpit.He does his own counseling. The detailed interview questions can be viewed in the appendix below.
Summary(this should be about 1 page in length)
Give a general summary of your interview.
Counseling Practice and Biblical Principle Strengths(this should be about 1 page)
What was the interviewee’s approach to decision-making in his or her field? Give your critique as to its strengths and weaknesses. This critique must be based on counseling practices and biblical principles.
Counseling Practice and Biblical Principle Weaknesses(this should be about 1 page)
Conclusion(this should be about 1 paragraph)
Give a brief closing paragraph summarizing what was covered within your paper.
Appendix: Interview Questions & Answers
1. What is your background and experience with sexual issues in counseling?
In the past 9 years as a Senior Pastor I have had very few out right counseling session with dealing with just sexual issues, but then often sessions will touch on this area. Because physical relationship cannot be balanced until Spiritual relationships are properly balanced
2. How would you counsel a couple dealing with loss of their sexual appetite with each other_______?
That is never the root issue, the lack of sexual activity. The needs are not being met by one or both of the spouses. I would go to spiritual relationship, then go to the security of the spouse. Is he or she meeting the needs of support, love, honor, etc.
3.How would you counsel a person who was abused as a child and still carries that memory with them?Very gently, very lightly. Show them God’s love for them, and show tell them it is not their fault and that God is aware of it. Teach forgiveness is not a feeling, but a choice one makes. That gives them freedom from the offender.
4. What would you do if someone is cheating on their spouse, and how would address the situation? Ethically, what are you obligated to do?
What I have done before is personally confront and talk with and make them aware of the danger and possible damages and destruction that can occur.
5. Someone has just joined the church and then they confess they are gay? Ethically, what are you obligated to do? What about their civil rights?
Just as adultery or any other open sin, confront, give them a chance to repent and counsel them on the danger of open and rebellious sin. If they will not repent and acknowledge they have opposed God’s laws. Then I would have them removed from the church and from the church register, as set by the by-laws of the church.
6. What is your basic theoretical approach to counseling?
The surface issue is not causing the problems. There are three sides to the story his, hers and the truth. Gather all the information as much as possible. Go back to childhood experiences; many cases the issues deals from how they were raised and issues from that.
7. Some of the teens in the church are having sex, what is your obligation?
Preach to be pure. Preach to them that God loves you and your body is wonderfully made.Equip their parents how to deal and respond correctly.
8. What would you do if someone is struggling with the addiction of pornography where it is controlling his or her life and marriage?
Set up accountability perimeter for them. Again this normally is a result of a subsurface lingering issue.
9. During a counseling with session with an adult you found out they were having sex with a minor, what is your obligation to the adult?
I would take swift action, to protect the minor and insure the child the person will not be able to hurt, destroy, or take advantage of others. It would be reported to the minor’s parent and the authorities.
10. What about the minor, and how is it handled?
With love, they are minors and they need protected and healing must be extended to them. There is a root issue why the minor was taken advantage of. (a.) Maybe parents not showing proper love to them. There struggling with accepting themselves. The relationship with Christ must be established.
Rarely is the minor to blame. In my experiences the line of protection that God has placed over the home is usually broken down in some degree.