Clinical Pastoral Education, Macon, GA
Unit begins Jan 7, 2016 at the Riverside United Methodist Church.
Contact Bob Griffin, Supervisor for Information and Application or go to www.mcdonoughcounseling.com.

Community/Parish based Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is located in the indigenous community where ministry is done.  All efforts are made to tailor the learning experience to fit the special needs of the specific context.
   CPE is education/training for ministry at the graduate theological level and credit can be applied to on-going theological education with specific seminaries and graduate schools for clergy, laity,and professionals in the care-giving professions.
   Pastoral care of persons occurs when a care-giver is present with another in a way that touches a deeper level of their person than the normal, routine day-to-day surface conversation in relationships; when it touches the soul of the care-giver and the care-receiver and change occurs.
   This program of CPE is accredited by the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy.

Marriage Counseling

In response to your inquiry regarding

Marriage Counseling

For a couple to decide that marriage counseling is necessary and to set an appointment is a traumatic experience. 

Most individuals and couples have never had an experience of working in a counseling setting and would like to know more about the process before committing time and money.

That first appointment is necessary.  A phone call or e-mail will set a date and time to meet with the counselor.  The PC&T office in in the McDonough First United Methodist Church Building, McDonough, GA.

The first session is usually a “get to know you” session.  You are getting to know the counselor and the counselor is getting to know you.  All concerned are forming opinions of whether counseling is going to be of real help or not.  All discussions are confidential (with exceptions required by law.)  Some relationships are in too drastic a situation to benefit from even the best of counselors.  Most persons can benefit from a counseling experience as well as change the way they are relating in a marriage and the marriage can be different.  A key element is to get intervention well before a decision to separate and divorce.

The first session at PACE is normally 50 minutes to an hour.  The initial session fee is $80. 

If we agree to work together on the marriage relationship dates and times will be discussed and appointments set.  The fees will be agreed on.  A sliding scale fee may be negotiated for further sessions.  The fee may be adjusted according to the total income of the couple.

Plan on a mixture of individual sessions, couple sessions, training classes and readings that will be recommended.  Studies will be done on relationship dynamics, families of origin, personalities and communication skills.

Unfortunately it has taken several years to get into the difficult situation a couple may find themselves in together and quick fixes do not exist.  It takes time and commitment to make changes. 

To make an appointment:

Call:  404-444-8248, or

E-mail: bgryphon@earthlink.net

PREPARE/ENRICH Couple Assissment Certification Training

Certification to help couples identify their strengths and growth areas in categories such as Communication, Personality, Conflict Resolution, Spiritual Beliefs and Financial Management.

What are marriage educators saying?
"Exceptional program, the best thing in premarital counseling that I've come across."
What are marriage mentors saying?
"A great and efficient resource; I thought it was worth every penny; I want to use it for my own marriage."
What are counselors saying?
"This is an excellent resource for having a structured way to provide feedback to couples. A useful tool for counseling in general."
What are clergy saying?
"As a pastor, I wish I had been using this for the last twenty years. As a seminary faculty member, I will encourage my students to get the training and use PREPARE/ENRICH.

Next Certification Workshops: Two different One Day Workshops:

Macon, GA:   Tuesday, March 1, 2016, Time 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Riverside United Methodist Church, 735 Pierce Avenue, Macon GA 31204

McDonough, GA:  Tuesday, March 22, 2016, Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
McDonough First United Methodist Church, 151 Macon Street, McDonough, GA 30253

Cost $195.00.  Preregistration required one week in advance of the Workshop.   

Info: 404-444-8248; E-mail: bgryphon@earthlink.net or respond to this blog.  
Also, Prepare/Enrich Website:   www.prepare-enrich.com

The Covenant of CPSP

The Covenant of the College of Pastoral Supervision 
and Psychotherapy

Spiritual Pilgrims

We, the CPSP members see ourselves as spiritual pilgrims seeking a truly collegial professional community.  Our calling and commitments are, therefore, first and last theological.  We covenant to address one another and to be addressed by one another in a profound theological sense.  We commit to being mutually responsible to one another for our professional work and direction.

Chapters

Matters that are typically dealt with in other certifying bodies by centralized governance will be dealt with primarily in Chapters.  Thus, we organize ourselves in such a way that we each participate in a relatively small group called a Chapter consisting of approximately a dozen colleagues.  Teaching or counseling programs directed by CPSP Diplomates are the primary responsibility of the Chapter.

Recovery of Soul

We commit ourselves to a galaxy of shared values that are as deeply held as they are difficult to communicate.  "Recovery of soul" is a metaphor that points toward these values.  We place a premium on the significance of the relationships among ourselves.  We values personal authority and creativity.  We believe we should make a space for one another and stand ready to midwife one another in our respective spiritual journeys.  Because we believe that life is best lived by grace, we believe it essential to guard against becoming invasive, aggressive, or predatory toward each other.  We believe that persons are always more important than institutions, and even the institution of CPSP itself must be carefully monitored lest it take on an idolatrous character.

A Living Experience

We intend to travel light, to own no property, to accumulate no wealth, and to created no bureaucracy.  We are invested in offering a living experience that reflects human life and faith within a milieu of supportive and challenging community of fellow pilgrims.

To contact in Georgia:  Chaplain Bob Griffin, 404-444-8248; bgryphon@earthlink.net, to www.mcdonoughcounseling.com

Pre-marriage Education

Encourage your couples to attend this one-day professional pre-marriage education program.  It is designed to supplement the work you do as a pastor with couples before their marriage. 

Research tells us that couples who do pre-marriage work prior to their marriage have a greater chance of having a long-lasting satisfactory relationship. 

Content of the program:  Family of Origin Issues, Communication Skills, Strengths and Growth Areas, Dealing with Conflict in the Relationship, Financial Goals, Parenting, Issues of Faith and Faithfulness and Goals for the Marriage.

This six-hour program is provided the second Saturday of every month, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, at Pastoral Counseling and Training Center, MFUMC, 151 Macon Street, McDonough, Georgia 30253

Contact: 404-444-8248, or E-mail: bgryphon@earthlink.net for information and registration.  Website: www.mcdonoughcounseling.com

Humor Helps...

You have to love British humor!  
These are classified ads, actually placed in a U.K. newspaper:

Free Yorkshire Terrier.
89 years old.
Hateful little mutt.
Bites!

Free Puppies
1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbor's dog.

Free Puppies.
Mother is a Kennel Club registered German Shepherd.
Father is a Super Dog, able to leap tall fences in a single bound.

Joining Nudist Colony!
Must sell washer and dryer 100 pounds.

Wedding Dress for Sale.
Worn once by mistake.
Call Stephanie.

For Sale by Owner.
Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica, 45 volumes.
Excellent condition.  200 pounds or best offer.  No longer needed, got married, wife knows everything...

(copied from "Inside the Gates", ELCC)

...Let the stress go!

Pastoral Counseling and Training Center (PC&T), McDonough, GA

Thanks to the congregation of the McDonough First United Methodist Church the Pastoral Counseling and Training Center provides private and confidential consultation at their 151 Macon Street, McDonough, GA address by appointment only with Chaplain Bob Griffin.
      "Counseling" is a "type of care offered to individuals, couples, or families who are experiencing and able to articulate the need in their lives and willing to seek pastoral help in order to deal with it." (From the Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling).  "Pastoral" Counseling is defined by the therapist's qualification for ordination in their faith orientation and by extensive training in psychotherapy.  "A pastoral counselor is a person with commitment to and education for religious ministry who is functioning in an appropriate setting for ministry and accountable to a recognized religious community. ... The primary criterion for method is that it be consistent with what ministry is and appropriately related to the need of the person seeking counseling."  (Dof PCandC) 
      Chaplain Griffin is an ordained minister and a Diplomate of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy, a Certified Family Life Educator, and a member of the American Academy of Bereavement with more than forty years experience as a minister and chaplain.
      Therapy includes individual, couple and family consultations and training includes professional pre-marriage counseling, communication skills, relationship team building, and training for pastors, laymen and mentors in pastoral care skills.  It also includes certification in Clinical Pastoral Education/Training and use of the Prepare/Enrich Inventories for Couples.
      Groups includes Grief Recovery, Personal Growth, Divorce Counseling and Dealing with Issues of Depression.

Call for information and/or appointment:  404-444-8248.  Or, e-mail: bgryphon@earthlink.net.