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青少年和父母的心：Jarrod Hoffman '14
“I think I might have chosen the wrong major,” Jarrod Hoffman ’14 confessed to a professor his senior year at Covenant. 教授没有反对。 In high school, Jarrod had a great math teacher and enjoyed math, so it seemed like a natural choice to study it in college. However, he found himself struggling more than he imagined, saying “I was a C student,” he said, “but it was too late to change.” So, Jarrod finished out his math degree. 问题依然存在： 接下来是什么?
新机遇
Jarrod learned about an internship at East Cobb Presbyterian Church in their youth ministry department. T在这里, he realized his natural skills in relating to teens and their parents. He easily connected with teen boys and got them to open up about their lives. Before long, he took on the role of interim youth director w在这里 he learned additional skills in budgeting, marketing, and all the associated tasks involved with running a ministry. He then moved to Memphis to work in a bigger youth ministry w在这里 he continued to grow in his calling to work with people. “I think I just like people and understanding them and helping them,” he said.
睁大眼睛读研
As he continued in youth ministry, he found a growing desire to learn more about how to help people, especially those who struggle with addiction, depression, trauma, etc. 他决定在孟菲斯大学攻读心理咨询学位。 Jarrod reports that the academic rigor of Covenant prepared him for graduate school. In fact, he found he had become a better student and excelled in his studies. When asked about studying counseling at a secular institution, Jarrod responded, “What was the point of 威尼斯人平台 if I was not equipped to study in a secular environment?” With the biblical foundation and worldview training he received at Covenant, he felt fully equipped to navigate his studies through the lens of faith.
为青少年和家长提供咨询
Jarrod continues living in Memphis with his wife Katie and their daughter Mable and is now counseling with Kardia集体 and works mostly with teens and their parents. He often explains to people that he wants to help teens “like the 14-year-old Jarrod.” He said, “My parents divorced when I was ten. 我十一岁的时候看了黄片。 我直到25岁才痊愈。” At Covenant, Jarrod lived on 2nd Central, three doors down from w在这里 the counseling offices once were. “My biggest regret from college is not going in t在这里 for counseling,” he lamented.
Jarrod’s work with teens and parents during his years in youth ministry gave him the experience and relationship tools to work with the same population in the counseling room. He finds that he can quickly break down the typical barrier teens have with counseling and encourage them to open up about their lives. He recently started a virtual support group for parents of teens. To learn more about Jarrod’s work click 在这里. To learn more about his virtual parenting groups, click 在这里.
那数学学位呢？ It may yet come in handy, for Jarrod hopes to one day run his own counseling practice w在这里 what he learned in class will be useful in running a business.