ABSTRACT
Clergy must be prepared to deal with unconventional and surprising situations. These include requests for counseling that fall outside the conventional rabbinic sphere or that involve people outside the rabbi’s usual sphere of congregants. Clergy must also be prepared for unexpected and powerful feelings that come up for congregants and for themselves, even in routine interview situations. The best preparation for unexpected situations or feelings is having a clear sense of the rabbi’s role, as well as knowledge of one’s own emotional responses and how to respond to them.
