International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 8, 2017 49
Appendix
Interview Questions
Introduction:
1. What do I need to know about your
experience in the group to help me
understand you?
Deciding to Leave:
2. Tell me about your decision to leave the
group. What kinds of concerns led to your
final decision to leave?
Leaving the Group:
3. Describe to me the process you went
through in leaving the group.
4. What kinds of issues made it difficult for
you to leave?
5. What made it easier for you to leave the
group?
Life Outside the Group:
6. Tell me what it has been like for you
integrating into life outside of the group.
7. What kinds of things did you struggle with
initially?
Life Today:
8. What do you continue to struggle with as a
result of your former group life?
9. Tell me what you miss about your former
group life.
10. Tell me what you don’t miss about your
former group life.
Summary:
What else would you like me to know about
being in the group, leaving the group, or
integrating into life outside the group?
About the Author
Cyndi H. Matthews, PhD, LPC-S, NCC is an
experienced counseling clinician working in
private practice and as a Counselor Educator at
the University of North Texas–Dallas. Her
passion for social justice and advocacy is
exemplified in her counseling practice and
current research, both of which focus on
effective counseling interventions for
marginalized populations, such as cult survivors,
domestic-violence survivors, and LGBT
populations. Based on her scholarship and
clinical expertise, she has researched and
developed theory for counseling with former
second-generation-adult (SGA) cult-recovery
survivors. Website: www.drcyndimatthews.com
Email: cyndersm@verizon.net
Appendix
Interview Questions
Introduction:
1. What do I need to know about your
experience in the group to help me
understand you?
Deciding to Leave:
2. Tell me about your decision to leave the
group. What kinds of concerns led to your
final decision to leave?
Leaving the Group:
3. Describe to me the process you went
through in leaving the group.
4. What kinds of issues made it difficult for
you to leave?
5. What made it easier for you to leave the
group?
Life Outside the Group:
6. Tell me what it has been like for you
integrating into life outside of the group.
7. What kinds of things did you struggle with
initially?
Life Today:
8. What do you continue to struggle with as a
result of your former group life?
9. Tell me what you miss about your former
group life.
10. Tell me what you don’t miss about your
former group life.
Summary:
What else would you like me to know about
being in the group, leaving the group, or
integrating into life outside the group?
About the Author
Cyndi H. Matthews, PhD, LPC-S, NCC is an
experienced counseling clinician working in
private practice and as a Counselor Educator at
the University of North Texas–Dallas. Her
passion for social justice and advocacy is
exemplified in her counseling practice and
current research, both of which focus on
effective counseling interventions for
marginalized populations, such as cult survivors,
domestic-violence survivors, and LGBT
populations. Based on her scholarship and
clinical expertise, she has researched and
developed theory for counseling with former
second-generation-adult (SGA) cult-recovery
survivors. Website: www.drcyndimatthews.com
Email: cyndersm@verizon.net
