Kate Motaung

The health of your relationships plays a large role in your well-being. We are relational and social beings, created to love God and others. We are most human when we are in nurturing relationships with others who help bring out our God-given potential, and when we do the same for them. Healthy relationships give us accountability, stability, and support during troubled times, as well as an environment to flourish in. If relationships are that influential, it makes sense that when

Whether you are starting a new relationship with someone who was betrayed by their previous partner, or whether you are trying to rebuild a relationship after infidelity, there are certain things every betrayed person needs to heal. Recovering from infidelity is a long and complicated process where some days your partner will feel better, and other days they won’t be able to see a way past their pain. All in all, it can take between three and five years for

My counseling journey began by working with teenagers, a population that often finds itself at the intersection of rapid growth, identity formation, and complex challenges. Supporting teens required me to cultivate patience, flexibility, and the ability to hold space for strong emotions while also encouraging hope and resilience. Although at times it stretched me outside of my comfort zone, these early experiences shaped my foundation as a counselor and deepened my understanding of the importance of empathy, clear boundaries,

Highly sensitive children are those whose nervous systems process stimuli more deeply and intensely than the norm, making them supersensitive to their surroundings and easily overwhelmed by the sensations they experience. In her book, The Highly Sensitive Child, psychologist Elaine Aron depicts highly sensitive children as perceiving more, pondering more, and feeling more in every situation that they quickly reach their limits and the sensory overload becomes more than they can handle. Common Characteristics of Highly Sensitive Children Their

Stress is a factor of life that we experience for different reasons, at various stages of life, to differing degrees, but always with negative long-term results. Stress is the state of our body on high alert, caused by a release of hormones in the nervous system, readying us with a fight, flight, or freeze response. The purpose of stress is to prepare us to survive a life-threatening situation, and this stress response could save our lives. But living in an

There is never a “good time” for a family crisis. Whether things seem good or not, family crises rock people to their core. Whether it is a turn in the financial markets, the economy, the sudden discovery of infidelity, or the sudden death of a loved one, a family crisis has the potential to destroy family cohesion and end marriages. For Christian families, these situations become more complex. There are certain things they must weigh when walking out their

There may be nothing so heartbreaking as to see your child trapped and unable to escape a difficult situation. It could be issues with substance abuse, feelings of isolation, and low self-esteem from being bullied. Struggles with depression may lead them to despair, or they may be struggling with anger, caught up in a hot whirlwind of unbridled emotion. The challenges of the teenage years can be disruptive and detrimental to the teen’s well-being. When someone is hurting, the

Whether you have ADHD or know someone who does, you might have experienced ADHD anger. As with most people who deal with angry outbursts, there is usually something behind and beneath the emotions. Understanding what lies beneath the anger is helpful because it gives us an idea of how to cope with anger. However, unlike neurotypical people, there are unique issues behind ADHD anger. It might take some time to discover what is triggering this anger and how to

Self-care is often perceived as selfish. But it is essential for maintaining balance in life. The metaphor “put the oxygen mask on yourself first” is an example of prioritizing personal health to ensure you have enough energy to assist others, whether at home or work. Managing stress holistically and proactively is essential for people to avoid depression and anxiety, and also helps to take an offensive stance against the devil’s schemes. The Bible states that each of us is

It’s been a hard month for many people, for many Christians. Our hearts have been heavy with senseless acts of violence. It makes you think about why people do the things they do. It also might make many question God. When you really look at it, you can break it down to not only mental health, but also good versus evil. A former pastor of the C.S. Lewis Institute wrote, “The Bible declares that evil is far worse than we

Many couples do not realize the struggle of marriage in the beginning. They are so consumed with the “emotions and feelings” of love that they forget that it takes intentional focus and effort. Thus begins the tension between the idea of marriage and the reality of marriage. Many believers find themselves caught in this difficult space. Psychologist Dr. John Gottman researched thousands of couples to understand what makes marriage succeed or fail. His findings aligned remarkably with biblical principles

Perfectionism can be defined as an unhealthy attempt to portray oneself as flawless. It’s characterized by having unrealistic standards and an overly critical evaluation of oneself. Perfectionism is often rooted in a fear of failure, being viewed as incompetent, or being judged harshly for shortcomings. Perfectionism is often fueled by anxiety or self-esteem issues, while the pursuit of excellence is fueled by a deep sense of satisfaction in one’s work. The life of a perfectionist is often marked by fear