Kate Motaung

“He was such a good person.” “Everyone loved him.” “She was so young.” “She was a mother of two young children.”  “He did so much for his family and community.” “She was an active member of the church community.” “They did everything right, according to Jesus’ teachings.” “They tried so faithfully to have this child.” “She lived the ten short months of her life in pain. I don’t understand.” These remarks are often heard when you are filling the

Are you a woman who has recently had a baby and is struggling to feel like yourself? Are you worried that something is wrong with you? Do you feel alone and isolated in your experiences and wonder what is wrong with you? You may have postpartum depression (PPD). There is no single cause or reason for postpartum depression. It is a condition that results from a combination of biological, hormonal, environmental and psychological factors. It is most often influenced

If I could wager a guess, it would be that you do not like conflict. Conflict feels icky. It can be painful, damaging, and impact your life and those around you in a negative manner. There do exist some people who gravitate towards conflict, perhaps getting the thrill of an adrenaline rush from it, but my guess is they are not the ones reading this article! You are probably someone who has avoided conflict as much as possible, but nonetheless,

The loss of a child due to miscarriage is a complicated journey – one that each person who experiences it must forge on their own. With the world often not celebrating life in the womb, the true loss a woman feels from the death of her baby is sometimes not fully acknowledged. How do you journey through this loss and know you have processed it as thoroughly as you can this side of heaven? I believe that answer varies

Have others told you that you have perfectionistic tendencies? Perfectionism can be helpful if it is healthy and balanced. However, maladaptive perfectionism can cause significant problems for both the sufferer and the people with whom they interact. At Seattle Christian Counseling, we can help you overcome the dark side of perfectionism and embrace a healthier perspective. The Two Sides of Perfectionism Researchers have discovered that not all perfectionism is bad. In fact, a level of perfectionism is preferred in highly

If you’ve opted for mental health care treatment for a condition, then you’ve probably heard of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, also known as CBT. This form of psychotherapy has taken the field by storm as multiple studies have shown that short-term therapy provides long-lasting results. Whether you suffer from depression, anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or another mental health condition, the techniques found in CBT could provide a breakthrough for you. What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? American psychiatrist

Major Depressive Disorder can be one of the most debilitating and frustrating hands that life can deal you. In the United States, the lifetime prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder is around 20%, meaning that 20% of people will at some point experience Major Depressive Disorder, and at any given point the number is around 1 in 10 are presently experiencing it. These numbers go up for younger adults as well, who are the most likely to experience it. However,

It’s no secret that anxiety rates are increasing across the board, including those of children, and for parents, this can become a major concern. The latest statistics on child mental health state that 7% of children 12 and younger are now being diagnosed with anxiety disorders (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019) and as many as 30% of children are impacted by anxiety issues at some point in their childhood (Child Mind Institute, 2019). As your child’s protector,

Your alarm goes off. You roll over and hit the snooze button, but immediately your heart starts racing. Your mind is already a jumble of all the things you need to accomplish, people you need to contact, and fears you’re facing. You close your eyes and try to still your heart and mind, but to no avail. It’s 6 am, and your anxiety is already driving up your heart rate so that your heart thumps loudly in your chest.

Let’s start by defining exactly what we mean by love, in light of Paul’s teaching: Biblical love in marriage flows out of our relationship with Christ into a covenantal commitment to self-sacrifice in small and large ways for the spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being of my spouse. This definition embodies the heartbeat of what biblical love in marriage is all about. Biblical love requires not only understanding the love of God but functioning and living out the reality that

In the world of love, everyone speaks their own language. This is partially why couples end up on my couch—each person is speaking their own language and they need an interpreter. In his work, Dr. Gary Chapman took the time to define these languages, discovering people experience love in different ways. The type of love that make the greatest impact on a person is what he would refer to as their primary “love language.” He identified five distinct love

It’s no mystery that teenagers often struggle through their adolescent years. As you are reading this you may recall what it was like for you as a teenager, pushing through school, social constraints, family dynamics, and just your own body may have felt like an overwhelming load. For your teen, all the same things you dealt with in your teenager years still exist, but now may be exacerbated by the pressures of an ever more connected society. Three Reasons