Kate Motaung

What is play therapy for children? Isn't it just playing? How can that make a lasting impact on my child? Play therapy is playing with your child, yes – but it’s not justplaying. Play therapists use play in many different forms as a tool and treatment modality when conducting therapy with children. A child learns about, observes, and processes the world they live in through play. For children, playing through issues is the equivalent to talking through issues for

Do you think you or someone you love is an addict and/or alcoholic? Are you curious what kind of chemical dependency programs are available? Please continue to read to find out. What is Chemical Dependency? First of all, it is important to know that chemical dependency is a disease that is recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th edition (DSM-5). There are people who still question that. This is a disease where a person becomes chemically dependent on

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. – 1 John 1:9-10 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.– Ephesians 4:32 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me,

Does online couples therapy work? Before I can fully answer this question, let’s first talk a little about what couples therapy is. A Definition of Online Couples Therapy By its very nature, the definition of couple’s therapy is a form of mental health counseling used to treat relationship distress, such as poor communication skills, incompatibility or a wide variety of other psychological disorders. Its purpose is to restore functioning to the coupled relationship and address the reasons for the

* Please note: This article contains mature content.  Mignon McLaughlin describes it best when she says, “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” Marriage is beautiful, but just like the saying every rose has its thorn, so does marriage. Marriage is always depicted in romantic comedies as easy and fun, carrying a lighthearted energy when the woman is in the presence of the man. Culture and films create an unrealistic expectation for

If you are thinking about marriage counseling, don’t be surprised if you feel a lot of resistance to finding a therapist and scheduling an appointment. Couples who see marriage counselors typically have reached a point where things are so bad that they are willing to see a stranger to talk about it. Often there are feelings of shame associated with the marital disruption, which makes it even harder. To make the decision even more complicated, you may be asking

Many successful and joyful people have worked with dedication and responsibility on their life’s work, only to find that along the way somewhere, they have lost their love of life. The opposite of play is not work – the opposite of play is depression. Over the long haul, when these spice-of-life elements of play are missing, what is left is a dulled soul. Play and work are mutually supportive. Neither one can survive without the other. We need newness

Most people I work with who are feeling “burnt-out” describe feeling like being a gerbil on a hamster wheel. Some describe it as that panicked feeling, a fluttering, or a “wash of overwhelm” that is difficult to manage, and has started affecting their everyday way of living. For confidentiality, we’ll describe the following client as ‘Nancy.’ Nancy is a healthcare provider who came to me for burnout coaching and anxiety counseling during a crisis. She was balancing over 70

Do you know someone who intentionally cuts or burns themselves? Chances are that you do know someone who has engaged in self-harm behaviors, since it has been estimated that 14% to 17% of adolescents and young adults have reported engaging in self-injurious behavior (Whitlock, Eckenrode, & Silverman, 2006). In one study of community adolescents, researchers discovered that 46.6% of participants reported engaging in non-suicidal self-injury (Lloyd-Richardson, Perrine, Dierker, & Kelley, 2007). From these and other studies, it is obvious

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! – Galatians 5:2-23 One of the most common things I hear from men in my office is “… and then I just get so angry.” Anger seems to rest on our population like a plague, often creating a wake of devastation in the lives of families all over America. While many

Domestic abuse is a topic that has become more prevalent and is becoming more openly discussed, but it is still a difficult topic to talk about, especially if it is about yourself. Domestic abuse is a serious subject and I have found that people tend to suffer alone out of fear of disclosing the abuse. That fear can arise for many reasons. This article will talk about the more common types of abuse, in which the man is the

Thirty years ago there was a phrase bouncing around the halls of business: aim at nothing and you’ll hit it every time. Without a plan, we live by impulse, taking whatever comes along, essentially leaving the courses of our lives to chance. If you are naturally controlling, you probably already have all kinds of plans in your life. For you, I would say hold the outcome lightly. Work with whatever diligence you can muster, try everything you can think