Kate Motaung

Part 1 of a Depression Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Perspective Series Depression is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days. Anytime from your favorite team’s crushing defeat in a national championship, to the loss of a loved one, to a period in which you just cannot seem to get going at all – you might be feeling depressed. Clinicians understand Depression, or Major Depressive Disorder, as a mental illness characterized by hallmark symptoms such as a prolonged sad mood

As you read this article, I hope that you gain an understanding of the value of authentic relational care and how lethal emotional isolation is. You will read a perspective on emotional aloneness, the obstacles to experiencing care, and some thoughts on courageously receiving compassionate care. This is the first article in a series that addresses our need for relational intimacy, being known, and knowing others so that we can imperfectly care for one another. My desire is that

What Do the Holidays Mean to You? When the Christmas music starts, the decorations in stores begin to change, how do you feel? A lot of people get excited, anticipating the holiday season and love this time of year! But for others who have been through difficulties in the previous year, the holiday season can bring on undue anxiety, stress, depression, and thoughts of hopelessness and loneliness. There is a reason counselors see an increase in clientele during the

Most people who struggle with sex addiction appear outwardly as normal in vocation and lifestyle as anyone else. For instance, many sex addicts are doctors, lawyers, writers, pastors, priests, teachers, and successful business people. They occupy trustworthy vocational roles all over the world. Sex addicts can also be very committed husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and friends. They often also  have very high levels of spirituality and concern for others. So, why do many sex addicts cause so

Part 2 in a series on the neuroscience of surprise and the weight of wonder. This series explores how raising children up is really the work of growing adults down: grounding and embodying the Self in relationship, integrating the brain and coming out of hiding. My 4-year-old is hardwired for surprise. This might not be apparent in her favorite game: hide-and-seek. Because when Taliah was younger, especially, these games ended almost before they began. Often the seeker, eyes closed

Part 1 in a series on the neuroscience of surprise and the weight of wonder. This series explores how raising children up is really the work of growing adults down: grounding and embodying the Self in relationship, integrating the brain, and coming out of hiding. The Splendid Splinter My young daughter’s blonde head, bellowing with sunbeams fresh from the back porch, bobs its way through the kitchen door. On this cool spring morning in Seattle, it’s hard to know

Empowering Women to Balance their Lives If someone had told me five or even ten years ago that I would someday be a mom and would struggle with post-partum depression after a miscarriage, I don’t know what I would have said or thought. I am a licensed mental health counselor and we sometimes think that we can handle anything that comes our way, but  this is certainly not the case. In fact, I think that it is precisely the

With 50% of first marriages ending in divorce, it seems prudent to try and understand what causes this. While an array of factors contribute to the divorce statistics, most research cites arguments over money as the #1 cause of divorce. In fact, 22% of divorces are caused by money issues. Couples who argue about money once a week are twice as likely to divorce. Couples with $10,000 debt and no savings are more likely to divorce. Conversely, couples with

When they find out that I counsel people with eating disorders, many people ask me the same question: “Why don’t they like food?” Or, “I could never imagine throwing up all the time –  how awful!” We usually get into a discussion (a good one) and, as they are usually uninformed about eating disorders, I typically tell them that they are not really about food at all, but rather about control. Most people who suffer from eating disorders have

Jennifer cannot forget the day she saw a racy text from a female co-worker on her husband’s phone. As she looked through his text messages, she could see many exchanges between her husband and this other woman – and the texts were not about business. When she confronted her husband, he told her it was her fault that he had to seek out another woman’s affection. He blamed her for his unfaithfulness. Jennifer kept hearing his harsh words repeating

An article in the magazine Marie Claire, featured on WebMD in 2008, revealed that: 8% of Americans will suffer anxiety in their lifetime – the highest level in the world. $42 billion is spent annually in the U.S. on anxiety disorders. $22.8 billion of that goes to addressing anxiety symptoms that mimic physical illnesses. 7 million women suffer from phobias, the most common form of anxiety. How do you react to these figures, and do statistics really matter anyway?

When a couple enters into couples counseling, they are usually at some sort of an impasse. This can be anything from not communicating very well to living with outside pressures from their children, parents, friends, work, and finances. It may also be that one or both partners are looking at other men or women on Facebook or dating sites, or they may have begun an emotional and/or physical affair. In such situations and difficult times, one or both of