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Jason Burns : Author
As your counselor, I will listen to you and your story without judgment. I will work alongside you with your best interests in mind. In our sessions together, I will follow your lead and be sensitive to your limitations. With a gentle balance, I will graciously nudge you when appropriate and give you space to process as necessary. I specialize in counseling for teens and adults, working through a wide variety of issues including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, abandonment, relationship issues, and much more. I look forward to hearing your story and watching the Lord work in your life.
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Kate Motaung : Curator
Kate Motaung is the Senior Writer, Editor, and Content Manager for a multi-state company. She is the author of several books including Letters to Grief, 101 Prayers for Comfort in Difficult Times, and A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging. Kate is also the host of Five Minute Friday, an online writing community that equips and encourages Christian writers, and the owner of Refine Services, a company that offers editing services. She and her South African husband have three young adult children and currently live in West Michigan. Find Kate’s books at katemotaung.com/books.
Our past can have a profound impact on our present and future well-being. If you were hurt in a past relationship, it’s possible to carry that pain with you into your other relationships. The new relationship can end up bearing the burden of the past relationship – for instance through trust issues and having difficulty opening up due to a past betrayal – leading to fear of abandonment. It’s possible, however, to overcome these wounds and build healthy relationships.
The saying, “familiarity breeds contempt” surely has some grounding in reality. When we spend extended time with people and get to know them well, we know their flaws and weaknesses, and what we may have considered small quirks at the beginning of our relationship with them can grow into bigger issues. There are many different reasons why anger can flare up in a relationship – familiarity turned sour, unresolved conflicts, feelings of betrayal, unmet expectations, anger management issues stemming
Change isn’t always easy to make sense of or adjust to. The disruption of familiar patterns can be confusing to navigate, and it requires you to be resilient and highly adaptable to cope. The adolescent years are characterized by several things happening all at once, but those mostly boil down to one thing: change. These years are a time of transition toward adulthood and gaining deeper self-understanding and identity. They can be a difficult time. As one can imagine,
Avoidance anxiety results from trying to avoid those things that cause you to be uncomfortable or fearful. When facing fears, a person experiences anxiety. Avoidance anxiety is a disorder that a person experiences when they know they are facing a situation they don’t think they can overcome. As the person tries to avoid the situation and the anxiety it causes, they may exhibit behaviors that affect how they interact with others. Being overwhelmed by anxiety can lead to extreme
Anger is nothing new in the human condition. Increasingly, public displays of rage are commonplace, whether they are directed at public officials, institutions, or on a more personal level between motorists or family members. Whether this anger is expressed in person or online, much of the anger that we witness can typically be described as ugly and destructive. This is why anger management tips can be helpful. Seeing the ugly side of anger can put you off. For some
Most humans want to see fruitful outcomes in life. We are created like the Father to want what He wants, though we may express it differently. Despite this abiding desire, life presents boulders that can obstruct not only our view but also disrupt our progress toward the future we’ve envisioned. Personal development can help. Daunted and overwhelmed, we sometimes abandon the pursuit, clouded by discouragement and cluttered by life. Dreams from God often loom larger than what we feel
Would you say that you’re the kind of person that is led by their emotions? Our emotions are an important part of our lives. They are like bells that go off periodically, alerting us to what’s going on inside us, and how we are responding to the world around us. Laughter tells us that we are enjoying ourselves, and it feels pleasurable. We can usually pinpoint what we’re laughing about without much difficulty, and we know the kinds of
Autism is a developmental disability that primarily affects social interactions and communication skills, and typically includes fixations with routines, restricted interests, and repetitive patterns of behavior. Before 2013, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) recognized four different types of autism based on specific sets of symptoms affecting a child’s development. Each one was given a unique diagnostic label in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) with the intent of helping medical professionals, educators, and parents understand the
The spiritual life must not be lived in isolation. It is a call to the community as much as it is the salvation of your soul. Throughout history, people have looked for spiritual guides, and many shared their wisdom in written form. You can receive great benefits from spiritual coaching. The care of your mental health and spiritual health are both important to your overall health. There are many ways to receive spiritual guidance in your life. You may
Nearly every day doing counseling I run into people who need relationship advice because of issues they are having. Today, I received a note from a client (that I will paraphrase): I have been in this relationship for almost four years and the communication has not been great at all. I feel like I cannot talk to him. I feel like he manipulates the situation…He lies a lot, and he thinks that I feel like I’m always right, but
When you are facing a volatile situation, there are a variety of approaches you might take to deal with it. Some would rather avoid it altogether than run the risk of danger. Others may be cavalier and take on the danger, possibly hurting themselves and the people around them. Some will approach the circumstance boldly but with caution, carrying an awareness of the dangers involved but not shying away from what needs to be done. All of us face
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a disorder that women develop after giving birth. The symptoms can include feeling sad, anxious, and exhausted, making it difficult for the mother to take care of herself and her child. PPD can emerge right after birth but commonly emerges one to three weeks after delivery. Often, women who experience PPD have never experienced another form of depression. A lack of understanding and experience with PPD can be a barrier to seeking help. Because of this,