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A Few Key Signs of Clinical Depression

A Few Key Signs of Clinical Depression

Stacy Davis, Kate Motaung2025-03-28T06:35:08+00:00March 28th, 2025|Depression, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Have you ever found yourself at odds with yourself? You may have told yourself to avoid engaging in certain behaviors, but despite yourself, you engage in the very behaviors you wanted to avoid. It can leave you feeling like you’ve betrayed yourself and can’t trust yourself. Being at odds with yourself in this way can be deeply unsettling, and it’s unfortunately one of the things that depression can do to a person. If a person has clinical depression, it can lead them to have thoughts that, while being untrue and unhelpful to one’s well-being, will nonetheless suggest themselves powerfully and ring as true. You can’t trust what your mind is telling you, especially when it causes you to endlessly rehearse negative thoughts. It helps to know the signs of clinical depression and to seek treatment for it. A Brief Breakdown of Clinical Depression Clinical depression is a mood disorder that affects how a person feels, thinks, and acts. A person’s ability to function in daily life is seriously hampered by depression because it can affect their cognitive ability and make them fatigued or lethargic. Clinical depression is also known as major depressive disorder, and it is a serious mental health condition marked by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest. Depression is a common condition that affects around 5% of the global population, and it can occur at any age. It affects people from all walks of life. Women are more likely to experience depression, though that figure could be inaccurate because men are also typically less willing to report that they’re experiencing depression and seek help for it. There are several different types of depression, including major depressive disorder, postpartum depression, persistent depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, and bipolar disorder. A challenge that someone with depression [...]

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Aging and Isolation: How to Prevent Loneliness

Aging and Isolation: How to Prevent Loneliness

Lori Askew, Kate Motaung2025-03-26T10:47:54+00:00March 20th, 2025|Aging and Geriatric Issues, Featured, Individual Counseling|

When you think about getting older, your first thoughts may be based on fear and dread. For example, you may have concerns regarding rising healthcare costs, physical ailments, slowing down, losing loved ones, or getting left behind from the metaphorical rivers of life. However, while those concerns are real and important, elderly people often develop full, meaningful, and fun lives. One of the key strategies to creating an abundant and fulfilling life as we age is to navigate isolation and, therefore, loneliness. While we can’t skip the natural ebb and flow of life’s highs and lows, we can safeguard ourselves from loneliness by making intentional choices. Ways to Guard Against Loneliness as You Approach Aging First, the most important way to prevent loneliness involves surrounding yourself with meaningful relationships. This may mean looking at your current relationships to see if they are serving you well, or even considering moving closer to family and friends. It may also mean moving to a community where there are many others in your age range. To form friendships and relationships that are meaningful and that can stand the test of time, it’s important to make sure you know how to build new ones. So, before you make any sweeping changes in your geography, ask yourself these questions: Am I around enough people I enjoy and with whom I could begin new friendships? Do I like the people I’ve surrounded myself with? Are the people in my everyday life leading a lifestyle that allows for hobbies and time with friends or are they too busy? If my top two friends right now were to move away or, sadly, pass away, would I have others nearby with whom I could deepen friendships or familial relationships? Are there community resources where I can turn to make new [...]

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God’s Process: Prayer and Spiritual Development

God’s Process: Prayer and Spiritual Development

Logan Ashford, Kate Motaung2025-03-26T11:54:37+00:00March 19th, 2025|Coaching, Featured, Individual Counseling, Spiritual Development|

Longing is a part of our lives as Christ’s followers. Often frustration accompanies it in between the time we have a God-vision and experience it coming to fruition. We place our faith in God, often for a specific outcome, anticipating the outward manifestation of all we have previewed in our imagination. However, the way that God transports us to a place He may have revealed doesn’t always align with how we think we will get there. Nonetheless, we pray, we proclaim the Scripture, and we make plans and create space to welcome all that He has promised. Hope is built into the verse that defines and describes our most basic understanding of what it means to believe (Hebrews 11:1). We apply the same principle of apprehending the unseen when we confess Christ and convert from our sinful state. The process of our spiritual development is challenged when faith is stretched by other factors, such as time and circumstance. They buffet our belief and weary our resolve, complicating what seemed simpler at one point in our journey. Sometimes, our faith flounders along the way, but God never abandons us. As Beginning and End, our Everlasting Father remains committed to the destination and the long path between prayer and manifested promise (Revelation 22:13; Isaiah 9:6). He is not daunted by time, as He created it to serve His purposes. Additionally, He fashions circumstances to work together for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28). Here, in the meantime seasons, He purifies, prunes, and develops patience in us. He processes us, preparing us for what’s next. God’s Process of Spiritual Development After decades of longing and years of waiting on a promised son, God tested Abraham, commanding him to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). It seemed incomprehensible, but Abraham remained confident in the [...]

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5 Ways Infidelity Can Impact a Marriage

5 Ways Infidelity Can Impact a Marriage

Ronald Jenkins, Kate Motaung2025-03-26T12:01:30+00:00March 18th, 2025|Couples Counseling, Featured, Infidelity and Affairs, Marriage Counseling, Relationship Issues|

Infidelity can be devastating to marriage. Couples can have difficulty having a healthy relationship after cheating has occurred. This is because infidelity can inflict emotional, physical, and mental damage to the victim. Additionally, suppose a person is unrepentant or blames the other for the infidelity. In that case, it can cause additional problems because the victim may feel misplaced shame or guilt due to what happened. Infidelity’s Impact on a Marriage Although infidelity can be a deal breaker in a marriage, it doesn’t always have to be. However, infidelity can impact many areas of marriage. Here are five areas in which infidelity can affect a marriage: Finances One way infidelity can impact your marriage is the strain that financial issues can have if the marriage ends. If one spouse is the primary breadwinner and helps provide for the other spouse, the other spouse may find that they need to get a job quickly. However, if they’ve been out of the workforce due to having children or lacking skills, they may find it challenging to find a well-paying job that will help meet their needs like their partner did. Additionally, an unfaithful person may become bitter because the relationship ended. Because of the shame and guilt they feel about what they did, they may hesitate to want to provide financial compensation to the other spouse. The spouse who is caring for the children may find themselves struggling because the other person who was unfaithful doesn’t want to pay them because they feel they may not be responsible for the termination of their relationship. A spouse who struggles to make ends meet after infidelity may need the help and support of family and friends. They may also need the help and support of people who can come and help them get [...]

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On the Road to Getting Married: Premarital Counseling in Rockwall, Texas

On the Road to Getting Married: Premarital Counseling in Rockwall, Texas

Jennifer Kooshian2025-03-26T12:32:08+00:00March 17th, 2025|Couples Counseling, Featured, Marriage Counseling, Premarital Counseling, Relationship Issues|

There are many stops along the way to your wedding day. Finding the person you want to be with is a crucial step, and once you’ve gone through the awkward (or amazing!) first date, shared beautiful moments, shared even more amazing moments, and built trust and a meaningful connection, you may be getting the idea that this person is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. At this point, you may be ready for premarital counseling in Rockwall, Texas. Whenever it is that you decide that you want to be serious with someone and perhaps take your relationship toward marriage, premarital counseling in Rockwall, Texas is a good stop to make along the way. It’s an important building block with a lot of value for your relationship. What’s the deal with premarital counseling? Premarital counseling at Texas Christian Counseling in Rockwall is a form of talk therapy that’s geared at couples who are, in one way or another, thinking about marriage. Couples might go for this kind of counseling before they take the step to get engaged, but other couples get engaged first and then it. The goal of this type of counseling is to help couples talk through issues and questions in a way that will adequately prepare them for marriage. When you go for premarital counseling at Texas Christian Counseling in Rockwall, it’s not simply another task on a presumably long to-do list relating to the wedding and life beyond that amazing day. Premarital counseling is important because it creates intentional space to address things that the couple may not have considered; things that have a direct impact on how their married life will progress. Your premarital counselor in Rockwall, Texas may ask you a variety of questions, including what your understanding [...]

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The Hyperactive Child: Symptoms of ADHD in Children

The Hyperactive Child: Symptoms of ADHD in Children

Stacy Davis, Kate Motaung2025-03-13T08:47:18+00:00March 13th, 2025|ADHD/ADD, Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured|

Children are commonly known as little balls of energy. It’s a normal part of growing up. However, some children appear to have an overabundance of energy that prohibits them from being able to sit for long periods of time or to focus on schoolwork and other tasks. How can you tell if your hyperactive child is truly hyperactive, or simply in a normal phase of childhood? According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), more than six million children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD, as of a survey dated 2016. What exactly is ADHD? ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Although it is commonly seen in children, adults can also show signs of ADHD. A child with ADHD may have difficulty focusing on schoolwork, constantly “fidget,” and/or have uncontrollable impulses. An individual may suffer chronic bouts of the disorder throughout their life. ADHD may stem from a variety of root causes such as dysfunctional relationships, low self-esteem, or victimization at school or at home. Genetics can also play a role in whether a child develops the disorder. If one or more parent has the condition, their offspring may exhibit some of the symptoms of ADHD as children. Brain structure and brain function may contribute to the change in behavior. Researchers are still unclear on what the underlying causes for the disorder might be when it comes to the brain but theorize it is possibly due to chemical imbalances or problems with the neurotransmitters. Unfortunately, parents may feel at fault if their child is diagnosed with ADHD as the public at large points to an undisciplined child out of control. However, there is a myriad of causes, including the physical and emotional ones listed above. Pesticides, food dyes, in utero exposure to alcohol or [...]

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7 Steps for an Effective Personal Development Plan

7 Steps for an Effective Personal Development Plan

Logan Ashford, Kate Motaung2025-03-13T05:18:58+00:00March 12th, 2025|Coaching, Featured, Individual Counseling, Personal Development|

How is success achieved? Many of us have ideas and plans that don’t come to fruition. One reason ideas founder is that no plan is generated to put them in motion. If you’re thinking about developing some aspect of your life such as dealing with stress, getting married, or communicating better, it’s important to have a plan of action. Creating a personal development plan is something anyone can do for themselves. As you put your plan together, knowing yourself will play a huge role in the process. There’s no use having goals that don’t appeal to you, and there’s no use in creating a development plan that requires resources you don’t possess and have no way to acquire. In other words, a development plan should be realistic and tailored to your unique needs and situation. Steps in Creating Your Development Plan As you consider steps in your personal development plan, one of the most important things you can do is determine your goals. There’s so much that can get in the way of making things happen that the best chance you have is to pursue a goal that matters to you and one that will make the most difference in your life. Some of the steps to consider in putting your plan together include the following: Choose your goal and write it down Open your favorite note-taking app or take a clean sheet of paper and write down the goals that you’d consider worth pursuing. You can note today’s date and then put down seven to ten goals that you would like to accomplish in the next 12 months. As you write these goals down, write them in the present tense. That gives you a sense of immediacy as well as a clearer view of what matters to you. [...]

How Your God-Given Internal Cues Can Stop Emotional Eating

How Your God-Given Internal Cues Can Stop Emotional Eating

Lori Askew, Kate Motaung2025-03-26T12:17:11+00:00March 7th, 2025|Eating Disorders, Featured, Individual Counseling, Weight Loss, Women’s Issues|

Chronic stress, a silent predator, is a key instigator of a range of physical and mental ailments. Unfortunately, it also slyly fuels emotional eating. What happens is that we often turn to food beyond our physical hunger because we’re trying to fill a deep-seated void. God actually created that void in us to fill with Himself. Therefore, we know that food is not the answer. God has gifted us with a sophisticated system that signals when we need to nourish ourselves and when we should refrain from eating. This system helps us to effectively curb emotional eating by recognizing and responding to internal cues. Defining True Hunger The internal cues we possess to indicate hunger are natural and intuitive. Your body releases two hormones, ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin stimulates the appetite, making your stomach feel empty and often causing it to growl. The growl or empty sensation may subside but return in 10-30 minutes as your body requires fuel. The other hormone, leptin, controls satiety. You experience the sensation of being full when fat cells release leptin, which leads you to stop eating. This hormone is released when it receives the signal from the stomach approaching fullness. Unfortunately, many individuals continue to eat even when they are already full or not hungry, making it difficult to gauge their satiety or control their eating. This can lead to physical discomfort, obesity, digestive problems, and even illness if it becomes a consistent habit. Understanding these potential health risks can be a powerful motivator to change our eating habits. Why We Eat Our Emotions If the empty feeling or stomach growl indicates hunger, why do we eat when not physically hungry? Thoughts and emotions fuel our actions. For example, you have had a stressful day at work. You arrive home, and everyone [...]

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Chronic Alcohol Use: Finding Freedom from Alcohol Dependence

Chronic Alcohol Use: Finding Freedom from Alcohol Dependence

Jennifer Kooshian2025-03-06T07:17:47+00:00March 6th, 2025|Chemical Dependency, Featured, Group Counseling, Individual Counseling, Men’s Issues, Women’s Issues|

If you struggle with chronic alcohol use, help is available at Texas Christian Counseling in Rockwall, Texas. You can experience freedom and hope. One set of the sayings in the biblical book of Proverbs reads thus: Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?” – Proverbs 23:29-35, NIV While wine may look good to begin with, your use of it may lead to damaging results such as woe, sorrow, strife, complaints, and needless bruises, to name a few. The Bible has a nuanced understanding of how to address the question of alcohol. As with other areas of our lives, one of the things we’re required to do is exercise wisdom in how we handle things like alcohol. One reason for this is that even if it’s good, it’s easy to fall under the influence or mastery of something, and for you to no longer be in control (1 Corinthians 6:12). Alcohol can be a cruel master, affecting your health and every area of your life. What is chronic alcohol use? There’s a difference between taking a little wine, for whatever purpose (1 Timothy [...]

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PTSD Help: Treatment Options for Trauma Recovery

PTSD Help: Treatment Options for Trauma Recovery

Logan Ashford, Kate Motaung2025-02-20T11:18:19+00:00February 20th, 2025|Featured, Individual Counseling, Trauma|

Have you been diagnosed with PTSD and wondered, amid your struggle, whether life will ever feel normal again? The answer is yes. No matter how impossible it may look right now, your life does not have to be forever defined by your trauma. You can access effective PTSD help. With the help of God and a trained mental health professional, you can learn how to reframe your experience, cope with your symptoms in a healthy way, and live a happy, fulfilling life. You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf. – Jon Kabat-Zinn PTSD Defined PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a disruptive mental health disorder brought on in some people by the shock of experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. Symptoms may include reliving the trauma through flashbacks or nightmares, severe anxiety, or uncontrollable, intrusive thoughts about the event that last long after it has ended. Common Symptoms of PTSD Though everyone’s experience with PTSD is unique, there are some common symptoms most people share. Intrusive memories Frequent intrusive memories that cause you to relive the trauma may manifest as nightmares or flashbacks. These can be upsetting and give rise to panic attacks, disrupted sleep, palpitations, headaches, and digestive disorders, as well as feelings of fear, guilt, shame, or anxiety. Avoidance You try to prevent triggering distressing emotions by avoiding anything that evenly remotely reminds you of the trauma. This could include staying clear of certain places, avoiding people who remind you of an abuser, or even specific sounds or smells. A heightened state of arousal Your body may continue to remain in a state of high alert even if the trauma happened months or years ago, causing you to overreact to everyday occurrences and be easily startled. A veteran, for example, may panic at [...]

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