Bryan Ferguson : AuthorI believe that every person is immeasurably valuable, unique, and made in the image of God. Sometimes having a compassionate therapist who will create a safe, nonjudgmental space for you to share your emotional burdens can be the greatest catalyst for personal change and growth. I am committed to giving my clients 100% of my attention, energy, and effort, because you are loved, valued, and important to God, and to me as a therapist. I am also supervised by an extremely compassionate and gifted therapist, Dr. Marshia Allen, PsyD, LPC-S, who has over 15 years of experience in the mental health field and consults with me weekly on my present clients. Taking the first step of reaching out to a counselor can seem like the most difficult, but it may also be the decision that leads to life-changing growth, healing, and discovery.
- 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.
We all experience feelings of anxiety occasionally; from low levels of stress to sometimes even crushing anxiety. These feelings can vary in intensity and duration and what triggers them will also differ from person to person. For some people, being called upon in class or during a work meeting is terrifying, while for others meeting new people or being in crowds can make them anxious. Therefore, anxiety can ebb and flow depending on circumstances. However, for some individuals, anxiety [...]
An eating disorder is a mental health condition that involves abnormal eating habits such as overeating, undereating, or eating nonfood items. Symptoms may vary, but the common thread underlying them all is an unhealthy preoccupation with food, body image, and/or weight that negatively impacts your physical and emotional health, makes it hard to focus on other aspects of life, and robs you of your joy. The 2022 text revision edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, [...]
When two people are in a relationship with each other, they have the opportunity to open themselves up to each other and build up a history of fruitful and positive interactions. If you accumulate enough of these positive and fruitful interactions with a person, that usually allows you to continue being open to them, and avoid trust issues. Trusting other people with pieces of ourselves isn’t an easy thing. For one thing, not everyone is trustworthy, and it isn’t [...]
When we’re feeling nostalgic, it’s tempting to say that things were simpler, better, or easier in the past. Often, parents of adolescents find themselves saying this as they consider the brave new world their children are navigating and trying to make sense of. It can be scary, and nostalgia can be a form of retreat. There’s nothing wrong with nostalgia; however, it can paralyze you in the present or blind you from seeing the beauty and opportunities that exist [...]
If you had the option to never feel or express anger again, would you take it? Depending on your experiences with anger, you might hesitate with your response, or you might respond quickly in the affirmative. Even people who have had mostly positive and healthy experiences with anger won’t necessarily feel warm feelings at the thought of anger. Anger is just that sort of emotion that’s an unwelcome visitor when it shows up. For a Christian who wants to [...]
You may have heard about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the past regarding children, but were you aware that adults can also live with this mental condition? Many children with ADHD eventually outgrow it, but about 60% of individuals still have adult ADHD. McKinney Christian Counseling offers faith-based support and practical strategies to help individuals manage ADHD, fostering growth, focus, and a fulfilling life. Symptoms of adult ADHD Do you often question why you struggle with a short [...]
At its heart, grief is the often-prolonged sadness we feel after a loss of some kind. Sometimes the loss is concrete, such as the death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship due to divorce or moving away, or the loss of a pregnancy, job, health, or possessions. At other times the loss may be more abstract, such as the loss of an opportunity or the death of hopes and dreams In the Bible, God invites us [...]
Stress. We hear about it all the time. We talk about it as if it’s a badge of honor for a full, normal life. But really, stress wears on us. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually, we feel the effects of stress in every area of our lives. Not only do we suffer, but the people in our lives can suffer from our stress as well. Our spouses, kids, parents, friends, coworkers, and even the cashier at the grocery store can [...]
Before a couple gets married, they have dreams and visions for their marriage. Couples rarely imagine going to counseling. During the first few years of marriage, it’s easy to believe the other party will change their bad behaviors and habits simply because they love the other party. However, each of them eventually recognizes the other is not going to change. This can cause fights and quarrels, resulting in a marriage that can be difficult to restore. Every [...]
The bond that allows for a relationship to flourish is trust. Trust takes time to develop, as two people experience each other in different settings and gradually come to see that they are reliable in ways that matter. That trust enables the relationship to deepen because it allows people to be vulnerable with each other and be honest at the risk of rejection. Over time, the relationship deepens, and the bond shared gets stronger, which is one reason why [...]
A healthy relationship is a wonderful thing to experience. As social beings, we are wired for relationships, and when our relationships are functioning well, they can contribute to our well-being in several ways. Healthy relationships are linked to higher self-esteem, less anxiety and depression, a stronger immune system, faster recovery from illness, and possibly longer life. Many different issues can affect the health of a relationship, and a fear of abandonment is one of them. What is the fear of [...]
Our words hold the potential to release life or death in all the ways that we use them, whether in prayer, conversation, or self-talk. God gives us the best example to follow, as He created all that we see in the heavens above, the earth below, and the waters from words. God imparted the same authority, as Image bearers and those who carry His Name, to form reality with the words we speak. When we form our words in [...]
