Kate Motaung, Carrollton Christian Counseling

OCD Help: When Hoarding Becomes an Issue

OCD Help: When Hoarding Becomes an Issue

Ashlynn Barnette, Kate Motaung2026-07-29T05:50:50+00:00July 29th, 2026|Featured, Individual Counseling, Men’s Issues, OCD, Women’s Issues|

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) manifests in various ways, from commonly known rituals of excessive hand washing or repeatedly checking locks to more subtle, less recognized behaviors. One common symptom of OCD that is often overlooked is hoarding. Hoarding can be a significant and debilitating symptom of the disorder. People with hoarding tendencies experience intense anxiety and distress at the thought of discarding items, leading to the accumulation of possessions, often in a way that disrupts daily life. Hoarding as a symptom of OCD differs from compulsive hoarding disorder, which is a separate condition. In OCD-related hoarding, the behavior is usually linked to obsessions, such as fears of losing important information or items that might be needed in the future. This compulsion to hoard is an attempt to alleviate the distress caused by these obsessions. Despite the seriousness, hoarding related to OCD is not as widely recognized or discussed as other symptoms of this disorder. This can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment, which can make the behavior more challenging to manage over time. Recognizing your hoarding tendencies before it becomes extreme can help protect your household from accumulating excessive items. Living with hoarding can be challenging, but there are some strategies that can help. Below are a few ways to begin managing hoarding. Managing Hoarding Starting small can make the overwhelming task of decluttering more manageable. If you see your possessions accumulating or notice a tendency to hold on to items unnecessarily, or if you have already accumulated an overwhelming amount of clutter, it’s not too late to act. Find a non-hoarding hero Consider finding someone you trust who doesn’t have hoarding tendencies to help you decide what to keep and what to throw away. Ask the right questions Ask yourself three key questions: Do I want to keep it? [...]

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Progressive Parenting and Behavioral Problems in Children

Progressive Parenting and Behavioral Problems in Children

Mccartney Paul, Kate Motaung2026-07-22T06:57:14+00:00July 22nd, 2026|Christian Counseling for Children, Family Counseling, Featured, Relationship Issues|

Across America, a shift is underway that most parents do not anticipate. They’re working hard to keep their children happy and genuinely believe that they are doing their best. Still, behavioral problems, including defiance at home, struggles in school, and difficulty respecting authority, surface. The parents find themselves confused and exhausted, wondering how their best intentions led to these challenging outcomes. We often find the answer in the parenting philosophy that has shaped American culture for over 50 years. Progressive parenting has emphasized freedom and emotional expression while minimizing structure and boundaries. The result is an environment where children lack the framework they need to develop self-control and emotional regulation. The absence of this intentional training leads to children facing a world without the internal compass needed to make wise choices. Many families face a challenge centered on a message that has defined good parenting as prioritizing a child’s emotional expression at the expense of necessary boundaries. Biblical wisdom serves us well in these situations: Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. – Proverbs 22:6, NIV The Progressive Parenting Movement and Its Promises The psychological mainstream started in the 1960s and made a dramatic claim that reshaped parenting for generations. This claim from mental health professionals emphasizes that parents who don’t allow children to express their feelings freely create an avenue for mental health problems for their children. Society began to define it as understanding and appropriately responding to all emotional expressions. This suggested a promise that children raised with maximum freedom and minimal boundaries would grow into confident, emotionally healthy adults with strong self-esteem. This approach led parents to believe that structure and discipline could damage their children’s psyches, and that unlimited emotional support [...]

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Stress Eating: What It Is and How to Combat It

Stress Eating: What It Is and How to Combat It

Ashlynn Barnette, Kate Motaung2026-06-17T07:21:51+00:00June 17th, 2026|Eating Disorders, Featured, Individual Counseling, Men’s Issues, Women’s Issues|

Stress eating, also known as emotional eating, is using food to help you cope with difficult emotions, manage stress, or fill a void within you that you don’t know how to fill. It is eating to fill your emotional needs rather than satisfy physical hunger and nourish your body. Stress eating can lead you to overeat and/or binge on high-calorie, sweet, and fatty foods that are detrimental to your health and sabotage weight-loss efforts if you are trying to lose. Key Difference Between Physical and Emotional Hunger Biological need versus emotional discomfort Physical hunger is a natural, biological response to the body’s need for nutrients and fuel to enable it to keep going. Emotional hunger, on the other hand, is triggered by how you feel rather than by your body’s physical needs and is an attempt to use food to cope with emotional issues, manage stress, soothe, comfort, relax, or numb. Physical sensations versus emotional triggers Physical hunger is an involuntary sensation triggered by a low energy state and the secretion of hunger hormones. Your brain uses physical signs such as a growling stomach, headache, difficulty concentrating, shakiness, lightheadedness, and/or weakness to communicate your body’s need for food. Emotional hunger, on the other hand, is triggered by emotional cues such as stress, sadness, boredom, loneliness, frustration, or even happiness. Gradual versus sudden Physical hunger tends to come on gradually and increase as your body continues to go without food. Emotional hunger, on the other hand, presents as an intense desire to eat something immediately, even if you have already eaten and are no longer physically hungry. Can wait, if necessary, versus immediate gratification With physical hunger, you can ignore the initial signs if you are busy with other things. Emotional hunger, on the other hand, demands instant gratification. Open [...]

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What Happens During Play Therapy and Why It’s Effective

What Happens During Play Therapy and Why It’s Effective

Mccartney Paul, Kate Motaung2026-06-10T06:11:50+00:00June 10th, 2026|Christian Counseling for Children, Family Counseling, Featured|

Although children have limited emotional intelligence and communication skills, that doesn’t mean that they cannot benefit from counseling and therapy. So many of the experiences we have in young childhood go on to shape and affect us later in life. Children might not have a concept of things like trauma and abuse, but they can still express themselves when guided by a counselor. Counselors use a form of therapy known as play therapy to help clients as young as three. By tapping into their creativity and natural tendencies to be tactile, counselors can glean a lot of information from their young clients and help them feel safe and understood. The Challenges of Child Counseling Children present unique challenges because, unlike adults, no child can comfortably sit and talk for a 45-minute counseling session. Besides that, children usually won’t understand why they are meeting with a strange adult or what is expected of them. To clients younger than seven, a counselor is sort of like a mix between a doctor and a teacher, but it can be hard to understand why it’s necessary to meet with them. However, a counselor can feel like a friend to a child. Child counselors make sessions fun and stimulating while still being able to gather information where they can. They want their young clients to feel safe enough to let their guards down, and to know that they are being helped. This is where play therapy comes in. Kids might not be able to describe what they are feeling, but they provide plenty of nonverbal cues and insight, even when they are playing or drawing. What Happens During Play Therapy Play therapy is especially effective for children aged between three and seven years old. After that, they tend to have a broader understanding of [...]

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Should Christians Trust Eye Movement Therapy and Other Modern Healing Methods?

Should Christians Trust Eye Movement Therapy and Other Modern Healing Methods?

Ashlynn Barnette, Kate Motaung2026-06-06T05:25:19+00:00June 8th, 2026|Featured, Individual Counseling, Trauma|

For many Christians, emotional healing is deeply personal. It’s shaped by prayer, scripture, community, and a desire to honor God in every part of life, including mental health. When new types of therapy come along, especially ones that seem unfamiliar or different from what we’re used to, it makes sense to have some questions. Is this something I should try? Is it safe? And more importantly, does this line up with my faith? One approach more people are hearing about these days is eye movement therapy, also called EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s used to help people work through trauma, anxiety, and other emotional pain. If you’re a Christian who’s never heard of it before, or if you’ve been warned against anything that sounds non-traditional, you may feel unsure. This article is here to help you look at what eye movement therapy really is, what it’s not, and how Christians can approach new healing methods while still keeping God at the center. What is eye movement therapy? Eye movement therapy isn’t a spiritual trick or mystical practice. It’s a structured form of therapy developed in the late 1980s by a psychologist named Francine Shapiro. The basic idea is that when someone goes through something painful, the brain doesn’t always process the experience in a healthy way. This therapy technique uses simple things like guided eye movements or light tapping to help the brain reprocess those memories. During a session, a trained therapist will guide someone as they recall a difficult memory. At the same time, the therapist will use these movements or sounds to help keep the brain focused and calm. Over time, the memory usually feels less intense, and the person begins to feel more at peace. There’s no hypnosis. No spiritual rituals. No manipulation [...]

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Personal Goals You Can Set and Accomplish for Yourself

Personal Goals You Can Set and Accomplish for Yourself

Mccartney Paul, Kate Motaung2026-05-07T13:58:34+00:00May 7th, 2026|Coaching, Featured, Individual Counseling, Personal Development|

Being able to set goals and get things done helps you achieve the things you want in life. Life can be a long and meandering journey, and you never know where the winds of opportunity will carry you. It’s possible to go through life without pausing to think about what you’re doing and why. Often, however, that results in being dictated to by circumstances and the direction of others who are more intentional. Our lives can unfold in surprising ways, and sometimes we find ourselves in places and circumstances we never dreamed of. Being able to set goals isn’t a substitute for having dreams and being spontaneous. However, it is a way of being more intentional about the resources and opportunities you have. It can help you accomplish a future you desire for yourself. You might be the sort of person who knew what you wanted to be when you were a kid and planned every step of that journey until you accomplished your goal, and that’s generally how you live your life. Or you might be the sort of person who takes things as they come, holding plans loosely. Either way, being able to have and set goals can have its benefits. The Importance of Setting Goals We don’t all approach life in the same way. Some people have a clear path and ideas about what they want to accomplish in life, while others take things as they come, meeting each situation, and then figuring out the next steps. Each approach has its merits, and one can learn from how other people do things. Nonetheless, there are benefits from taking some time to think about what your goals are. When you set goals, it’s one of the ways of setting yourself up for success. The process of setting [...]

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Coping with Grief: Grieving Loss and Finding Your Way

Coping with Grief: Grieving Loss and Finding Your Way

Ashlynn Barnette, Kate Motaung2026-04-10T05:47:21+00:00April 10th, 2026|Featured, Grief Counseling, Individual Counseling|

Grief is a painful reality we all must reckon with. It’s not an easy thing to lose what matters most to you, especially the people in your life, and it’s understandable why many struggle to cope well with grief. Coping with grief doesn’t mean denying the loss or even minimizing it or explaining it away. Coping is about learning to live with the loss, being able to carry on while bearing the wounds of separation from a loved one. Grief touches every aspect of who we are, and that includes our emotions, thoughts, bodies, and our spiritual lives. Grieving is the natural process of coming to terms with loss, and it is not a sign of weak faith. Jesus wept (John 11:35) at the tomb of His friend Lazarus, a testimony to how much He loved His friend. The sorrow of loss is all too real, but our ultimate hope is in Christ, even in our grief. Grief as Love with Nowhere to Go How do you begin to deal with grief and the sense of loss? For some, the only way they can see to deal with it is to see grief as a problem to be solved. In this way of thinking, the loss is something to get over as quickly as possible and return to doing life much the same as before. This can be a way of denying the loss, and it can have negative effects on one’s well-being. Another way to look at grief is to see it as a way of working through the significant change that has occurred in your relationship with your loved one. Instead of being a problem to solve, grief then becomes a way of working through the loss by evolving the relationship. Your connection to a lost loved [...]

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Child Behavioral Therapist: Frequently Asked Questions

Child Behavioral Therapist: Frequently Asked Questions

Mccartney Paul, Kate Motaung2026-03-18T06:14:30+00:00March 18th, 2026|Christian Counseling for Children, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Child behavioral therapists are trained mental health professionals who specialize in helping children deal with emotional and behavioral challenges to learn how to function more effectively. Their overall goal is to strengthen desired behaviors, reduce or eliminate unwanted ones, and improve the child’s overall well-being. They help equip the child with adaptive coping skills that enable them to handle frustration and difficult situations in a healthy manner. How can I tell if my child is going through a phase or needs professional help? It can sometimes be hard to know if your child’s behavior requires professional intervention or if it is just a phase he or she is going through. Almost all young children act out occasionally. Some level of defiance, temper tantrums, and testing of boundaries is a normal part of child development. This is especially true during the toddlerhood stage when children are going through the process of learning to express themselves, gain independence, and assert their wills. More persistent or severe issues, however, such as trouble making or keeping friends, or causing frequent disruptions at school, may require the know-how of a professional. Some red flags that require immediate attention and should not be ignored include sudden, dramatic mood or personality changes; destructive behavior such as breaking things or setting fires; uncontrollable anger over seemingly trivial issues; physical aggression toward others; mistreating animals; self-harm; or acting in ways that are inappropriate for their age. What can a child behavioral therapist do to help? A child behavioral therapist can help improve your child’s unwanted behaviors by: Pinpointing what triggers them and why. Helping him or her identify and modify negative thought patterns. Equipping him or her with the necessary skills to handle frustrating circumstances appropriately. Teaching him or her to manage his or her emotions in healthy [...]

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How Shame Can Make Chemical Dependency Worse

How Shame Can Make Chemical Dependency Worse

Ashlynn Barnette, Kate Motaung2026-02-23T05:26:20+00:00February 23rd, 2026|Chemical Dependency, Featured, Individual Counseling, Men’s Issues, Women’s Issues|

If you are dealing with chemical dependency, or know someone who is, you will know just how life-altering the struggle can be. There will be moments when it feels as if things could not get any worse, but sobriety often hinges on your mental attitude toward the struggle. Chemical dependency is a complex and often deeply rooted issue. The hook keeping most people from making progress on their journey to getting clean is shame. Shame blocks progress both for those dealing with chemical dependency and those supporting loved ones through it. Many aspects of life are affected and made worse when we feel ashamed of ourselves and our choices, but this feeling is almost always present for addicts and those trying to get clean. As you try to combat feelings of shame and failure, it can feel a lot like you are swimming against the tide. However, because shame is so often a component of addiction, it is possible to conquer both. In fact, it is difficult to get free from chemical dependency without also getting free from the shame you carry. The Chemical Dependency Iceberg Most people only begin to understand chemical dependency when they have personally struggled with substance addiction or know someone who has. It is easy to judge the surface of the issue, where it seems as if people continually make unwise choices until an undesirable lifestyle ensnares them. The same people who judge and shame addicts and alcoholics often have hidden dependencies of their own. Their personal dependencies and addictions might be more socially acceptable or even praiseworthy, such as being a workaholic or fitness addict. Meanwhile, they have developed these habits as ways of coping with deeper issues. There are a variety of reasons that people develop a chemical dependency, and none of these [...]

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A Different Perspective on Emotional Eating

A Different Perspective on Emotional Eating

Ashlynn Barnette, Kate Motaung2026-04-29T11:05:00+00:00February 9th, 2026|Eating Disorders, Featured, Individual Counseling|

For the past 60 years or more, our society and culture have been fixated on eating habits, body image, beauty standards, and physical health. There have been fluctuating trends through the decades. One thing that has remained consistent is that people have a lot to say about emotional eating, comfort eating, or stress eating. Emotional eating is often regarded as a weakness or even a moral failure, especially when it centers around fast food or sugar-filled diets. Some go as far as to categorize emotional eating along with eating disorders, showing how misinformed they are on the topic. While there are genuine concerns for national obesity and ailing health, people tend to focus on the wrong thing, creating more emotional issues and anxiety in the process. Every emotional eater is motivated by something. Sometimes they can be negative emotions, but other times, they are natural, harmless, and in some cases, positive, human, and beautiful. There is a glorious combination of food, eating, community, and emotions that is at the core of so many of our experiences. Perhaps it is only when we begin to gain a different perspective on emotional eating that we will conquer some of the underlying issues that require more of our focus, like shame, guilt, and despair. A Different Perspective on Emotional Eating On the surface, eating and emotions seem to have little to do with each other. The only things they have in common are that everyone must eat to stay alive and everyone will experience emotions, some more frequently and more deeply than others. A person might ignore, repress, or misinterpret their emotions, but only people with an eating disorder will ignore, repress, or misinterpret their physical appetite. Food and eating are an essential part of all of our lives, beyond the function [...]

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