Counseling News from the Week of May 1, 2026
Explanation: Although I scan the Internet primarily for counseling articles, in the process I run across quotes and interesting facts that I sometimes include in these first two sections. If you’re just interested in the counseling articles, you can skip these first two sections and go directly to the section called Counseling Articles. HV
Interesting Quotes
Two Golden Rules to a Happy Marriage:
- 1. The wife is always right.
- 2. When you think she is wrong slap yourself and read number 1 again.
Author unknown
“There is no power on earth that can neutralize the influence of a high, pure, simple and useful life.”
Booker T. Washington
"Simplicity and sincerity generally go hand in hand, as both proceed from a love of truth."
Mary Wollstonecraft
"Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself."
Lucille Ball
“Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain.”
Charlie Chaplin
Even so, one step from my grave, I believe that cruelty, spite, the powers of darkness will in time, be crushed by the spirit of light.
Boris Pasternak
"Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind—than on the externals in the world."
George Washington
Fascinating Facts(I’m omitting articles from this section this week to leave room for counseling articles)
Counseling Articles
Dispelling the Myths of ‘Conversion Therapy’ and Kaley Chiles’s Counseling
In previous weeks we’ve talked about the Colorado case in which the Supreme Court decided that state and federal governments could not restrict what was said in counseling sessions to only present one point of view. I included another article by someone from the other side who called such conversations “hate speech.” Here is an article by someone who has interviewed this counselor, Kaley Chiles, about what she actually does in counseling.
Click here to read the full article
4 Practical Steps States Can Take to Advance the Success Sequence
The Institute for Family Studies found that when families, churches, schools and states, and encourage young people in the success sequence (finishing high school, becoming employed full-time, and getting married before having children) (in that order), that 97% are not in poverty in their mid-thirties, and 86% reach at least the middle class. 76% of those in the lower income class missed one or more of these steps. It seems that encouraging young people to embrace this sequence of life steps is a better way to help them move into the middle class than government programs.
Click here to read the full article
The Girlboss Lie That’s Breaking Working-class Women’s Hearts
The “Girlboss Lie” is the idea promoted by some college-educated women to all other women that independence is most important, that women don’t need men, and that marriage and family can be put off until later. For many women, especially those who don’t earn a college degree, much of this talk turns out to be a lie. They find that they often must find two or three roommates to be able to afford life, and that a life without marriage and children is not very fulfilling. However, those who question this thinking should be prepared to be in the center of controversy.
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The Debate Over AI and Personhood
Philosophers, theologians and legislators are debating whether AI will eventually achieve the rank of personhood. You may remember that the article from last week whether an Attorney General from Florida said that if ChatGPT was a person it could be accused of murder after a Florida university student killed several of his classmates after receiving instructions from ChatGPT about how to do so most efficiently. So, while AI has many potential uses, expect that the controversy over AI and personhood will continue.
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Low Girlboss Fertility Is a Real Social Problem
If you work with young women who are considering whether or not to have children, and if so, when and how many, this article is for you. It talks about how many women, those who finish college and those who do not, decide to have children and how many children to have. This can help you help them as they make these decisions about how they want to plan their lives.
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The Male Breadwinner Model Was Never Traditional
This author argues that the male breadwinner model, where the male works outside the home and the female works in the home, was never traditional. Rather, he argues that men and women traditionally worked together on the tasks that needed to be accomplished, but the husband and wife working together to accomplish the work of the family that was traditional. See what you think of his argument.
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Four ‘C’heers for the TRUMP AMERICA AI Act
Although anything with the Trump name attached is likely to trigger TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) among some people, the Trump America AI Act proposed by Senator Marsha Blackburn seems to have a lot to support it. The four C’s stand for four groups it aims to protect: (1) children, (2) Creators, (3) Conservatives, and (4) Communities. And it makes sense to have federal legislation rather than individual states each creating their own laws (which often would conflict with each other) to govern AI.
While Blackburn’s draft will undoubtedly go through many changes before finally being passed, this seems like a good framework to begin guiding the development of AI.
Click here to read the full article
Science and God
In college many students are taught by atheistic professors that science has proven that God is unnecessary to explain the universe and that it all came to being by naturalistic processes. But this series of five five-minute videos from Praeger University shows that the opposite is true. Modern science is making it more and more likely that there is an Intelligent Designer behind it all. Extremely good series to watch.
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Just War Theory Is Supposed to Be Frustrating
In line with my thought that it’s good to hear both sides of an issue, I’m presenting this article from Christianity Today, even though I disagree with it on at least two major points. The first is that I think this conflict with Iran satisfies the requirements of just war theory, because Iran was reportedly weeks away from being able to create several nuclear bombs and had developed the missile technology to at least reach Europe and possibly the United States. I believe a nuclear-armed Iran would constitute danger to the whole world.
The second area where I would disagree with this author was his argument with a surprise attack. In one attack many of the hardline leaders were taken out in one strike, something that would have probably been much more costly in terms of lives lost and cost if war had been formally declared beforehand. While it still remains to be seen whether the hardliners or the moderates in Iran will prevail, it seems that the hardliners do not represent the majority of the Iranian people, I think the element of surprise prevented much bloodshed and increased the chances (does not guarantee the result) that the final result of the conflict will benefit the world and therefore was justified. Read this author’s perspective and see who you agree with. You may read this article with a free subscription to Christianity Today that allows you to read a limited number of articles.
Click here to read the full article
Adults Who Don’t Age: The Secrets of ‘Superagers’
This is a fascinating story about “superagers”—people in their 80s, 90s and even 100s—who retain their mental sharpness despite their age.
For most of us, some mental changes occur as we age. It is normal that memory and mental speed decreases between the ages of 50 and 80. But some superagers surprise us: some eat healthily, don’t drink, don’t smoke and get adequate sleep. But other superagers do the opposite: eat poorly, drink alcohol, smoke and don’t get adequate sleep.
Brain studies have shown there are differences between superagers and non-superagers. One difference is that MRI scans showed that superagers’ brains lose almost no volume over the years. In normal aging the brain of most persons shrink with each passing year.
Another difference is in the “hippocampus—the region of the brain responsible for encoding memories—in the brains of superagers the neurons are larger, stronger, and have greater structural integrity. This was found to be the case not only when they were compared to healthy adults their own age, but also when they were compared to people in their 40s.”
“Another significant difference was found in the anterior cingulate cortex (another area of the brain involved in memory). Superagers have a much higher density of Von Economo neurons. These neurons are not only more numerous but also longer and healthier among superagers, even when they are compared to people in their 30s or 40s,” one of the researchers said, adding that these special neurons may contribute to high cognitive abilities and the preservation of memory sharpness.”
While all of us can strive to eat healthily, avoid abusing drugs and alcohol, get regular exercise and adequate sleep, and find meaningful activities that keep us mentally stimulated and socially connected, the majority of us will not be “superagers.”
According to Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die.” My suggestion is that we accept the fact that most of us will not be superagers, but that we can live fulfilling lives (Jesus said “I am come that you might have life, and you might have it abundantly.”). And for us as believers, the best life is still to come!
Click here to read the full article
8 Famous Historical Figures with Bipolar
Several famous figures who have added much to our lives are now known to have had bipolar disorder. Those included the famous author, Virginia Woolf, the painter Vincent Van Gogh, President Theodore Roosevelt, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Ludwig Van Beethoven.
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How This Parenting Style Contributes to Teen Depression Rates
This college professor talks about a parenting style that he believes contributes to teen depression. He calls it “concierge” or the “bull-dozer” style of parenting (other writers have called it “helicopter parenting”), where the parent bull-dozes or takes care of every problem the teen faces. He believes this contributes to teen depression because he believes that teens develop resilience from facing and overcoming obstacles themselves. See what you think and then consider sharing it with parents who might be trying to handle every problem for their teen.
Click here to read the full article
College students are changing course in search of ‘AI-proof’ majors.
If you do career counseling this is an important article. Apparently college students are becoming aware that AI will replace many careers in the future. It seems that the careers that are more likely to remain are those that require human reasoning and persuasive abilities. While this will require rethinking career counseling, this is something that is a workable task.
Click here to read the full article
Thinking About Your Calling
I retitled this article because I thought the original title wasn’t a good one. I think the article helps us remember that our vocation is something which we think is something primarily decided during college and shortly afterward, is actually something that continues all our life, and our calling can even continue in retirement.
Click here to read the full article
ECT Has High Response Rates for Aggression and Agitation in Dementia
This information may be helpful if you have a client who is caring for a loved one with dementia. Sometimes these persons become aggressive and seriously agitated. This study found that ECT had a high success rate in treating this, and side-effects were usually mild and short lived.
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Facebook Has a Health Scam Problem
This is from the New York Times so you won’t be able to read it without a subscription. A summary is that there are hundreds of thousands of ads on Facebook recommending medical products that have been shown to be illegal or even harmful.
Click here to read the full article
‘They Said A.I. Saved Me’: How South Korea Is Checking on Its Seniors
These are both from the New York Times, so you won’t be able to read them without a subscription. AI is both being vilified (in the second link below are reports that AI chatbots are teaching people how to use biological weapons to deploy and kill the maximum number of people) but this is a story about how AI is being used to do something lifesaving. One example is found in South Korea, where it is being used to check on elderly seniors who live alone.
Click here to read the full article
Click here to read the second article
Does Pornography Harm Girls More Than Boys? What Parents of Daughters Should Know
This study found that, although boys watch porn more than girls, girls are more impacted by it when they watch. I think as counselors we can understand why porn might affect girls more than boys, because of the questions it raises for them about how to be more attractive to men. Important information for parents to know and warn their daughters about.
Click here to read the full article
Teen Loneliness
In this article Mark Gregston talks about the fact that, while teens may have hundreds or even thousands of followers, they may not have any real friends who genuinely know them. And he talks about some practical things parents can do for their lonely teens. Good article for anyone who cares about teens.
Click here to read the full article
How Helping Others May Slow Brain Aging
This 20-year-study, which included 30,000 Americans age 51 and older, found that those who engaged in helping others, either through volunteering, church activities, or helping friends and neighbors, continued to score higher on tests of memory, attention and mental processing tasks. Those who quit doing those tasks began to score lower on such tasks.
Consistency was important. Finding a right level of helping was important for each individual so they didn’t burn out and were able to continue serving others.
Click here to read the full article
I hope you have a good week!
Henry Virkler