Afghan Pastors Ask for Prayer

As we’ve all witnessed the tragic events of this past week in Afghanistan, here is a message about three ways we can pray for our brothers and sisters who live in Afghanistan, ways that pastors in Afghanistan have requested that we pray. Click here to read full article. 

Taliban Warns Afghan Christians “We Know Where You Are and We’re Coming for You”

This article tells both how severe the threat is for Christians in Afghanistan, but also what amazing courage they are showing.  It reminds us of the incredible faith Coptic Christians in Egypt showed a few years ago when ISIS fighters commanded them to either renounce their faith of be killed.  Not one of them recanted their faith.  (A more recent article I just read today (Thursday) said that the Taliban is asking to see people’s cellphones, and if they find a Bible app on it, they are executing people on the spot.) Click here to read full article. 

Teens with ADHD Need Scaffolds and Structure: How Not to Helicopter Parent

This article and the next are Parts 2 and 3 of the Ages and Stages articles that I shared Part 1 of last week.  Because of their impulsivity, its very tempting for parents of teens with ADHD to become helicopter parents.  Lots of good, practical ideas and strategies here.  If you go there, you’ll have a web address to download all five parts of the Ages and Stages booklet. Click here to read full article. 

ADHD in Young Adults: Avoiding Symptom Collisions in College, First Jobs & Beyond

Here is a summary of what this article covers.  I think some of the strategies could be applied to lots of young adults, not just those with ADHD.  “Young adults with ADHD may experience failure to launch — struggling to manage symptoms on the road to college graduation, first jobs, and independent living. Here, understand common academic, organizational, and social challenges in young adulthood — and ADHD-tested strategies for each.” Click here to read full article. 

Christian PRAY AWAY Star Reveals the Truth About the Documentary

This week Netflix will show a documentary that tries to make the message that it is harmful for people in the LGBTQ movement to try to change.  The star of the show has quite a different testimony, which he shares in the article.  The article also mentions the Freedom March.  For those of you who are interested, a Freedom March is being organized to be here in West Palm Beach later this year. Click here to read full article. 

Six Red Flags You Can't Ignore in Dating

I think we’ve all had friends who were in a dating relationship that we were concerned about.  Often it’s hard for those friends to “hear” our concerns.  This is a well-balanced article that might be able to speak to them because it’s written by someone who’s been there. Click here to read full article. 

#Soonerissafer: The Best Age to Begin Talking to Kids About Pornography

This is an article by Kristen Jenson, the author of the excellent book “Good Pictures: Bad Pictures.”  I highly encourage every counselor and every parent to read both this article and the book. Click here to read full article. 

Kids getting exposed to hardcore porn is a catastrophe we CAN fix

This article presents a simple solution that should be possible to be done. Click here to read full article. 

A New Must-Have for TV and Movie Shoots: Therapists

In case you would like a new role as therapist, you could consider becoming a therapist for actors and actresses in television and movie productions.  In Britain, where the movement reportedly began, a survey found that 50% of actors and actresses had considered taking their own lives.  Sometimes the content of the television show or movie produces stress, especially the darker ones, but sometimes the filming schedule or issues in families are the stressors.  So if this specialty sounds inviting, here is a new career option for you. Click here to read full article. 

Can the Vaccinated Develop Long Covid After a Breakthrough Infection?

The research at this point says that fully vaccinated people are not likely to get a severe case of COVID-19, need to be hospitalized, or die from COVID (a few do, but the majority who are fully vaccinated do not).  One question that is unanswered at this time is whether fully vaccinated people who experience a breakthrough infection will be susceptible to “long COVID.”  (These long Covid symptoms included a mix of prolonged loss of smell, persistent cough, fatigue, weakness, labored breathing or muscle pain.)

There is only one small study of this (from Israel) and it was not designed to answer this question so we cannot answer this question with any definite assurance one way or the other.   But some medical authorities are suggesting that even fully vaccinated people should continue to be cautious when around people whose vaccination status is unknown.  So for those of you who have begun seeing clients in person, you may want to continue seeing those clients who are unvaccinated remotely rather than in person. Click here to read full article. 

Continuation of Antipsychotic Treatment in Pregnancy—Do Not Panic

Several years ago a finding was made that taking certain antipsychotic medications during pregnancy could cause either premature deliveries or could cause heart defects in children.  As a result many women who were taking antipsychotic medications stopped taking them during pregnancy.

More recent research and statistical analysis has found that taking antipsychotics during pregnancy does not result in prematurity or increased heart defects, and that untreated psychiatric illness can result in negative effects.  Therefore this research can be useful in reassuring women who need to continue antipsychotic medication during their pregnancies. Click here to read full article. 

Hypomania: The Misunderstood Mood

This is a very thoughtful and enlightening article, by a person who has Bipolar 1 Disorder, about what hypomania feels like, and the challenges she faces when she is hypomanic.  Family members of those who have bipolar disorder might find it helpful to read this article. Click here to read full article. 

Relying on Love, Self-Forgiveness, and Positivity to Support My Wife

This is a brief autobiographical article by the husband of a wife who sometimes has mixed bipolar episodes and how they have gotten through those episodes.  I think it could be an encouragement to anyone who is married to a person with bipolar disorder to attempt to “hang in there” during the difficult times.  And for those of us who are not married to someone with bipolar disorder, it can remind us of how grateful we should be.  Click here to read full article. 

How ADHD Impacts Sex and Marriage

The divorce rate among couples where one person has ADHD is twice the rate of divorce in the general population.  This is an in-depth article about the various ways that ADHD can impact a marriage and intimacy.  Very worthwhile if you work with couples where one person has ADHD. Click here to read full article. 

Living With O.C.D. in a Pandemic

Jane Brody is a columnist who claims to be a bit OCD, although I’m not sure whether she just has some quirks or actually has OCD.  It also, unless I missed it, doesn’t have much about living with OCD in the pandemic.  However, the latter 2/3 of the article is a good summary for laypersons of the three best treatments for OCD. Click here to read full article. 

F.D.A. Approves GHB, a ‘Date Rape’ Drug, for Rare Sleeping Disorder     

GHB has a notorious history as the “date rape drug.”  However, it has been used legitimately as a treatment for narcolepsy for several years and has just received FDA approval for another sleep disorder—idiopathic hypersomnia. This article contains information about both disorders, in case you are a little fuzzy on the definitions of these sleep disorders, and about some of the cautions when taking the medications.  Lots of people, including doctors, aren’t aware of treatments for these disorders, so it may be worthwhile to keep this information stored somewhere where you can access it if needed. Click here to read full article. 

Teachers ask court to halt Va. school district policy forcing them to use trans pronouns

The Loudon School Board in Virginia has been in the news recently because the Board has been at the forefront of pushing several progressive views.  These two teachers are asking to join a lawsuit filed by another teacher appealing his suspension because he was unwilling to call a student by his preferred pronouns rather than by pronouns that conformed to his actual gender.  Even though this is an article about teachers, I think some of the legal arguments that they are making may be very relevant to us as counselors in the future.  Also, I think it is good for you to be aware of the Alliance Defending Freedom, since this is a legal organization that provides free defense for Christians who are trying to maintain Christian principles in their practices. Click here to read full article. 

Myocarditis and Pericarditis After Vaccination for COVID-19

Opponents of COVID vaccinations sometimes list the appearance of these two types of cardiac inflammation as reasons not to get the vaccine.  This very thorough study looked at the incidence of these two conditions following vaccination.  What researchers found was that these two conditions were quite rare and none resulted in serious illness.  Most resolved within two days. Click here to read full article. 

Polyamory and the law

A Harvard law periodical describes some of the legal protections they are trying to get made into law so that people in polyamorous relationships feel more protected.  In case you are interested in the topic, the article discusses some of the details of this movement. Click here to read full article. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Henry Virkler