We’re Longing for the One Thing the Metaverse Can’t Give Us
One writer discusses and compiles some of the research that says touch is an important part of healthy human living, and that it’s one thing that our modern virtual reality, amazing as it is in some ways, cannot give us. Click here to read full article.
Why You Always Have Room for Pie
A partially tongue-in-cheek article by Tara Parker-Pope about an experience probably all of us have had. Click here to read full article.
5 Ways to Get Over Parental Overload
Most parents, trying to balance the responsibilities of being a parent, a spouse, and a full-time employee, experience overload, and sometimes even burnout. The COVID pandemic has in many cases, made it worse.
This article from Amen clinic has some helpful, practical suggestions that you and some of your clients, might benefit from. Click here to read full article.
Bipolar Anger & Learning True Self-Control
This article, written by someone with bipolar disorder, has some good points to make. One thing I learned, was that coaches can be useful not just to people with ADHD, but also to people with bipolar disorder. Click here to read full article.
Jennifer Marshall: Balancing Motherhood & Bipolar
Another excellent article about bipolar disorder. This one makes another point. Some therapists wonder whether they should tell their clients (or parents wonder about telling their children) about their diagnosis. This article makes a good point that learning what you have and then building an awareness of that diagnosis into how you live your life can make a positive difference. I think this is a good lesson for all of us. Some of us may not have a DSM-5 diagnosis, but all of us have limits and weaknesses, and accepting those things and making changes to accommodate those things can help us all live better lives. Click here to read full article.
After Meeting with Victim, Former Missouri Officer Is Cleared of Assault
I think we all know, as therapists and as Christians, that forgiveness rather than holding on to resentments is often a solution that helps people, even victims, begin a healthier life. Restorative Justice is a model that has been used around the world and particularly in Africa several years ago after tribal mass killings, and this story is an example of how it was used here in a contemporary situation. I encourage you to consider whether learning about the skills of mediation and Restorative Justice might be useful skills to use in your work as therapist. Click here to read full article.
What Happens If Roe Falls? An Interview with Ross Douthat
There is the possibility that Roe may be overturned with the upcoming Supreme Court case. Russ Douthat has some thoughtful observations about what we (actually politicians) should do if that were to happen. The whole interview is included here, but if your time is limited, I would just read the introductory summary paragraph at the beginning. Click here to read full article.
The Blurred Lines of the Sexual Revolution
The sexual revolution came with the promise that it would liberate people from repressive moral systems and usher in true freedom for men and women alike. Now with the ability to look back on a few decades of experience, many people who participated in that movement look on their experiences differently. Click here to read full article.
Five Things Seasoned Therapists Wish They'd Known
Here is a paragraph or two from each of five seasoned therapists on things they wished they had known when they started practicing. You may not agree with everything each one says, but I think there’s a lot of wisdom to be gained from their comments. Some of their comments may simply reinforce something that you’ve already learned. Click here to read full article.
When Helping Doesn't Help: Why Some Clients May Not Want to Change
This article is by David Burns, the famous author of Feeling Good. I recommend you not read this article until you have at least 15 to 20 minutes to read it and absorb it, but I think if you do, you’ll find it’s worth the investment of your time. He discusses something all therapists have probably experienced: those clients with whom you use techniques that you know will work for them, but they never find time to try them.
Burns has developed an interesting theory of why these clients don’t use the methods you are sure would work for them, and then shares a method that he has used effectively to work through that resistance. I encourage you to set aside 20 minutes sometime in the next two weeks to read and absorb his ideas: I believe you’ll find it well worth the time. Click here to read full article.
https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/magazine/article/1076/when-helping-doesnt-help?utm_campaign=PN_R_WIR&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=187025651&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ZHY9cAmXjF95M2dk1pjwFQiOpdlfYcW_UK9G9AQrEK1C8wO84GYGyKn8C1CXsbMOB83eJBgDyeeOFJlVk65oghcroHQ&utm_content=187025651&utm_source=hs_email
Doctor who discovered Omicron variant says symptoms are super ‘mild’: ‘No reason for panicking’
I am sure we will learn more about the Omicron variant of COVID-19 as time goes on, but the African doctor who discovered it, and supposedly has the most knowledge of it at this time, says that the symptoms (for most people) are mild and there is no reason for panicking. It usually lasts for a couple days and the main symptoms are severe fatigue and some body aches and pains. There is no loss of taste and smell, and most individuals can be treated effectively at home. The only clients she says for whom it poses a significant threat are the elderly, those with autoimmune issues, and those who have not been vaccinated. Click here to read full article.
Interventions for Teen Dating Violence Do Hold Water
In the U.S., approximately one in five adolescents experience physical abuse when dating, and about the same percentage experience sexual violence. A variety of intervention programs to reduce dating violence have been developed, including group discussions, individual interviews, parent-child activities, and classroom activities. The length of such programs varied from one day to two years. Intervention programs were shown, in a study of some 20,000 teens, to reduce physical violence by 22% but reduction of sexual violence was not significant. What this meta-analysis suggests is that intervention programs have a long way to go before they develop the effectiveness we would like to see.
If any of you are looking for a research project to do, this topic looks like it is one that could use more attention. Click here to read full article.
Fetal Brains Appear Unaffected by Mom's Milder COVID
Mothers who have mild or moderate COVID during pregnancy often worry that COVID could affect their unborn child. This relatively small MRI study (33 women) who had mild to moderate COVID during pregnancy found no sign that COVID affected their child’s brain development. Although this is a small study and did not follow the children’s development for a long term should hopefully reassure mothers that their children appear to be developing normally. Click here to read full article.
Ways That Mental Health Professionals Can Encourage COVID-19 Vaccination
I included an article a couple weeks ago about this topic, but here is another one if you are interested. We know that people with mental health issues are more vulnerable to COVID, and are less likely to be vaccinated, so if you agree with the idea of vaccination, you can read this article for ideas. Click here to read full article.
A Secret Plan to Rescue Christians Out of Afghanistan Straight Out of a Movie
This isn’t a counseling article, but is so interesting I wanted to share it. As you know, Christians remaining in Afghanistan after the U.S. pullout were in a desperate situation because Muslim terrorists were going door to door trying to identify and kill all Christians. Many of these Christians were Afghans who had converted to Christianity and were now leading churches there. This article told about a secret mission that successfully rescued several thousand brothers and sisters. It’s quite interesting: quite like a movie, but it really happened. Click here to read full article.
God bless!
Henry Virkler
