Articles from the Week of December 27, 2024
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
Fun Quotes About Families
Families are like fudge — mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
Les Dawson
Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.
George Burns
I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.
Phyllis Diller
I grew up in a very large family in a very small house. I never slept alone until after I was married.
Lewis Grizzard
No one's family is normal. Normalcy is a lie invented by advertising agencies to make the rest of us feel inferior.
Claire LaZebnik
(End of Family Quotes)
"We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers."
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Carl Sagan
The greatest wisdom is to get to know oneself."
Galileo
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
J. R. R. Tolkien
Beware the barrenness of a busy life.
Socrates
The transformation of the heart is a wondrous thing, no matter how you land there.
Patti Smith
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Fascinating Facts
Unusual Facts About The Human Body
You’ve probably heard some of these things, but I’m pretty sure you’ll learn some new things about the amazing things our bodies do every day (sometimes every minute) without us being aware of them.
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When the Bar Mitzvah Boy Is 90
Ron Eliran’s 13th birthday happened in 1947 the British Mandate in Palestine postponed his bar mitzvah. Now at 90 it has happened, and he is officially considered a man.
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This Week in 1888 Vincent Van Gogh Cut Off His Ear
The story of Vincent Van Gogh is sad. He suffered from severe depression in a time before any antidepressants were available. Although he is now regarded as a brilliant artist, during his lifetime he was literally a starving artist, selling only one painting during his life.
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Counseling Articles
The Controversial Intersection of Puberty Blockers, Law, and Health: What You Need to Know
Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy was the director of a ten-million-dollar taxpayer-funded study by the National Institute of Health of puberty blockers on children aged 11 and above who experienced gender dysphoria. It found there were no mental health benefits after two years. Dr. Kennedy refused to release the results, fearing they might be “weaponized” by those who disagree with the use of puberty blockers on gender dysphoric children. Critics of Dr. Kennedy say that since this was tax-payer funded, the public has the right to know what the scientific research revealed, even though it may not support the director’s personal views.
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No, Washington Post, you can’t memory-hole your support for trans insanity
While this article might use stronger language than we would use, I think if you read it, you will find it makes some valid points. I encourage you to read it and see what you think.
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“Girls with ADHD Need to Hear You Say These 5 Things”
A woman with ADHD who was not diagnosed until she was 40 reflects on the things she heard said about herself over and over as a child and talks about five things we need to be saying to girls with ADHD instead.
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“I’m Newly Diagnosed at 90 — and So Thankful”
Here is an article by a woman who wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until she was 90, and the new freedom in life it has given her. I think this reminds us of the gift it is to help people understand who they are and why they may see things differently than many of their peers, and then be able to embrace their uniqueness.
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5 Questions with Family Studies: Navigating Stepfamily Dynamics During the Holidays
Unfortunately this article didn’t appear in time for me to get it out before the holidays this year, but it’s a very thoughtful set of comments and insights from therapists who work with stepfamilies (and some who grew up in stepfamilies themselves) that will be helpful to any therapists who work with stepfamilies this year or in the years ahead.
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Repeated Acetaminophen Use May Not Be as Safe as Previously Thought
It is generally thought that acetaminophen (often sold here in the U.S. as Tylenol) is a relatively safe medication to take, and it is frequently recommended to older adults with chronic pain such as those with osteoarthritis. This large research study (the largeness strengthens the validity of the study) found that even the use of 1 capsule per day could increase the risk of developing heart failure, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and peptic ulcers. So if you have a loved one who is using acetaminophen on a regular basis you may want to encourage them to talk with their doctor about the benefits and risks of using this on a regular basis.
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How to Talk to a Loved One About Their Drinking
This is in the New York Times so you probably can’t read it without a subscription. It’s a good article, so I’ll summarize its major points:
- 1. Find a safe, private place to talk.
- 2. Ask what’s going on.
- 3. Really listen.
- 4. Give your concerns briefly.
- 5. Prepare to be rebuffed.
- 6. Treat yourself with compassion. You may be rejected at first, but the person may continue to think about what you said.
- Click here to read the full article
Helping Shy Teens Make Friends
If you work with teens, especially teens who are shy, this five-minute video has lots of good suggestions. You might watch it together with them in session and then follow it with a discussion.
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Not All Exercise Is Equal: Team Sports May Enhance Children’s Cognition
Although physical exercise is healthier than a sedentary lifestyle, it appears that team sports are superior to individual exercise in terms of developing better impulse control, emotional regulation, and sensitivity to others’ needs. Team sports also encourage teens to develop the skills involved in retaining information and to plan, organize, and initiate a task and then stay on task and switch tasks as needed.
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The Story of a Life
Wendy-Ann Paige is not well-known in the U.S., but was well-known in Great Britain, for she starred in The Lover’s Guide in 1991, which illustrated how a husband and wife have intercourse, how to put on a condom, the best ways to help a woman climax, etc. It rapidly became an overnight sensation, and she became widely known in that country. Some years later she and her husband divorced. This past week she died, alone and penniless, no longer able to even afford money for heating.
I think her sad story reminds us of how fleeting earthly fame is and how sad it is when we haven’t invested our lives in helping others and in building lasting relationships.
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OpenAI announces new o3 models
Artificial intelligence models have just announced another advance, the Open AI o3 version. Although this doesn’t have any application yet in counseling, I think learning of the advances AI is making is interesting. See the article for more details if you’re interested.
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Megachurch pastor previews app that offers AI-led prayer, spiritual counseling for a fee
If you are willing to pay a fee of $49.00 a month, you can receive AI-generated prayer and pastoral counseling from Rev. Ron Carpenter, pastor of two megachurches, one in Virginia and one in California. If interested, the app is available at Google Playstore.
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Generosity: Losing a Little Means Gaining a Lot
Jesus said that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” This article compiles research from many studies and countries showing that, even in non-Christian cultures, generosity provides many psychological and medical benefits. Particularly timely this time of year but probably a good thing to help people be aware of throughout the year.
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Suicide Rates Actually Lowest During Holidays, Study Finds
We often have the impression that suicide rates are high during the holidays, but this is a false impression, often caused by the way it is reported in the media. The reality, based on solid research, is that suicide is less frequent during the holidays.
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Treasures We Have Lost
We have lost many people who have played significant roles in some part of American history this year, including James Earl Jones, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Willie Mayes, Phil Donahue, Bob Newhart, and Pete Rose and so many others.
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The Danger of Using Pop Psychology Definitions
This brief article reminds us that these four terms are used in pop psychology in ways that are not accurate. My thanks to Dr. Kloba, former Provost at Palm Beach Atlantic University, for drawing my attention to this article.
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Merry Christmas to Female Athletes: Biden Admin Withdraws Title IX Changes
In a wonderful Christmas gift to women, the Biden administration dropped its attempt to amend Title IX so that those who claimed they were “transgender women” could compete on women’s teams, share women’s locker rooms and showers.
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Most Effective Treatments for Adult ADHD Identified
A large review of what is effective for Adult ADHD found that stimulants and atomoxetine were consistently effective, although atomoxetine was deemed less acceptable by consumers than stimulants. Non-pharmacological treatments and counseling-based treatments showed varying results. So both by objective measurements and by client ratings, the most consistent positive benefits for treating adult ADHD came from medication.
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Research Finds Vaccines Are Not Behind the Rise in Autism. So What Is?
This is in the New York Times so you probably will not be able to read it without a subscription. There appears to be several research studies that say it is not caused by vaccines, but the exact cause is still elusive, so research is continuing. More than 100 genes have been associated with the disorder, but it appears to be caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Some part of the increase is undoubtedly due to increased awareness of the disorder. The fact that the incidence of autism spectrum disorder has increased from one child in 150 in 2000 to one child in 36 now indicates the importance of understanding what is causing this significant increase.
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How Babies Teach Us to Be Human
Another article from the New York Times¸ but I’ll summarize its major point. It emphasizes that often the crustiest adult personality can often be softened by interaction with a baby. And for most of us who hopefully weren’t crusty to begin with, I think we’ll remember the deep love we experienced when we first held our (or someone else’s) baby.
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Jordan Peterson’s New Book on Religion Strikes a Chord
Although Jordan Peterson does not confess to orthodox Christian belief, he is widely followed and has packed auditoriums to hear him speak on Christian issues. His latest book, We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine has topped the New York Times bestseller list. For more on this fascinating man see the article.
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Healing a Legacy of Pain: A Guide for Adult Children of Alcoholics
Children who grow up in a family where alcoholism is present often experience many painful experiences. This article talks sensitively about that and encourages activities for such people (such as participating in an ACOA group, spirituality) that can help.
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The New Climate Gold Rush: Scrubbing Carbon from the Sky
This is also from the New York Times, but is not a counseling article, so I can sum up its significance in a single sentence: the newest “gold rush” may be in technology companies that are trying to devise a way to scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which hopefully would be a major advance in combatting global warming.
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Differences Led Couple to Divorce – But 50 Years Later, They Have Shocking News for Their Kids
This couple’s story illustrates that it’s never too late to reconcile. This couple had four children, but then divorced after 24 years of marriage. Each remarried, but eventually their second spouses passed away. They reconnected, and 50 years after they first married, they married a second time.
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The Impact of Arts, Culture in the UK
Although this research was done in the U.K., it probably is relevant for the U.S. because our populations are so similar. Let me just quote one sentence from the article which summarizes this research well: “Engagement with performance-based art such as plays, musicals and ballet, and particularly participation in music, is linked to reductions in depression and in pain and improved quality of life.”
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I hope you have a wonderful week and a meaningful coming year!
Henry Virkler
