Articles from the Week of April 18, 2025
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
The following are all from Richard Simmons “Nuggets of Wisdom” column for Spring, 2025
“When you look at people who are eager to learn more, you can bet they are on the right track. And when you talk to people who just don’t want any more instruction, then they have pretty much hit the wall. They are done.”
JAMES H. BLANCHARD
“When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.”
VICTOR FRANKL
“People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved, and people are being used.”
JOHN HEUSS
“Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.”
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
“The most effective leading comes from those who embody the things they are saying.”
JOHN STOTT
“No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot.”
MARK TWAIN
“We live in a world that is doing its best, night and day, to make us just like everybody else.”
E.E. CUMMINGS
“I am not afraid to give myself to things that really matter. I am afraid that I will give myself to things that don’t matter.”
ROGER WERNETTE
“But there is nothing more relevant to any human soul than the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and there is no more suitable foundation on which to build a life.”
BETSY CHILDS
“We often hear; “Life is short, enjoy it.” But we often forget; “Eternity is long, prepare for it.”
UNKNOWN
Fascinating Facts
The 2025 Uber Lost & Found Index
An interesting compilation of things people have left in Ubers.
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Aliens retaliate leave Putin with a pile of gravel
In a story that is hard to know if it is fact or fiction, a recently declassified report said that a group of Russian soldiers shot down a UFO. When it landed, the aliens congealed into a single glowing blob, then turned an entire platoon into a pile of stones. You can decide what you think of the story.
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Smarter dairy farms where robots milk the cows
On the dairy farm where I grew up we milked the cows twice a day, fed them, and cleaned their stalls. But on these robotic farms, cows can choose how often they want to be milked, and they often choose more than twice a day, which also apparently increases milk production. And robots also carry out many of the tasks (e.g., feeding the cows and cleaning stalls) that farmers typically have done.
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Counseling Articles
Client Who Shared That He Had a Sexual Dream about this Therapist, and She Terminated Him
I’m not sure if you’ll be able to read this without a New York Times subscription, but if you can, I think this therapist’s reply is quite good.
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Parkinson’s disease researchers develop cellular ‘invisibility cloak’ to protect neural grafts
Researchers have developed ways to make neural grafts “invisible” to the immune system, so the grafts do not trigger an immune response. This could be helpful in developing treatments for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and other disorders. A major advance!
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Midshipmen erupt when Duffy demands Jesus’ painting be restored at Merchant Marine Academy: 'Let's bring Him up!'
In an encouraging event that showed there are still many Americans who believe in Jesus, this story from Sean Duffy, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation echoes that fact.
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Paula White-Cain’s prosperity gospel twists Scripture for profit
Although Paul White-Cain has been an ardent defender of religious liberty and a few other issues, many evangelical believers wish she had not been appointed to a position in the Trump administration because of theological problems with the prosperity gospel teachings.
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Are “Tradwives” Part of Our Past or Our Future—Or Neither?
This article discusses the fact that our society is in flux about the issue of “working wives” and though most conservatives would prefer that women work at home, women’s roles in the family and working are likely to vary depending on the family’s needs and the age of the children. Indeed, reading Proverbs 31 demonstrates that this “virtuous woman” was both a homemaker and was involved in being a wise businesswoman. Thus it seems that Scripture allows for a blending of these roles, and so how that would work out in any given family should be determined by the couple and may vary over time as situations change and children mature.
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Parents Versus Public Schools: Supreme Court to Consider Transgender Instruction
It appears that the rise in the percentage of children who view themselves as transgender is very much influenced by social forces and the instruction they receive in schools about gender and sexual issues. While parents have tried to get the courts to support their rights not to have schools encourage gender identity exploration, many courts have sided with schools. But many Jewish, Christian and Muslim parents believe their faith teaches there are only two genders. And increasing research is questioning the psychological healthiness of a transgender identity. Nonetheless, courts in many jurisdictions have continued to support schools rather than parents’ rights in this matter.
In frustration, parents are now taking this matter to the Supreme Court, and it has agreed to consider this matter. Let’s pray that God will give the justices wisdom in ruling on this matter.
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Reviews of 'Adolescence' Overlook the Root Causes of Teen Violence
This article, by a adolescent therapist, reviews the popular Netflix series and believes that it gives a seriously inadequate picture of the multitude of reasons adolescents become violent. See what you think.
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Therapists and couples say that sometimes a “sleep divorce” can revive a relationship.
This is from the New York Times, so you probably can’t read it without a subscription, so I’ll summarize some of its major points. Sometimes couples don’t sleep well in the same bed because one snores, or one prefers much more neatness or some other factor. Some couples have opted for sleeping in separate rooms and find their sleeping much improved. Often their sex lives improve also (both frequency and quality), and many continue the practice of separate sleeping for many years, reserving the former common bedroom for times of intimacy. The authors suggest there may be other ways to handle some of these issues without moving to separate bedrooms, e.g., earplugs, earphones with restful music, sometimes just putting a gentle hand on the snoring partner will cause them to shift positions without waking them up, etc. The authors suggest that if a couple does decide to sleep in separate bedrooms they have a discussion about intimacy beforehand but conclude that for some couples this has been a satisfying solution.
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The Problem of Sextortion: A Message for Parents and Pastors of Teenage Young Men
This is a special edition of Albert Mohler’s Briefing. It’s only 15 minutes long. If you counsel with male teens, or with parents of teen males, or are close to your pastor, encourage them to listen to this short broadcast. To give a summary, young men are often introduced to sextortion through a chatroom, often on some non-sexual context such as sports, but behind this are organized criminals who, often posing as young women, gradually encourage the young man to get involved in something sexual, or send a sexual picture, and then blackmail the teen to send money or a gift card or they will publicize what the person did. The blackmail often intensifies, including demands for more money. Out of embarrassment and fear of being exposed, the teen often sends money, but in some cases teens have gone as far as committing suicide. The good news, as emphasized in Mohler’s broadcast, is that Christian parents can affirm that sin, including sexual sin, is wrong, but it can be forgiven, and legal authorities can be contacted to give legal protection. A worthwhile investment of 15 minutes for anyone who deals with teen and young adult males.
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Snapchat is Harming Children at an Industrial Scale
This article about Snapchat identifies how serious the above problem discussed by Mohler is. Reportedly Snap, the parent company for Snapchat, receives a report of about 10,000 complaints about sextortion every month.
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6 Ways to Shift Your Thinking When Bipolar Depression Distorts Your Thoughts
Although this article is written for people with bipolar disorder who are in the depressed phase, I think these six suggestions would be helpful for anyone who struggles with depression.
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Number of Americans who don't identify as Christian but claim 'personal commitment to Jesus' nears record high: survey
The latest statistics from Barna research are interesting: while 66% of Americans identify with Jesus, many of them are not interested in church involvement or identifying themselves as Christians. Understanding this dichotomy is important as you counsel with clients.
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Trump Recognizes Start of Holy Week: ‘History Was Forever Changed’ By Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Although some have wondered whether the President was only a cultural Christian (i.e., someone who believed Christianity was healthy for society, but not a personal believer himself), his comments on Truth Social and the statement from White House this week suggest that his faith has become a personal one.
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How Often Do Married Couples Have Sex?
This compilation of research about sex frequency for married couples is quite informative, and reading and digesting it may be helpful to many couples.
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How to Change Doctors: 7 Tips to Make It Easier
Sometimes people need to change doctors for various reasons—they move, the doctor’s office no longer takes their insurance, they don’t feel heard by their doctor, etc. Although this article was written for bipolar patients who need to change their doctor, I think the advice could apply helpfully to any of us, whether we’re psychiatric patients, who need to change our doctor.
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Never Answer to These 4 Words on a Phone Call
If you answer a call and the person at the other end asks, “Can you hear me?” never answer with a “Yes.” This article explains why this is the latest scam and why answering with a “Yes” can be so detrimental.
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Rejection Sensitivity Is Worse for Girls and Women with ADHD
Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (often abbreviated RSD) is often most severe in girls and women with ADHD. This article explains why, and some steps girls and women with RSD can take to reduce it.
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UK Supreme Court rules transgender women do not fit legal term ‘woman’ in landmark decision
Although this does not mean that our U.S. Supreme Court will rule the same way. “Britain’s Supreme Court ruled that the word ‘woman’ refers to biological sex under the country’s anti-discrimination law, in a blow to trans rights activists.” ….. “However, the five judges involved in the ruling emphasized that they were not commenting more broadly on whether trans women are women, saying it was not the role of the court to adjudicate on the meaning of gender or sex. Instead, the judgment is limited to the precise meaning of language in the 2010 Equality Act, which aims to prevent discrimination.” So this does not automatically mean our Supreme Court will rule the same way, since the U.K. ruling is referring to a British law.
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The Ethical Dilemma of In-vitro Fertilization
Parents who carry genes for medical defects have often viewed in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with gratitude. But The New York Times, to its credit, recently carried three articles raising some of the serious ethical questions related to IVF and included several pages of reader responses to those articles. While IVF can allow parents to screen for serious genetic problems, for every child chosen, thousands of fetuses end up not being chosen (and probably eventually eliminated). And some couples are using IVF, not to prevent genetic problems, but to create “designer babies,” a situation reminiscent of some of the Nazi horrors of the last century. One further thought: much good can result from caring for and nurturing a child with special needs, such as a “Down’s Syndrome child.”
The Alabama Supreme Court examined the issue of whether the disposal of the excess embryos created during the process amounted to child abuse, but Alabama legislators, even in a state so populated with Christian churches as that state is, was so alarmed with the results of that Supreme Court decision that they immediately drafted legislation to counteract it.
So IVF, even in the eyes of secular columnists, recognizes that this medical procedure raises significant ethical issues. If you have parents who are considering this process, it is probably wise to encourage them to talk with a wise and trusted spiritual advisor and pray about the appropriate decision.
Don't Make These Morning Health Mistakes
Most advice articles repeat things we’ve already heard, but this one from WebMD really does have some good advice that you probably have not heard before. I encourage you to take two minutes to read it.
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Global study links coffee and tea consumption to cancer risk
This meta-analysis combined 14 different studies. In summary, it found that drinking up to four cups of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee per day was associated with a lower risk of several kinds of neck and throat cancers. Drinking one cup of tea per day was associated with lower risk of at least one kind of cancer. Associations do not provide causation, but these results should assuage fears that modest drinking of coffee would lead to increased risk of cancer.
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I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Henry Virkler