Articles from the Week of June 20, 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 advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."
James Madison
"Hatred and anger are the greatest poison to the happiness of a good mind."
Adam Smith
“You have to fail in order to practice being brave.”
MARY TYLER MOORE
"Science progresses best when observations force us to alter our preconceptions."
Vera Rubin, as quoted in "In Quest of the Universe."
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."
Edmund Burke
“A dream without ambition is like a car without gas... you're not going anywhere."
Sean Hampton
"If there's not love present, it's much, much harder to function. When there's love present, it's easier to deal with life."
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Brian Wilson
Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or keep one; the man who requires you to do so is dearly purchased at a sacrifice.
Robert E. Lee
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Fascinating Facts
The dark Universe
Dark matter and dark energy make up 95% of the universe, but no one has seen either one. Scientists infer the existence of both from scientific observations. It helps us have a sense of humility about how much we do not know.
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Man with the world's highest IQ: 'Jesus Christ is God'
The man with the world’s highest IQ (reportedly 276) proclaims that he believes that Jesus Christ is God, and is the way, the truth, and the life.
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Counseling Articles
The 'Father Divide' and What It Means for Our Kids
When parents are considering divorce, this research reminds us how important it is for the well-being of children to have both parents in the home. If the parents do ultimately divorce, that research can hopefully be a motivator for both parents to stay as involved with their children as possible.
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Men Are in Trouble. Maybe Fatherhood and Bigger Families Are a Solution
Many years ago Chuck Colson wrote a book called The Good Life in which he compared what the world thinks of as “the good life” as compared with what Scripture tells us. Today the culture is often telling us that the “good life” is childlessness that allows men and women to focus on their own needs. This article explains why the opposite may be true—that having and raising children is something that changes men for the better. Many of us who have had the privilege of raising children could affirm that to be true.
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The Benefits of Taking a Gap Year
This article discusses the benefits of having young adults take a gap year before going to college or doing something else. It probably includes at least a few benefits you had not thought of before. If you counsel young adults or parents I encourage you to read this article.
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The Older Adults Conquering Loneliness Through Storytelling
In an article that illustrates some of the research from last week’s Friday News, some cities are now starting a program called Life Story Clubs, where seniors get together and share their life stories and more recent experiences.
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The Millennial Dad Dividend
This is a story that you don’t hear frequently (if ever) but millennial Dads are spending more time with their children, are helping more with changing diapers and family chores, which I’m sure is an encouragement to mothers and hopefully will result in healthier children and adults in the years ahead.
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New study shows electric fields enhance immune response against brain cancer
Glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer, usually kills patients within eight months. But a new treatment raises hopes that lifespans can be lengthened with this type of treatment.
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Maximize the Benefits of Your Teen’s Stimulants
Sometimes teens or their parents think that it would be helpful (or fun) to combine the use of their stimulants with some other drug. This article discusses this topic.
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Bonding Activity Ideas
Here is a nice visual of things that parents can do with children, tweens and teens to build and strengthen relationships.
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Cuddling With Your Sweetheart Before Sleeping May Decrease Relational Stress, Study Says
A research study confirmed what many of us have experienced: “the subjects who were most physically close to each other at sleep onset reported feeling lower levels of stress, which was indirectly linked to lower levels of relational insecure attachment.”
Not everyone probably prefers one method of cuddling. The article concludes with a hypertext link to another excellent article on cuddling which includes 21 positions for cuddling, so you can find one position that works for you and your partner.
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Most people are guilty of doing this in the shower — but experts warn it’s incredibly dangerous: ‘Don’t do it’
When I first read this headline I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this article, but after reading it I realized it’s important information for people to know, especially women, so I encourage you to read it.
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Shocking study challenges mental health claims about puberty blockers
A study last year concluded that the use of puberty-blockers produced no mental health benefit for gender-dysphoric youth. As you may remember, the author of the study withheld the results because she feared the results would be used by the opponents of gender-affirming approaches, but other scientists criticized her, saying that science can only advance when we are open-minded about accepting the results of our research, whether it supports our positions or causes us to rethink them.
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The Brain’s Nightly Detox: Is Sleep Essential for Mental Health?
We probably are all aware that sleep contributes to good mental health. Each day various organs produce toxic materials, which the lymphatic system removes each night. In the brain there is no lymphatic system, but the glymphatic system provides a similar cleaning process. That is why it’s necessary to get adequate rest each night, so the glymphatic system can do this cleaning.
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What Happens When Games Replace Reality
This is a comprehensive article about how gaming can become an addiction in people. See later article in this compilation about how screen addiction is related to suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior.
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Think Twice Before Booking an AI Therapist
This article identifies several of the dangers of receiving therapy from an AI chatbot. Human counselors still do a much better job at providing therapy.
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AI Obituary Pirates Are Exploiting Our Grief
Here is a new trend that may affect you if a friend or loved one dies—obituary pirates. If you haven’t heard of this and want to understand what it is, this article explains.
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10 Damaging Myths About Learning Disabilities
When reading this article you may find that you’ve been believing one or more of these incorrect beliefs about learning disabilities. This would probably be a good article to download and save on your computer because you undoubtedly will have one or more clients in the future who believe at least some of them.
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A Landmark Supreme Court Decision: United States versus Skrmetti
This week the U.S. Supreme Court made a very important decision. It did not say that transgender women and transgender men do not exist, it simply said that Tennessee did not violate the Constitution when it forbade those younger than 18 with gender dysphoria to be treated with puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-reassignment surgery. Once a person has reached adulthood, if they wish to pursue such changes, this is not addressed in this court decision. But the 27 states that currently have laws restricting transgender treatments to children and teens will probably be upheld in the future.
Some conservatives will be dissatisfied with this decision, because it still left open the issue of whether there could be transgender adult males and transgender adult females and still left open decisions about adult transgender male and female employment issues, bathroom access, and transgender males in female sports. And some progressives will not be satisfied, because it said that it was not unconstitutional for states to make laws forbidding transgender treatments for children and teens. And some of our professional groups, which seem to be out of touch with medical professionals in Finland, Great Britain, and other European countries that previously were pioneers in transgender treatments but have now decided to pull back, may not be pleased.
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Addictive Screen Use Trajectories and Suicidal Behaviors, Suicidal Ideation, and Mental Health in US Youths
This research, which came out on Wednesday of this week (June 18), is especially important for counselors who work with teens. For a few years there has been concern that increasing screen time increased the chances for suicidal ideation and behavior. This research parsed this understanding further. Following 4,000 young people, it found that the most significant factor was not the amount of screen time a youth spent, but whether they showed addictive qualities toward that screen time, whether the focus was social media, games, or phones. Those who showed addictive tendencies toward whatever activities they were involved in were 2-3 times more likely to become suicidal.
Helping teens and their parents make that distinction will be important in distinguishing which teens are at increased risk.
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What to Do When You Have a Goal—But Can’t Find the Motivation
This article talks about the fact that lack of motivation can be a healthy thing—sometimes it’s a brake that comes on for our own health. However, sometimes lack of motivation keeps us from doing things we know would be for our own good. The second half of this article gives some good suggestions that may be helpful to you or some of your clients.
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Slow Down to Fall in Love Again
Although this title may suggest romantic love, it is about a much broader part of our lives. It starts with some self-disclosure by the author, who found that slowing down her pace helped her fall back into love with many parts of her life—her work, her food, even her exercising. It might be helpful for all of us to try.
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These last three articles are not specifically counseling-related, but because this has been a somewhat slower week on counseling-related articles, I’m including them in case you are interested in the topics.
UK Vote for Unlimited Abortions Will Allow Killing Babies During Birth
In a saddening event the UK legislature amended a law which did not allow abortions after 25 weeks except to save the life of the mother. With the new amendment, abortions may occur up to the point of delivery, and even during delivery.
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Erick turns rainmaker after hitting Mexico’s Pacific coast as a strong hurricane. 1 dead
The first hurricane of the 2025 season hit Mexico on the Pacific Ocean side. Recent advances in AI tell us that AI will be able to predict the development of hurricanes 15 days in advance.
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SPLC Finally Clears Up ‘Major Misconception’ About Whether It Is ‘Anti-Christian’
The Southern Poverty Law group has confirmed that it is anti-Christian, listing Focus on the Family as a hate group along with the KKK and other groups.
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Have a wonderful week!
Henry Virkler