Counseling News from the Week of August 22,2025
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
"This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun."
Julia Child
“Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.”
Martin Luther
"I swing big, with everything I've got. I hit big or I miss big. I like to live as big as I can."
Babe Ruth
“At any moment, man must decide, for better or for worse, what will be the monument of his existence.”
Viktor Frankl, "Man's Search for Meaning"
“Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
Charles Dickens, "Sketches by Boz"
"To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there."
Kofi Annan
“It is the sign of a great spirit to be moderate in prosperity.”
Seneca the Elder
"Years ago, I tried to top everybody, but I don't anymore. I realized it was killing conversation. When you're always trying for a topper you aren't really listening."
Groucho Marx
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
Dale Carnegie
Fascinating Facts
The World’s First Surviving Septuplets Are Grown Ups Now
This is the amazing story of a couple who had septuplets (7 children at once) and all survived. It will take about five minutes to read the story from their birth to their adulthoods, but if you do you’ll find it’s an amazing story of what a family can do when everyone (this also included family and friends) cooperates together to make it work (imagine trying to potty-train seven children at the same time)!
Click here to read the full article
Niagara Falls
Some fascinating information about the Falls, where the first hydroelectric dam to produce alternating current was created. Daredevils have performed various feats on tightrope crossing the Falls, such as cooking a breakfast, but now the United States and Canada both have severe fines for anyone trying to duplicate those adventures.
Click here to read the full article
Cambridge Dictionary adds skibidi, delulu and tradwife among over 6,000 new words
In case you are young enough to want to stay current on all the new words being used by young people, this article will inform you of some of them.
Click here to read the full article
Why are farmers playing jazz music to cows?
65 years ago my father used to play music on a radio in the barn, believing that it helped cows relax and release their milk better. It seems that cows appear to be drawn to music, and one of the current TikTok trends is playing jazz music to cows. Cows are curious creatures, so I believe most any kind of music and musician would pique their interest.
Click here to read the full article
Counseling Articles
Brain Changes Underlying PTSD are Revealed in Detailed Analysis at the Single-Cell Level
This is more technical than probably most of us can fully understand, but it is some of the newest research on what changes occur in the brain with PTSD.
Click here to read the full article
Winston Churchill, Hero or Villain?
This obviously is not a counseling article, but I think it helps us to occasionally think about courageous humans who have played a pivotal role in human history. In a previous century, Winston Churchill was such a person, and God clearly used him to confront what otherwise would have been a terrible evil. I invite you to listen to the first 12 minutes of Albert Mohler’s discussion of him at the following address: https://albertmohler.com/2025/08/15/briefing-8-15-25/
Supreme Court to Decide if Conversion Therapy is Speech
As a prayer request to everyone reading this newsletter, the Supreme Court has agreed next year to decide the case of whether “conversion therapy” in counseling is free speech. Conversion therapy is defined as any counseling that would help a person work through ideas about sexual orientation or gender identity. Gay and transgender advocates believe these issues are fixed and counselors should not attempt to change them. Several professional organizations and legislatures in several states have forbidden such counseling, whereas many counselors believe that counselors should be free to discuss these issues with clients and help them change their minds if they decide to do so. So let’s pray that the Supreme Court will make a wise decision about this matter.
Click here to read the full article
Senior, 76, died while trying to meet Meta AI chatbot ‘Big sis Billie’ — which he thought was real woman living in NYC
In a sad story, a cognitively impaired 76-year-old man attempted to travel to meet an AI chatbot who claimed she was in love with him. Despite being entreated by his wife and children to stay home, he rushed to catch a train from New Jersey to New York City and suffered a fatal neck and head injury in the process. He was taken off life-support three days later, surrounded by loved ones.
Click here to read the full article
Walking and Diet Boost Cognition in At-Risk Adults
Men and women are both at risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, but women are twice as likely to develop it than men. One gene (APOE) contributes significantly to this, and if people have two alleles for APOE it raises the risk for both men and women. This research found that the simple exercise of walking significantly decreased cognitive decline in both men and women who have this allele.
Click here to read the full article
Beethoven’s Daily Routine: 5 Practices That Helped Make Him a Musical Titan
Beethoven is remarkable in that, even though he lost his hearing early in life and never had financial sponsors, he became one of history’s most prolific composers. Take a moment and read his 5 practices that helped him become so productive. These are five practices that science has shown to help all of us be healthier and more productive. Good information to share with clients.
Click here to read the full article
A Surprising (and Easy) Way to Boost Your Attention Span
I’m not sure if you’ll be able to access this article since it’s from the New York Times, so I’ll summarize it’s major points, but you can try the hyperlink below if interested further. For reasons scientists don’t fully understand, being out in nature can boost your attention span, your mood and your creativity.
Click here to read the full article
The New Allure of Positive Eugenics
Eugenics developed a bad reputation by its use by Nazis, but there is a new resurgence in interest by wealthy people who, for a fee of up to $50,000.00 per child, can have a company sort embryos and allegedly, be able to have couples select the embryos most likely to become highly intelligent persons in the future. Of course, besides the cost and the possibility that these selected embryos may not develop as predicted, there is also the ethical issue that any embryos not selected will be discarded as medical waste.
Click here to read the full article
Canada Is Killing Itself
You won’t be able to read this very comprehensive article on how euthanasia is affecting the nation of Canada without a subscription to the Atlantic, so I’ll summarize some of its major points. Medical Assistance in Dying was passed by the Canadian legislature in 2016. It was initially passed as a way for people with painful terminal illnesses to end their suffering. But in the nine years since the law was passed the safeguards have gradually been removed, so it is now available to anyone who is suffering from any physical or mental illness, whether or not they are terminal. And now the definition of suffering has been changed from a medical definition to one which allows the person themselves to define what is suffering. And the latest change has been the suggestion to make medical assistance in dying available to mature minors as well. The attitude of doctors involved in this process in Canada has changed as well. At a recent conference on medically assisted suicide the conference was served all the accoutrements that normally accompany any professional conference. And doctors speak calmly about attending to the final moments of a patient’s life and stopping for coffee on the way home.
The emphasis has shifted from relieving suffering at the end of life to giving people, including young people, autonomy over their lives and when to end them. And among older people and people with disabilities, who no longer produce an income and may have significant medical expenses, many are feeling it is their responsibility to request medically assisted death in dying. So this article is a warning that euthanasia, although it sounds inviting, can soon grow into a culture of death.
Click here to read the full article
How Is Substance Use Treated in Bipolar Disorder?
When a client has both a bipolar disorder and substance abuse the situation is more complicated than treating either one alone. Here are some insights and guidance about how to do so.
Click here to read the full article
Beautifully Unbroken: Living Fully and Imperfectly With Bipolar
An interesting article that talks about how to live in our imperfect world with imperfect personalities. This perspective could apply to most of us, regardless of the diagnosis or non-diagnosis that we have.
Click here to read the full article
Print beats digital for preschoolers learning to read, study finds
In a large study of 3 to 6-year-olds, it was found that print-based media (i.e., books) beat literacy games for teaching preschoolers to read.
Click here to read the full article
The Difference Between the Left and Right Brain
People who have read articles by authors in the past may have misconceptions about the two halves of the brain and may refer to their personalities as predominantly “left-brained” or “right-brained.” See the following article for an updated description of the two halves of the brain and their functions.
Click here to read the full article
Can AI’s Crazy Train Be Derailed? Christian AI Efforts Seek to Shape Emerging Tech
A few things are clear at this point: (1) AI is with us to stay and has a significant potential to shape many areas of our lives, often positively, in the future, (2) Sometimes present-day Chatbots give crazy or even dangerous suggestions to users, and (3) Hopefully AI safeguards will rapidly improve in the future. There are a couple versions of AI that have some biblical data built into them—Grok and Col, and this article discusses the differences between the AI drawn only from secular information and these two, which also draw from secular information but look at it through a biblical lens. See article for more information.
Click here to read the full article
ADHD and Sex: When Sex Feels Like “Too Much” and “Not Enough” Simultaneously
This article is written specifically for women with ADHD who are struggling with satisfaction in their sexual relationship with their partner. Authored by a counselor who specializes in sex therapy and ADHD, it gives some suggestions that may help such clients.
Click here to read the full article
Smithsonian 'obscuring' new study finding greater gap between humans, apes than previously thought: Geologist
The Smithsonian Museum has come under increasing criticism in recent years for a variety of reasons. Secular science has often portrayed humans as evolving from one of the monkey or ape groups. Many evangelical Christians have believed that humans were a special creation directly from God, and not a product of evolution. See this article for some of the arguments about this issue.
Click here to read the full article
Trump comments about Heaven spark debate over salvation, good works: 'I want to try'
Over the past few months, some of the President’s comments, particularly after the assassination attempts, caused me to think he had become a believer. His comments this week made me realize that he still believes people earn their way to heaven through good works. Let’s pray that he comes to understand that we can’t earn our way to heaven by our own good works, but by the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
Click here to read the full article
Dr. James Dobson, Focus on the Family founder and advisor to 5 presidents, dead at 89
Beloved child psychologist Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on The Family and a national evangelical leader during the latter part of the 20th century along with Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, passed away Thursday morning.
Click here to read the full article
OpenAI limits ChatGPT’s role in mental health help: ChatGPT will now steer clear of offering direct mental health advice under new OpenAI rules
This Friday mailing has discussed some of the disquieting things that have occurred when teens and adults consulted OpenAI for advice. This article by Kurt Knutsson (“Kurt. the Cyberguy”) discusses some of the safeguards OpenAI is trying to implement but also includes some things that users should still be aware of.
Click here to read the full article
Broadening Death and Cheapening Life: The Organ “Shortage”
The debate about when a dying person should be considered “dead” so their organs could be transplanted while still viable has intensified in the last few months. This Breakpoint article informs us of the issues Christians should consider in thinking about this debate.
Click here to read the full article
Double Jointed with ADHD? It’s Not a Coincidence.
Apparently hypermobility is more common in those with ADHD, especially girls and women with ADHD. Apparently there are several types of hypermobility. Many do not cause problems, but a few of these kinds can be problematic. If you work with those with ADHD, or have a loved one with ADHD, you may be interested in this article.
Click here to read the full article
Study Shows How Neurotransmitter Systems Interact to Generate Prosocial Effects & Limit Abuse Potential of MDMA
There is debate in the therapy field about the use of psychoactive drugs such as MDMA (“molly”) in therapy. There are some prosocial features to the use of these drugs, but there are also some dangers, such as overdose (and even death, as in the case of Matthew Perry). Here is an article that discusses some of the most recent research on this issue.
Click here to read the full article
Best wishes for a wonderful weekend!
Henry Virkler