Counseling News from the Week of October 3,2025
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
“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.”
William Shakespeare, "Julius Caesar"
"If you want to succeed, you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success."
John D. Rockefeller
“Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.”
George Washington
“People bloom at different stages of their lives, and often more than once.”
Lauren Graham
"Any work of art, provided it springs from a sincere motivation to further understanding between people, is an act of faith and therefore is an act of love."
Truman Capote
“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.”
Albert Einstein
Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.
Maya Angelou
“If winter is slumber, and spring is birth, and summer is life, then autumn rounds out to be reflection.”
Mitchell Burgess
Fascinating Facts
.From Hero to Zero: America’s Most Infamous Traitor
Most of us know Benedict Arnold was a traitor, but we may not know much about his life. He actually was a quite accomplished military leader on the American side, before he became a traitor. Although he emigrated to Britain for his safety, he was never accepted by the British and died a very unhappy man.
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Why Would You Have a 61-mile Conveyor Belt in the Sahara Desert?
Interesting question. There is a phosphate mine in the Sahara desert (phosphate is important for making fertilizer which makes food for the whole world, and the best way to get it from the desert to a navigable port is by this conveyor belt). (I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time reading the article unless you enjoy being bombarded with obnoxious advertisements, but I thought the question why people would build a 61-mile conveyor belt in the Desert was interesting.)
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Sad bumper sticker now being sold: “Make assassinations great again.”
Does Your Backyard Need a Stegosaurus?
You won’t be able to read this without a subscription to the New York Times, but in case you’re interested a dinosaur park in New Jersey is closing and has 31 animated dinosaurs for sale including a stegosaurus, over 29 feet long and described as “housebroken,” which is selling for $1,260. The adult triceratops? $2,230. A life-size T. rex, 39 feet long, 18 feet tall, “slightly used” and “well loved,” will cost you $2,700. However, getting one or more of them shipped to your home could be a challenge.
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Counseling Articles
Meta’s AI Chatbot: A Deadly Design Ignoring Tragic Lessons
Another article documenting how AI chatbots can engage children in sexual or dangerous (e.g. suicidal) behavior. Clearly parents need to warn children of the dangers of such chatbots (and perhaps go further and restrict their use), and demand that our legislators set up legal safeguards to protect children and teens when using these programs.
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Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 4.5, its latest AI model that’s ‘more of a colleague’
The latest version of AI, which is supposed to be superior to any previous versions, and has parental controls built in, became available Tuesday. However, another article in the New York Times about the latest version of ChatGPT on Wednesday, said that it’s very easy for teens to bypass the parental controls. What this probably means is that it’s much easier for teens to bypass the parental controls than it is for parents to recognize they’ve been bypassed.
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Scientists improved CRISPR's effectiveness for treating genetic diseases threefold
CRISPR is a gene-editing tool that has the potential to change genes that are causing problems. However, CRISPR has to get inside the cell to do its work. According to scientists, they have developed a new method that allows CRISPR to enter cells more easily, and this is considered to be a major advance in technology.
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Cannabis May Disrupt Female Fertility, Fuel Chromosome Errors
I included an article last week that the College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly encouraged women who are pregnant or lactating to not use any cannabis because it enters the child’s developing brain and because it does not ease pregnancy symptoms.
(See https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/cannabis-use-during-pregnancy-linked-higher-risk-preterm-2025a1000b9e in case you missed last week’s Friday Mailing.)
But now another research study gives two more reasons why women who hope to become pregnant should not use cannabis—it can interfere with fertility, and it increases the likelihood of chromosome errors in the baby.
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The Disturbing Epidemic of ‘Upside-Down Morality’
Not a counseling article, but a thoughtful commentary by Victor David Hanson.
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Why Experts Are Exploring Ketogenic Therapy for Mental Health
Probably most of us have heard of ketogenic diets but haven’t paid much attention to them. Psychiatry has attributed most major mental health issues to imbalances in the neurotransmitters in the brain. But psychiatry is starting to look more closely at the role of diet and general body metabolism in causing at least some mental problems, and a recent study found that one-third of people with serious mental disorders had metabolic syndrome. So be prepared to see this topic become more common in discussions of mental health disorders.
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Breaking Generational Cycles and Forming Emotional Bonds: Survey Reveals the Top Approaches to Modern Parenting
How are Generation Z parents raising their children? This research study tells you. (See also the article “Misadventures in Gentle Parenting” next in the Friday News.)
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My Misadventures in Gentle Parenting
This social worker and her husband reviewed many of the theories about parenting, from Dr. Spock to intensive parenting (which eventually became criticized as resulting in “helicopter parenting”) to William and Martha Sears (attachment parenting). They then tried gentle parenting for several years. But she eventually found that gentle parenting parents become exhausted, so it can eventually lead to permissive parenting. Her research revealed that there is no science or empirical evidence for the gentle parenting approach and so she now has abandoned a strict gentle parenting approach for a combination approach that makes sense to her. Enjoy listening to her misadventures and then think about the parenting philosophy she has developed.
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How the sexual revolution freed men and failed women
This article is written from a woman’s perspective and describes how powerfully the sexual revolution has damaged women. Her points are well-taken. Although the sexual revolution has freed men from the consequences of casual sex, I think the sexual revolution has been harmful to men also and I’d love to see someone write an article about the consequences have been for men of having the freedom to have numerous casual sex experiences without any commitment required.
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Regular exercise may change heart-control nerves
Previous studies have affirmed the benefits of exercise. This new study confirms that fact and gives one more reason moderate aerobic exercise benefits us.
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Child Saves Mom by Secretly Slipping Note to School Bus Driver That Read 'Call 911.'
A creative mother and her first-grade son are credited with possibly saving her life. The mother had been assaulted and was being held when she slipped a note to her son as he left for the school bus that said, “Call 911.” He gave that to the bus driver who called authorities, who then rescued the woman and arrested the intruder.
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What Happens in Vagus: Do At-Home Stimulation Devices Work?
The appeal of at-home neuromodulation devices is three-fold: these are less expensive than other treatments, people like being in control of their own treatments, and they are non-invasive. However, there have been no large, controlled experiments of their efficacy. (There have been a few small studies.) So experts urge caution using them or recommending them for wide-spread use. There may be occasional people who benefit, but larger scale testing is needed for solidly recommending them.
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A Doctor’s Guide to Treating Mixed States in Bipolar
Sometimes people with bipolar disorder have mixed states, i.e., periods where they have both manic and depressive symptoms. This psychiatrist gives suggestions about what to do in this case.
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Myths about masturbation side effects are spreading online. Here's what science actually says
In 2025 an online memo claimed that masturbation could result in low libido, back pain, impaired immune response, lower testosterone, penis shrinkage, brain damage and vaginal dryness. Medical studies found that masturbation can increase some hormones, increase intimacy, and lower stress. It is only unhealthy if it is overly forceful, compulsive or unhygienic. For women it can relieve vaginal dryness and dysmenorrhea. However, for women if hands are not washed beforehand, it can lead to bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections.
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Being organized and active may be predictor of longer life, study finds
People who described themselves as being organized and active were likely to live longer during a study, whereas those who described themselves as moody, anxious and depressed were more likely to die earlier.
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Elon Musk shares Erika Kirk's call to 'go to church'
Elon Musk has for several years been known as a cultural Christian, i.e., some who believes Christian principles are good ones for a culture to live by but has not has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Following Erika Kirk’s call to go to church, he also affirmed this, but does not seem to have changed his personal philosophy (his comment that since most people on earth are going to Hell, he won’t mind going there, doesn’t seem like the remarkably intelligent man we’ve come to know him as). Let’s pray for this dear man and the hundreds if not thousands who are starting to attend church, that they will become personal believers.
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Tylenol Maker Said in Internal Emails Evidence of Link to Autism ‘Starting to Feel Heavy’
The debate about whether Tylenol taken during pregnancy is associated with an increase in autism or hyperactivity continues. This research study was conducted by the Tylenol manufacturer themselves and concluded that the evidence against use of Tylenol in pregnancy was “very heavy.” I would agree with Dr. Oz and the current consensus of doctors that pregnant women should consult with their physician about the pros and cons of any use of Tylenol during pregnancy. It seems that using it when there are serious fevers the use of Tylenol may be warranted but taking it otherwise if there are other alternatives may not be wisdom until this issue is resolved.
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‘It Was a Fatal Right-Wing Terrorist Incident’: AI Chatbot Giants Claim Charlie Kirk’s Killer Was Right-Wing but Say Left-Wing Violence Is ‘Exceptionally Rare’
In just another reminder that we need to take AI conclusions with some degree of caution, apparently several AI chatbots agreed that Charlie Kirk’s killer was “right-wing” despite the fact that he labelled himself a Fascist. They also agree that left-wing violence is very rare. One wonders who is feeding these chatbots information. (Since most of these chatbots were developed in liberal-leaning cities, it seems likely that this may provide a clue.)
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ChatGPT Is Blowing Up Marriages as Spouses Use AI to Attack Their Partners
A growing number of persons are going to ChatGPT and asking about struggles with their marriage partners. And because their input is inevitably filtered through their own experience, a number of such marriages are ending. Even Geoffrey Hinton, considered the Godfather of ChatGPT, said that his relationship with his girlfriend ended over ChatGPT. So if you’re talking with friends who are having marital issues, encourage them to see a counselor rather than go to ChatGPT.
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Tragedy Overload
This may be useful for some of your clients. With contact to world news resources 24-7, it is possible to become overloaded with tragic incidents. Even Spurgeon, many decades ago, warned young pastors not to try to take on the burdens of the whole world. Most of us develop coping strategies such as only listening to news for set amounts of time, but some clients may stayed tuned to Notifications constantly because of FOMO (fear of missing out). As the article notes, only God has the bandwidth to absorb all the tragedies happening in the world. For clients who may be overwhelmed, the article gives some good advice for restricting one’s exposure to manageable levels.
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I hope you enjoyed this week’s articles.
Henry Virkler