Counseling News from the Week of December 12,2025

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

"Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary, speak–and speak in such a way that people will remember it."

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

A great man is always willing to be little.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“What is more valuable than Gold? Diamonds. Than Diamonds? Virtue.”

Benjamin Franklin

"We are more fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves."

John Glenn

“A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.”

ARNOLD GLASOW

“Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.”

George Washington

"Hearts are the strongest when they beat in response to noble ideals."

Ralph Bunche

"Voices ought not be measured by how pretty they are. Instead they matter only if they convince you that they are telling the truth."

Sam Cooke

Fascinating Facts

North Carolina Man Marries 3 Women at Once

An investigation has revealed that Harry Burdick Jr. is currently married to three separate women in three different counties in North Carolina. Apparently, his motive for the multiple simultaneous marriages was personal and financial gain. Authorities believe that he has additional marriages and encourages anyone with information about this to contact them. Bigamy (being married to one person while already being married to someone else is illegal in all 50 states).

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Man Falls 30 Feet Trying to View Kilauea Eruption

A man nearly lost his life when he fell 30 feet while trying to get a better view of erupting Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. His life was spared when he was caught by a tree, which prevented him from falling another 100 feet to the caldera floor. Suggestion: Warning signs are there for a reason!

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Woman gives birth in Waymo on her way to San Francisco hospital

A woman gave birth in the back seat of a self-driving car, which delivered her and her baby safely to the hospital. The car has temporarily been taken out of service for cleaning.

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Counseling Articles

AI and God’s Creation Mandate

This article from Breakpoint recognizes that AI is undoubtedly with us to stay, and that it has both benefits and dangers. The article reminds us that we need Godly discernment to help us separate what it has to offer with the parts with which we need to exercise caution or even stay away from.

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5 Science-Backed Sleep Habits That Actually Work, According to Neurologists

Some of you have clients who complain about not being able to get to sleep, or you may have trouble sleeping yourself. Here are five science-based sleep habits to try to see if they improve your sleep.

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Divorce is falling for today’s newlyweds

In the 1980s it was commonly said that ½ of first-time marriages would end in divorce. We know the enormous pain for couples and children when this happens, and so it is comforting to know that the divorce rate is gradually decreasing. In 2010 the rate was approaching that of the 1960s. Perhaps with continued improvement in our counseling methods, we can continue to see that rate decrease.

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What’s Killing Marriage—Unmarriageable Men or Liberal Women?

This author examines the factors that may be undermining men’s and women’s (especially women’s) desire to get married. Although the empirical evidence suggests that married women are happier (as an overall group) than single women, much of social media tells single women that marriage is not something to be desired.

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Explicit Culture

This author discusses the fact that children are bombarded with nasty comments about opposing political figures and viewpoints and sexual content in public places that a few years ago would not be considered age-appropriate. Perhaps it is time for us as adults to start to have a voice in what is being publicly broadcast in our public spaces.

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Parenting With Purpose

This is the second article I’ve read in the last few weeks by a psychoanalyst that I find myself fully agreeing with. I encourage you to read it: I think you’ll find she says some very important things.

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How Prayer Impacts Fertility Across Europe

You may not see the immediate connection between the two parts of this title. But secular theories have had devastating effects on some countries. For example, in Communist China there are now 30 single men for every eligible woman. And as this author traces the trends, as Europe has secularized and abandoned religious faith and prayer, fertility has significantly decreased. It appears that only in religious families is the conception and raising of children remaining a priority.

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Why Randy Travis’ Wife Refused to Pull the Plug

In 2013 Randy Travis suffered a stroke and had a severe staph infection and some doctors encouraged her to “pull the plug.” But here she describes what caused her to believe Randy would recover, which he has done partially. He still has trouble speaking and singing, but with the help of AI that mimics his voice, he has been able to partially return to his music career. Read this article about this incredible story.

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‘We’re All Just Winging It’: What the Gender Doctors Say in Private

This article describes the controversies that are now emerging within transgender medicine as more questions and lawsuits emerge. WPATH (the World Professional Association for Transgender Health) which two decades ago was respected as an objective resource for doctors and psychologists to consult, has become embroiled in controversy because it has been found that much of the research it used to support its transgender policies and recommendations were based on highly questionable data. This article gives a glimpse into the difficulties facing those involved in this area of treatment.

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No Pill for the Human Condition

Last week I included an article titled “Communicating the Neurobiology of Major Depressive Disorder.” While I said I agreed with much of what that author said, I said that I believed there are other things that cause depression and suffering that are not due just to neurobiological causes and explained what I believed a few of those were.

This psychiatrist agrees and argues that some forms of suffering can’t be explained completely by neurobiological sources. See what you think of her ideas.

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Writing Builds Resilience by Changing Your Brain, Helping You Face Everyday Challenges

An interesting compilation of research on the benefits of writing in several areas, including helping us build resilience, including several other ways. Read the article: it has implications for counselors, parents and teachers.

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4 tips for managing holiday stress from a counselor

If you have a client or friend who is overly stressed this holiday season, here are four practical tips that could help them.

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How Certain Foods May Fuel ADHD Symptoms, and 5 Ways to Help

It has now been found that certain foods and food additives (such as certain dyes used to make some foods more colorful) can now fuel ADHD symptoms. If a parent has one or more children with ADHD, making 5 practical changes in their food purchases can make a difference.

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Five Genetic Clusters Explain Over Half of All Psychiatric Risk

For those of you interested in the genetic basis of some, perhaps most mental disorders, this article discusses a recent statistical analysis. One thing we have known for some time is that there seems to be a comorbidity between some mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety. It appears that five genetic clusters appear regularly in mental 14 disorders, compulsive, Schizophrenia/Bipolar (SB), Neurodevelopmental, Internalizing (which includes depression and anxiety) and Substance Use. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder shared such a degree of underlying risk that they were grouped to form the single SB factor.

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Australia launches youth social media ban it says will be the world's 'first domino’

On Wednesday Australia launched the first national ban that prohibits those under 16 from using any of 10 popular social media platforms. Supporters believe research supports this law and that other countries will soon follow. Teens younger than 16 say they will find ways around the law. (The U.S. Congress is currently having interviews with parents, many of whom have lost children connected to social media use.)

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Charlie Kirk’s Last Message

During the last year of his life Charlie Kirk was writing a book, which was published posthumously on December 9. The book is entitled Stop in the Name of God and is an encouragement to slow down the pace of our lives, take a Sabbath rest, and reconnect with God in our lives.

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Supporting Your Teen with ADHD

Here are some good suggestions for parents about what a normal child with ADHD looks like, i.e., it helps parents readjust their expectations based on the behavioral changes ADHD causes. It also includes several practical ideas on how they can support their children who have ADHD and then concludes with some positive things that can come with ADHD. Parents often get so focused on the negative things about ADHD that they forget to do the things that could make their life, and the lives of their child, better.

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One Antidepressant Deprescribing Strategy Topped Others in Preventing Relapse

When a person’s biological depression goes into remission there are several options one can take to prevent relapse. Staying on the antidepressant longer, or even permanently, is one. Stopping the antidepressant quickly is another. Tapering the antidepressant gradually is a third. But the option that reduces the likelihood of relapsing the most is gradual tapering combined with supportive therapy.

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Florida Sues Medical Groups Over Youth Gender-Affirming Care

Florida is suing three groups, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Endocrine Society, saying that they misled the public about the safety and reversibility of “gender-affirming care” treatments. Based on the review done by the Cass Report in Great Britain the lawsuit contends that there was no high-quality evidence that puberty blockers and opposite-sex hormones were either safe or effective treatments for gender dysphoria, and as a result, their affirmations violated the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

While we do not know whether this lawsuit will be successful, this possibility does raise the risk for any counselors who would continue to encourage children and teens to pursue “gender-affirming care” rather than use counseling to help children deal with gender dysphoria.

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To Help You Rest a Bit Easier

We all have probably felt a little uncomfortable knowing that many of the drivers of these huge 18-wheel trucks could not read English. According to reports this week about 10,000 truckers who failed English literacy tests have had their trucker’s licenses suspended.

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Former atheist who made horror movies releases Christian documentary exploring evidence for God

A former atheist who used to make horror movies has become a Christian and now is releasing a Christian documentary where he interviews several leading scientists to compile evidence for God. Available on several platforms on December 13, including Amazon, Apple and Google.

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Would You Like to Contribute to the Training of Future Christian Counselors?

Palm Beach Atlantic University has created the Henry A. Virkler scholarship to fund scholarships for people coming to PBA to train to become counselors. Initial donors have already contributed nearly $27,000.00. If you, or someone you know, would like to contribute, you can find further information at 

Click here to access the site

https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/adaptive-donor-form?formId=d074ac9f-035d-4e6c-85ce-fc4c870ee7c1&envid=p-fNLUMk0SGEWx_dLD1r8O5A&zone=usa

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Henry Virkler