Counseling News from the Week of December 26,2025
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
"Through this unique means, I convey to you and all mankind, America’s wish for peace on Earth and goodwill to men everywhere."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Whoever is happy will make others happy too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery!”
Anne Frank, "The Diary of a Young Girl"
"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends."
Clarence Odbody in "It's a Wonderful Life"
“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.”
EMILY DICKINSON
“It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves.”
KATHERINE MANSFIELD
“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.”
Augustine of Hippo
When God created me He commented: “This should be interesting.”
Saying emblazoned on a t-shirt.
Fascinating Facts
This Simple Element Could Be the Key to Infinite Energy!
Hydrogen is one of the most abundant elements in the universe and if we could develop the technology to harness it efficiently it might produce clean energy for decades. This article explains it, and some of the technological challenges that still need to be overcome for it to become a major energy source.
Click here to read the full article
The Factory of the Future is the World’s Largest 3D Printer
This printer at the University of Maine can print a house of 3,000 square feet or more. The houses are made entirely of reusable materials that are fully recyclable, and if the house is no longer needed, the materials can be ground up and reused.
Click here to read the full article
Counseling Articles
Note: This week was quite short on counseling-related articles, so at the end I included several Christmas-related ones that I hope you will enjoy.
The National Controversy over “Gender-Affirming Care” Continues
Twenty-seven states have adopted laws that limit or eliminate transgender treatments.
On December 17 the U.S. House of Representatives had passed a bill to ban transgender procedures for minors. (The Senate has not discussed this issue yet.)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces HHS crackdown on 'sex-rejecting' surgeries for minors: 'Malpractice'
On Thursday, December 18, there was a major news conference where Health and Human Services secretary RFK Jr. announced that the government was cracking down on practices that prescribed puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and transgender surgeries to teens experiencing gender dysphoria, and Dr. Mehmet Oz the administrator for Medicaid and Medicare announced that hospitals that provide such services would lose Medicare and Medicaid funding. As mentioned in a previous newsletter, Florida’s recently made a statement that that transgender procedures violate Florida law because they falsely affirm that transgender procedures are safe and reversible.
Click here to read the full article
Democrat-led states sue HHS over push to defund hospitals that perform sex-change procedures on minors
The above decision to stop Medicare and Medicaid funding to hospitals is not going without pushback. Nineteen states are suing the Department of Health and Human Services for their decision to withdraw funding for such procedures.
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Thus the national controversy continues, although the momentum continues to be in the direction of limiting or totally restricting transgender treatments for minors, and research indicates that by the end of puberty 85% of teens decide against transgender treatments.
Microhomes To Give Adults with Developmental Disabilities A Home of Their Own
An innovative concept to allow adults with developmental disabilities to have more independence and a place to call their own.
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Should You Always Be Honest? A Study on 200 Couples Shines Light
Some interesting anecdotes and research about honesty. As you might expect, being honest in a gentle way made for the healthiest relationships. But take a moment to read the nuances of this article. It also has an interesting section on the impact of “little white lies”—small deceptions meant to keep a relationship cordial, which some people believe are necessary for people to live harmoniously.
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Love Can Help Heal a Damaged Heart, New Review Suggests
An interesting article about research supporting the fact that our counseling can help heal relationships and also have positive healing effects on parts of the body, such as the heart. We know from other research that reducing a person’s stress can strengthen their immune system, lower blood pressure.
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Mothers Have the Clearest Sense of Purpose
Last week’s newsletter we covered three myths which some feminists teach but which are untrue. The truth is that married women live longer than their single counterparts, earn more during their lifetimes, and are happier with their lives. The research this week includes a fourth difference: married women with children have the clearest sense of purpose than other women.
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The Class Where ‘Screenagers’ Train to Navigate Social Media and A.I.
This is from the New York Times so you won’t be able to read it without a subscription, so I’ll summarize its major points. This article focuses on Valerie Ziegler, a California teacher, who teaches history as well as digital literacy, how to spot conspiracy theories, deepfakes and distinguish them from actual pictures, to consult a variety of sources, to detect rage-baiting content, to detect when something has been written by AI, and to critically evaluate an argument. But social media is changing every month, so an educational program like Ziegler’s must be constantly changing to keep up. So teaching students digital literacy is a new challenge for teachers everywhere, even though probably many teachers have not considered adding it to their teaching.
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The Kingdom of God Is Ruled by the Humblest of Men
I never thought I would be endorsing a theology article written in the New York Times but I guess it is good to always be open-minded. The author is a guest author and not one of their regular reporters. It does have a disclaimer at the bottom of the article saying that the New York Times is committed to publishing a diversity of opinions, so I’m not assuming that most New York Times staff have become Christians. The article is too long to summarize its major points, but if you have a subscription you may be pleasantly surprised.
Click here to read the full article
7 symbolic details about Jesus’ birth
This article from the Christian Post reminds us that many of our romanticized pictures of Jesus’ birth are incorrect. The time of Jesus’ birth was probably not quiet (Silent Night) because it was during a national census, where streets were probably crowded and noisy by incoming citizens. Bethlehem was an insignificant, rustic village, but it had been foretold in prophecy to be the birthplace where the Messiah would be born. The manger was probably a wooden or stone feeding trough, symbolizing the poverty of Mary and Joseph. The shepherds, even though they responded enthusiastically to the angel’s message by immediately going to Bethlehem, were simple farm laborers who spent their nights watching over their sheep and were often considered ceremonially unclean because of their work. The gifts of the magi represent three important aspects of his life—gold, his majesty, frankincense, his priestly role, and myrrh, foretelling his sacrificial death. The peace that the angels sang about was not the peace the Israelite people were expecting (political peace with Rome), but peace between God and humanity. The nativity represents the collision between Heaven and earth. The writer encourages us to see the many ways these elements symbolize the miracle wonder of the Incarnation!
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How Mary and Joseph Can Strengthen Marriages
Each year I read the Christmas story I am reminded of how both Mary and Joseph chose to obey God, even though it meant following paths not normal for them. The article is a good reminder to each of us on how we can strengthen our marriages.
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I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family!
Henry Virkler