Counseling News from the Week of February 20,2026
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 most beautiful system ... could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being,‘
Issaac Newton.
"And the consideration that human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected, will always continue to prompt me to promote the progress of the former, by inculcating the practice of the latter."
George Washington
“Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
John F. Kennedy
“If you don’t love your fellow man, woman, person, then you don’t have anything.”
DENZEL WASHINGTON
Fascinating Facts: Items from this section not included this week in order to leave room for counseling articles
Counseling Articles
Your Heart Literally Changes Shape Because of Love
I would encourage every parent, counselor, pastor and marriage partner to watch this 16-minute you-tube video. It talks about the three words the Greeks had for love—eros, philia, and agape—and what research has shown about the effects of each kind of love when it is present in a relationship—the relationships between a husband and wife, parent and child, and even a doctor and patient (agape love is self-giving gentle love, so it is not confined to God or to Christians interacting with each other). I think the author of this series, Makai Albert, is worthwhile listening to. Take a few moments to listen to this video and see if you agree.
Click here to read the full article
Chemistry Needs Proximity: The Case for Old‑School, In‑Person Dating
In today’s world many young people attempt on-line dating, but this author says that old-school, in-person dating is the best way for young people to meet, get to know one another, and decide whether they would like to take a relationship deeper.
Click here to read the full article
When Your Family is in Crisis
Mark Gregston discusses what to do when parents realize they have a significant problem on their hands, and a sensible three step plan for dealing with it.
Click here to read the full article
6 Ways to Slow Down Impulsive Urges in Bipolar
Tanya Hvilivitsky, who has lived with bipolar disorder herself for many years, identifies six practical steps people can take to slow down impulsive urges.
Click here to read the full article
How a Skeptic Changed His Mind about God
This is a brief story about how Michael Ignore, a leading neurosurgeon who has risen to the top of his field, considered Christianity to be a myth for many years. As a scientist studying the design of the body and mind, he realized that this complex design could not have come about by chance and has become a Christian.
Click here to read the full article
3 High School Students Died After Being Hypnotized by Their Principal: Inside the Bizarre Case
Normally hypnosis does not cause suicide or death, but in this unusual case a high school principal in Florida was hypnotizing students for a variety of reasons—to help them combat test anxiety, to strengthen them when playing sports, to help students maintain attention, etc.: several students died afterward. He was convicted of using therapeutic hypnosis without a license.
Click here to read the full article
Trial for father accused of giving son access to firearm reveals details of Georgia school shooting
Are parents responsible for their children’s behavior? In this situation, based on the evidence, this father may have been criminally negligent in purchasing a high- performance rifle and an extra-large magazine for his son when he knew his son had talked about shooting up a school. His son went on to kill 2 students, 2 teachers, and wounded 9 others.
In this situation the father is charged with two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, 20 counts of cruelty to children, and five counts of reckless conduct in connection with the behavior of his son. In the Georgia court an attorney explained: "This is not a case about holding parents accountable for what their children do, that’s not what this case is about. This case is about this defendant and his actions. His actions in allowing a child that he has custody over access to a firearm and ammunition after being warned that that child was going to harm others."
Click here to read the full article
Churches could run gov't supported ‘marriage bootcamps’ to 'save' America: report
Often when proposals are made about the government getting involved in marriages in the church we might feel an initial resistance. But this proposal by the Heritage Foundation is one that probably deserves our consideration. If you agree, perhaps you and your church could become part of this movement.
Click here to read the full article
How George Washington Laid the Foundations of America’s Economic Freedom and Prosperity
In another article that is not counseling-related, but I think it tells us how our first President laid the foundation for the economic, legislative and judicial system of our country. And also, because of some of the privations he had experienced in his life, it helped him make decisions that have come to benefit us all.
Click here to read the full article
‘Put Your Legs On’: A Marine’s Road to Recovery and Beyond
Rob Jones lost both his legs when they were blown off by an IED in Afghanistan. He begged the doctor to end his life, believing that he could not spend his life in a wheelchair. The doctor did not comply, and after his recovery Rob became a Paralympics medalist, bicyclist, and marathoner. This is another story that illustrates that the setbacks we or our clients face do not have to be permanent blocks to success.
Click here to read the full article
How to turn an acquaintance into a friend — and make the friendship stick
In light of the article a week or two ago about counselors becoming “friendship counselors,” this article has several practical suggestions for how people can transform acquaintances into friendships. It also includes a discussion of what to do if you decide to make an acquaintance a friend, but not one of your closest friends.
Click here to read the full article
Relationship Tips from Divorce Lawyers
Divorce lawyers are on the front lines of observing couples who are calling it quits on their marriages. I think their analysis of things that need to be improved to prevent divorces is correct. They also encourage couples to seek professional counseling as part of that process.
Click here to read the full article
Childhood Vaccinations: Public Health and Individual Rights
You may have parents coming to your office with conflicts about whether to vaccinate their children. This article, written by a physician who has participated in the development of 30 childhood vaccines, speaks sensitively about respecting the views of parents as well as protecting the public.
Click here to read the full article
First ‘dementia village’ in US coming to Fitchburg
A town in Wisconsin is becoming a first town to have a small set of homes (8) which would handle up to 8 residents each. These which would be an alternative for dementia patients living in nursing homes or living with families. Article gives further details about the program.
Click here to read the full article
From a licensed psychologist: You are more than your brain
Interesting article from a psychologist and former pastor. See what you think.
Click here to read the full article
Second Invitation to Attend the Webinar on The Case for Integrative Christian Counseling
Last week I invited you to attend this webinar using the description we used to apply to apply for CEUs to the CEU licensing board. I realized this description did not cover or explain clearly what many of the topics were and why they would be helpful for Christian counselors. Therefore the description below is fuller and hopefully clearer. I hope after reading this description you will decide to register and join us.
The Case for Integrative Christian Counseling
Saturday, March 21st, 2026
Online Via Zoom 9AM - 12PM
Presenter: Dr. Henry Virkler
Palm Beach Atlantic University Professor of Counseling (Retired)
Description of Presenter and the Seminar Itself
Dr. Virkler has taught Christian counseling for 40+ years at three universities (Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta for 15 years, Liberty University for 5 years, and then Palm Beach Atlantic University for 20+ years). He developed and administered three Christian counseling centers has written five books, and has written 55 professional articles or professional presentations.
In this webinar I’d like to cover several of the topics I’ve taught during those years.
Topics to be covered include:
I. Five kinds of evidence that we were created by a Supernatural Creator who cares for human beings and who gives them ample evidence that He exists but also gives them the freedom to either accept or reject him during their lives here on earth.
II. Theonomous law: the belief that God’s laws (God’s principles) are set up with our (human’s) best interests in mind. I’ll describe both Old and New Testament scriptures that demonstrate that God gave us his principles so we could live most harmoniously with our fellow human beings. And on that basis, I will argue that even when we’re counseling with non-believers, we encourage them to move towards biblical principles (even though we probably won’t explicitly give biblical principles as the reason in our counseling).
III. The importance of learning the principles of hermeneutics (How to Properly Interpret Scripture) and how to apply that knowledge in the Christian counseling process.I will give 10 reasons why I believe it is important for Christians in general and for Christian counselors to understand the principles of hermeneutics (and how they relate to counseling) and then discuss briefly the basic steps for correctly interpreting and applying a biblical text.
IV. The Role of Values in Counseling: There are three ways values have been used in counseling: Value-free counseling, value-imposed counseling, and value-informed counseling. I will argue that all counseling is informed by some set of values, and to be most transparent to our clients we should let them know what our values are but also reassure them that we will respect their values if they differ from our own.
V. The Relationship Between External Factors (Including Supernatural Factors), Psychological Factors, and Human Choice: There are theological as well as psychological theories that are deterministic, and then there are humanistic counselors who argue that while each of these factors influence us, humans still have the ability to make choices. This section will look at this controversy and help counselors decide how they will resolve that issue.
VI. Persuading reluctant clients: A counseling method to use to motivate clients to move in a certain direction even though that might not be their initial inclination: Socratic questions.
VII. Why is Integrative Christian Counseling Better than Nouthetic (or Biblical) counseling? While Integrative Christian Counseling agrees with biblical counseling that our counseling should always be founded on Scripture and consistent with Scripture, this section will describe 10 kinds of situations where I believe biblical counseling may not address some of the needs clients have.
VIII. Counseling the Broken World Christian: While we don’t agree with Jay Adams that people always come to counseling because of disobedience, occasionally people do come to counseling because their lives have fallen apart because of some decisions they have made (or in the case of Christians, some sin they have committed). How do we help them heal when that has occurred?
IX. Understanding and Treating Depression:Depression can come from unresolved spiritual issues, psychological issues, or biological ones, or sometimes some combination of them. Effective treatment begins with understanding the source of a specific client’s depression. It may also include discussing any misconceptions they have about antidepressants before proceeding to treatment.
X. Counseling with the Client Who Asks You to Help Them Find a More Meaningful Life.This section will help the client define what would give their lives meaning and then help them develop a plan to move in that direction. For Christians it may also involve helping them look at what the world teaches is a “good life” and what the Bible teaches.
The webinar will also give you an opportunity to purchase the book “Questions Every Christian Counselor Should Consider” which includes further information on 21 topics (including the ten topics mentioned above, and 11 others.
Registration (You can join SFACC as an affiliate member or student member for free and then qualify for one of the two following registration rates. If you want to earn CEUs and also have your Counseling Center listed on our website free for one year you can become a Clinical Member.
. Affiliate Member Online Attendance – $15.00. (Affiliate membership is free for Pastors, Church Ministry Leaders, Lay Counselors, Marriage Mentors, non‑licensed counselors, and retired counselors.). Certificate of Attendance Provided, along with a PDF of the presentation, and a link to re-watch the event.
- Counseling Student Online Attendance – $15.00
Undergrad/Graduate Programs/Certificate of Attendance Provided, along with a PDF of the presentation, and a link to re-watch the event.
- Non-SFACC Member Online Attendance – $40.00
Certificate of Attendance Provided, along with a PDF of the presentation, and a link to re-watch the event.
- SFACC Clinical Member Online Attendance – $25.00
Certificate of Attendance Provided, along with a PDF of the presentation, and a link to re-watch the event.
If you are interested in registering and attending you may go to the South Florida Association of Christian Counselors website, (sfacc.net) and look for the first event under the tab “Live Events.”
Information for those who want CEU credit:
We report to CE-Broker for you!
CE Broker Tracking No. 20-1350806
(CE Broker Provider No.820).
Please email Valentino@sfacc.net for your registration code.
This workshop has been approved for 3.0 (General) hour of continuing education with the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, & Mental Health Counseling and the Florida Board of Psychology.
Have a wonderful week!
Henry Virkler