National Counseling Awareness Month and Bad Therapy
April is National Counseling Awareness Month. Mental health counseling works. It has been well-researched, and many treatments are very effective. However, an author/journalist has been in the news recently blaming mental health professionals for the youth mental health crisis, claiming that counseling is making them worse, not better. She raises some good points that should be taken seriously. At Gratia Plena, we apply caution when considering psychotherapy for children and adolescents. Here are a few of our principles. Good therapists are always on the lookout for parents seeking to use counseling to “fix” their kids’ every quirk and rebellious streak. Good therapists limit the counseling of children so that they may not come to see themselves as weak or broken. Good therapists move the counseling from the child to the parent when the parent is the problem. It is worth noting that disaster can occur when parents avoid mental health professionals out of fear or negligence, especially when their child or adolescent is depressed with suicidal thoughts. We encourage parents to work carefully with their child’s therapist for the best outcome.

The Order of Judith
Intimate Partner Violence is the new psychological term for Domestic Violence, so it may include the violence that happens in relationships before or outside of marriage. The Order of Judith is an organization that was created to help Christian women leave abusive situations. Read more here. The US Bishops Conference published an important document entitled “When I Call for Help.” Abuse is an affront to human dignity and should not be tolerated.

England’s NHS Stops Prescribing Puberty Blockers
The National Health Service in England has announced that routine prescriptions to children and adolescents for puberty-blocking medications will end because of a lack of evidence that they are safe or effective. A primary rule of healthcare is “first do no harm.” See the article here.

Verification of Age for Access to Adult Websites
In an attempt to restrict access by minors, the State of Texas has recently passed a law requiring adult websites to verify the age of anyone connecting. The largest adult website announced in response that it would cut off access to everyone in Texas. It is not enough. Parents must know that despite good laws like this, they have an obligation and responsibility to protect their children (boys AND girls) from pornography. They must also provide appropriate sex education at an early age, probably eight years, to increase the chances that their children will reject pornography when they encounter it. Note that the average age of first exposure to pornography is ten years old for boys AND girls.

Semaglutide Injections and Long-Term Weight Change
Nearly everyone has heard of the injections medical staff give for weight loss. These injections may help people to lose weight, but they are not magic bullets. They do nothing to address the issues of compulsive eating, lack of exercise, and eating the wrong foods. The underlying issues must be addressed for long-term weight loss to be successful. This can be done through mental health counseling and consulting a health and wellness expert like Kathy Holecek, a Gratia Plena staff member.

Demar DeRozan Breaking Down MH Stigma
The Chicago Bulls NBA star is getting athletes to talk about mental health issues, especially those in college. See the ESPN article here.