The Spark Blog
Category: Counselling resources
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Anxiety: 5 Ways to Cope Better
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues in the UK. Research in 2013 indicated there were 8.2m diagnosed cases nationally. Anxiety can be debilitating but it can be managed, allowing sufferers to get back to enjoying life. Here are 5 practical ways to cope with anxiety1. 1. Get the jumble of thoughts…
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![Parents & the Post-Summer Struggle]()
Parents & the Post-Summer Struggle
As Scottish schools head back for a new term and summer holidays end, many parents will be left with the same troubling question: after time off with my family, why do I feel further apart from my partner? This is a common query posed to our counsellors in the weeks after the school holidays. We…
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![Why Did They Have an Affair?]()
Why Did They Have an Affair?
When an affair brings a couple to counselling, a common early indicator of problems is when one partner has taken intimate, emotional issues outside the relationship. Even if the emotional connection does not progress to sexual intimacy, severe damage can already have been done. The emotional cost of an affair Sharing your deepest thoughts and…
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![Early Mental Health and Adulthood]()
Early Mental Health and Adulthood
If you are interested in ‘what makes people tick’ you cannot help but have noticed the mass of TV programmes focused on the development of humans from childhood to adulthood. From The Secret Lives of 4 Year Olds to Bringing up Baby they examine how early mental health in children shapes the adults they subsequently…
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![Parents’ Guide to Exam Results Stress]()
Parents’ Guide to Exam Results Stress
The wait for Scottish high school exam results is likely to be almost as stressful for parents as it is for their children. In the second part of our exam results blog, we offer our advice for parents about coping with exam results stress. Looking for advice for young people receiving exam results? Read our…
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![Exam Results – A Young Persons’ Guide]()
Exam Results – A Young Persons’ Guide
Thousands of young adults across Scotland are about to receive their high school exam results. Naturally, it is a time that often brings with it stress, anxiety and other negative emotions for youngsters and their parents. In the first of a two-part blog, we offer our advice and top tips for young adults about to…
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![Seeking Better Infant Mental Health]()
Seeking Better Infant Mental Health
The Spark joined like-minded organisations last month to highlight the field of infant mental health during the inaugural Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (6-10 June 2016). The week – created by the Parent Infant Partnership UK (PIPUK) – was hugely successful and The Spark’s National Development Director, Marion Laird looks back on the week and…
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![Counselling from the Perspective of a Counsellor]()
Counselling from the Perspective of a Counsellor
The Spark counsellor Cathie lifts the lid in this blog on what counselling is like from her perspective as a counsellor. Many people may avoid counselling because of a lack of understanding and information on what it is and what it can help them achieve. In this blog Cathie looks at some common misconceptions about…
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![Perfect Parent, Perfect Family, Strained Relationship?]()
Perfect Parent, Perfect Family, Strained Relationship?
One of the most common issues raised in couples relationship counselling is a grievance list about the division of family and household responsibilities, and how it leads to a strained relationship. We are busier than ever in our lives and media messages appear to celebrate our busyness. There is almost an unspoken contest to see…
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