The Spark Blog
Category: relationships
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The Good and Bad of School Holidays
When we think about summer school holidays we imagine families playing on a sandy beach. We hear the laughter of kids enjoying days out with their parents and the smell of barbeques and suntan lotion. Basically, we imagine all the best bits of a travel agent’s TV advert – couples in love, parents at ease…
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![When Football Takes Over]()
When Football Takes Over
When it comes to the start of a new football season, transfer deadline day or a major championships (usually without Scotland) fans of the ‘beautiful game’ will be glued to TV screens and stadium terraces. For all the excitement and spectacle a season or tournament offers, couples across the country will be split as one…
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![What Does Debt Do to Relationships?]()
What Does Debt Do to Relationships?
These days it is easy to become immune to the scale of the statistics quoted by news programmes, websites and in the media. Those concerning debt are a prime example. Consider this: according to research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, in 2015 1.25m adults and 312,000 children were destitute in the UK. That is 1.56m…
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![Infant Mental Health & Our Earliest Relationships]()
Infant Mental Health & Our Earliest Relationships
Most mental health work in the UK focuses on reacting to problems once they have arisen. By contrast infant mental health initiatives look at the foundations of our relationships – our earliest years of infancy. By taking a ‘best start’ in life philosophy, it is possible to prevent mental health issues arising later in life…
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![Permission Granted: Sex Outside Marriage]()
Permission Granted: Sex Outside Marriage
It proved to be an explosive and controversial statement. Loose Women presenter Saira Khan confessed on air to telling her husband she is not interested in sex and that he should go to someone else for it. On social media the idea of sex outside marriage appeared to strike a chord as many women expressed…
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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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![Depression and Relationships]()
Depression and Relationships
Depression and relationships: Mental Health Awareness Week The second of our articles for Mental Health Awareness Week focuses on the challenges faced by partners, carers and family in helping a loved one through depression. It includes advice for those helping a loved one to better understand depression and relationships. Thus enabling them to help their…
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![I Love You but I’m Not in Love with You]()
I Love You but I’m Not in Love with You
“I love my partner but I am not in love with them” is one of the most common reasons people contact The Spark seeking relationship counselling. I love you but I’m not in love with you What does “I love you but I’m not in love with you”, mean? People say that the ‘spark’ has…
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