How to be happy – part 2

by The Spark Counselling | Jul 18, 2018 | case study, couples and individuals, mental health, relationships, Society, the spark, Tips, topical

Picture the scene.  A teenager opens their exam results: an A in Art, two Cs in English and French and an F in Maths. The response from their parent is likely to focus on either the good bits or the not so good bits. For example, their response might be: ‘An F in...

Love like you’ve never been hurt

by The Spark Counselling | Jun 4, 2018 | case study, couples and individuals, mental health, relationships, Society, the spark, Tips

Chances are you will have heard or read the idiom “love like you’ve never been hurt before”. Similarly, the chances are you have no idea where it came from or who said it first. This particular piece of simple but deeply profound advice did not come from any of the...

Social media & self image

by The Spark Counselling | Oct 2, 2017 | case study, Children and Young People, counselling resources, families, Guest Blogger, mental health, parenting, Society, the spark, Tips, young people

One of the common problems presented by school pupils to our counsellors is the tricky issue of social media. Children and young people are the section of our society that first embraced social media platforms. The highs and lows of social media They have been the...

How to be happy – part 1

by The Spark Counselling | Jun 26, 2018 | case study, couples and individuals, mental health, relationships, Society, the spark, Tips

This is how to be happy according to Stacey Kramer. “Imagine if you will a gift. I’d like you to picture it in your mind. It’s not too big, about the size of a golf ball. So, envision what it looks like, all wrapped up. Before I show you what’s inside I will...

How to fix a broken heart

by The Spark Counselling | Feb 13, 2018 | case study, counselling resources, couples and individuals, mental health, relationships, Society, the spark, Tips, topical

Though we will all try our hardest to avoid it, at some point in our lives we will experience heartbreak. Whether it comes from the end of a relationship or a sudden loss, a broken heart can be and often is the greatest trauma we will ever go through. Dealing with a...

The need for emotional first aid

by The Spark Counselling | Aug 2, 2017 | case study, counselling resources, couples, couples and individuals, families, mental health, relationships, Society, the spark, Tips, topical, young people

When we experience aches, pains or a chesty cough where do we head? Straight to our local doctor of course. When it comes to emotional pain – guilt, loss, loneliness – what do we do? Most of the time we try to sort it ourselves. We (try to) keep calm and...