THE SPARK BLOG
Loss: how to help children and young people cope
Change is an inevitable and necessary part of growing up. With every change there is an element of loss, even when the changes are welcome.Whether it is the grief that comes with the loss of a favourite toy as a child or the death of a beloved grandparent,...
Back to work after lockdown: how to manage your child’s anxieties
In the weeks ahead, parents will begin returning to work after lockdown. For children of all ages, the easing of Coronavirus restrictions may create, or heighten, anxieties and fears. From an emotional perspective, children have come to rely on and become...
Understanding the teenage brain: a short introduction for parents
Neuroscientists consider 25 to be the age at which the human brain becomes fully developed. Until then, they should be considered a work in progress. Which is particularly the case for the teenage brain.For generations, parents have wrestled with the...
Coping with isolation
Coping with isolation and loneliness was something many of us were trying to do before Coronavirus (Covid-19) turned our reality upside down. Over 9 million people in the UK reported feelings of loneliness and isolation before this new reality emerged.From...
Understanding anger for parents
Along with happiness and sadness, anger is perhaps one of the most common emotions we experience in everyday life. We all experience anger in different ways but it can often become an easy ‘go-to’ emotion for children and adolescents. By understanding...
Coping with Coronavirus lockdown – part 2 of 2
Welcome to part 2 of our series looking at ways for parents and families to maintain their mental health during Coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown and social distancing measures. In the final part of this series, counsellor Shirley Meade looks at the...
Coping with Coronavirus lockdown – part 1 of 2
Coping with Coronavirus lockdown is the new normal for the vast majority of us. Combined with social distancing, it is inevitable that our mental health will be tested in the coming weeks. For parents, the challenge of keeping themselves and their children...
Coronavirus anxiety: 4 ways to help children cope
With a constant stream of news updates, statistics and opinions about Coronavirus (COVID-19), it is likely the children in our lives will be struggling with some degree of coronavirus anxiety. This can be an incredibly worrying time for children. While...
How to talk to children about Coronavirus
As adults attempt to make sense of the Coronavirus pandemic, take a moment to think about how difficult it is for children to get their heads around this new ‘normality’. Knowing how to talk to children about coronavirus has become an urgent and...
Turning bad exam stress into good exam stress
Is there such a thing as good exam stress? If you are in fourth or fifth year at high school, you may be experiencing exams for the first time. You will have had tests – and plenty of them – in the past, but this is different. Instead of sitting in a classroom...
What makes you happy?
If you search “what makes you happy” Google will offer you roughly 2.5bn results to consider. A similar search on Amazon will offer up over 100,000 books and DVDs on the subject of being happy. On the basis of these two statistics alone, we can say with a degree of...
Tackling loneliness at university
One of the mental health challenges facing young people is the issue of loneliness at university. With the freedom and independence that university brings – and young people relish - also comes the risk of isolation. Feeling lonely at university is very common....
Mental health: preparing your child for university
The mental health of students at university has been making headlines for some time now and is a growing issue. Therefore, if you are a parent preparing your child for university, it is vital to consider how you can help them get ready for problems like isolation,...
How to teach kids good mental health at home
During Children’s Mental Health Week, it might be worth thinking about The World Health Organisation’s figures that “around 1 in 5 of the world's children and adolescents have a mental disorder” and that “about half of mental disorders begin before the age of 14”. In...
How to talk to young children about mental health
In part 2 of our Time to Talk Day series, we are continuing to look at how to talk to young children about mental health. Each year Time to Talk Day encourages adults to start conversations about mental health with friends, family and co-workers. This year, The Spark...
Talking to kids about emotions
Each year Time to Talk Day encourages us to open up and talk about our emotions and mental health. This year we are looking at how parents can talk to their kids about mental health. Specifically, tips for grown-ups on the tricky issue of talking to kids about...
Mental health counselling demand up by 26% last year
As 2020 gets into full swing a review by The Spark Counselling shows 2019 was another difficult year for individuals, couples and families in Scotland. Across all counselling services offered by the organisation, there has been a 26% year-on-year increase in demand as...
Aberdeen counselling services expand as The Spark moves location
The Spark is expanding its Aberdeen counselling services following a move to a brand new location. Marriage counselling, individual counselling and couples counselling services are all now being offered from our base at The Hub centre, in the north-west of the city....
The Spark wins big at the Social Enterprise Awards Scotland 2019
The 2019 Social Enterprise Awards Scotland was a night of celebration for The Spark as the charity collected the prestigious ‘Social Impact Award’. Hosted at the Scottish Parliament, the awards are the country’s annual celebration of social enterprise. They recognise...
Helping children with emetophobia
Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting. We all have some degree of fear about vomiting or being in close proximity to someone who is. It isn’t the most pleasant experience for anyone after all! However, there are individuals panic-stricken by even the thought...
How to make a comfort box for an anxious child
Anxiety is a very unpleasant experience for your child and for you as their parent. Finding tools and techniques to help them combat anxiety is something every parent seeks to do. In this short article Children and Young People counsellor, Linda Smith looks at an...
