The Spark Blog
Category: Children and Young People
Spotting the signs of emotional distress in children
Spotting the signs of emotional distress in children and young people is not always an easy task. For parents and carers, finding out how our kids are coping with the challenges of life can be as difficult as prizing them away from their smartphones. In this short resource from The Spark – Scotland’s largest provider…
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Music and mental ill-health: how influential is a song?
We are what we eat. That is the simple truth that has launched a thousand cookbooks. Eat unhealthily, expect to be unhealthy. Slowly we are starting to realise that the same applies to our minds and mental ill-health. We are what we consume and what we consume nowadays is social media, films, streamed boxsets, the…
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Sexting: A Guide for Parents
Raising children in the digital age brings with it a host of challenges previous generations never faced. One such high profile and extremely distressing issue – sexting – is fast becoming a common problem. As the lives of young people become ever more embedded in social media, its significance and the number of incidences will…
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Self-harm: A Guide for Parents
The thought that your child might self-harm is a frightening one. Instances of self-harm amongst children and young people are relatively small. However, the number of children admitted to hospital for self-harming has increased in many parts of Scotland. In some regions it has nearly doubled. Here at The Spark, we believe it is important to give parents/carers…
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Youth Mental Health: Reviews Are Great but We Need Action Too
Scotland, like the rest of the UK, faces a crisis in youth mental health. Studies and reports detailing the mental health issues faced by children and adolescents are regularly making the news headlines. The existing NHS-provided child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are under severe pressure which has led to extensive waiting times. A…
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Social Media & Self Image
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 first to experience the highs and lows of social…
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Songs For Sound Minds #18 – Benjamin Clementine
Songs for Sound Minds are our picks of the best music that uplifts, inspires and boosts mental health. Songs written as an anthem to overcoming the storms of life. The songs that give hope in those times when we are struggling. This weeks song tackles the subject of bullying. ‘Phantom of Aleppoville’ by Benjamin Clementine…
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Pupils Come First with Counselling
The Spark is at the forefront of efforts to improve the mental and emotional wellbeing of school pupils in Scotland. It is widely recognised that a child’s ability and readiness to learn can be compromised by difficult life experiences. Through counselling and education programmes we are helping schools manage the emotional and mental wellbeing of…
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Parents’ Guide to Exam Results Day
Being a parent of a teenager is tricky at the best of times. High school exams are barely over when attention turns to the next stress-triggering milestone: exam results day. Parents can end up just as distressed as the kids who sat the exams. The near constant squeeze on prospects for an increasingly disadvantaged millennial…
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