Barriers to counselling

by Sara O'Dowd | Nov 24, 2020 | couples and individuals, mental health, relationships

It is difficult to imagine going to counselling before making that first step. While we are starting to become more understanding about mental health issues and seeking professional help, there is still a lot of fear, doubt and confusion creating barriers to...

How to cope with the winter blues – part 2

by Andrew Webb | Nov 9, 2020 | couples, couples and individuals, mental health, relationships, the spark, Tips, topical

Welcome to part 2 of The Spark’s ‘How to cope with the winter blues’ series offering our tips on ways to defeat the winter blues. Catch up on part 1 of ‘How to cope with the winter blues’ where we looked at how embracing the winter...

How to support your relationship in retirement

by Margaret Smith | Oct 5, 2020 | couples, mental health, relationships, relationships in retirement, retirement, the spark, Tips

Most couples look forward to retirement, eager to spend more quality time together. Free from the constraints and pressures of work it is a chance to relax and, especially if the nest is empty, an opportunity to embrace hobbies new and old.The reality of this major...

How to cope with the winter blues – part 3

by Andrew Webb | Nov 10, 2020 | mental health, relationships, the spark, Tips, topical

In the final part of The Spark’s ‘How to cope with the winter blues’ series, we’re offering a few more tips on keeping your mood up when the sun is going down. You can catch up with part 1 and part 2 where we looked at how a ‘sexy...

How to cope with the winter blues – part 1

by Andrew Webb | Nov 8, 2020 | counselling resources, couples, mental health, relationships, Society, the spark, Tips, topical

When the days start getting shorter and the nights longer, many people start to feel their mood drop. Unlike Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – a form of clinical depression – the ‘winter blues’ is a general term for the feelings of sadness and lethargy we can all...

The challenge of learning to trust others

by Janet Balcombe | Aug 24, 2020 | mental health, relationships, Society, the spark, Tips

The Oxford Dictionary defines trust as “a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something”. Right now, you probably have a list of names that come to mind of people you trust and, perhaps, people you don’t.But what enables us to...