6 ways to keep a New Year resolution

by Andrew Webb | Dec 16, 2020 | couples and individuals, mental health, Society, the spark, Tips, topical

January is probably most famous for New Year resolutions. It is also famous for something else: the complete failure of New Year resolutions before the end of the month. No matter whether your New Year resolution is to lose weight, keep date night with your spouse...

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...

Tackling loneliness at university

by Andrew Webb | Mar 2, 2020 | Children and Young People, mental health, relationships, social media, Society, the spark, Tips, young people

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....

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...

Coronavirus anxiety: 4 ways to help children cope

by Sara O'Dowd | Mar 30, 2020 | Children and Young People, mental health, parenting, relationships, Society, the spark, Tips, topical, young people

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 there are...

Mental health counselling demand up by 26% last year

by Andrew Webb | Jan 22, 2020 | couples, mental health, news, Society, the spark, topical, young people

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...