Similar dramas and debates often crop up in families over the years, causing guilt for not presenting a perfectly happy family unit. But with advice from our counsellor, you can address the dynamic in a healthy way and stop history repeating itself…
Lucy Cavendish
Lucy is a contributing writer at happiful magazine
Infidelity: Can you spot it before it happens?
Counsellors often have to tackle the thorny subject of straying partners. Our journalist-counsellor looks at the potential ‘risk factors’ that research says may increase the chances of betrayal I met Ed and Nadine (not their real names) for their first couples counselling session three weeks ago. Like many couples they…
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
Ever get the feeling people think you’re a fraud? Or worse, that you don’t deserve to be where you are? Don’t worry, it turns out we all feel like a charlatan sometimes How to describe imposter syndrome? Let’s take two friends of mine. I have one…
How to Say Farewell
Understanding how to say goodbye is a part of life. So why does the final moment fill us with fear and dread? Here’s how to say adieu without falling into guilt, pain and nagging self-doubt People leave but they don’t say goodbye. People say goodbye but they don’…
Teenage Sexting: What’s a Parent to Do?
New research suggests parents should manage their own fears, not their children’s. While social media isn’t perfect, teenagers need autonomy to make their own decisions I have four children, two of which are teenage boys. Recently, I have become increasingly aware of how glued they are to their…
Meet the Agony Aunts: Emma Barnett
Emma Barnett has been dishing out advice over the airwaves for years, and now has taken up the gauntlet to be an official agony aunt Hello Emma! Who do you work for, and for how long have you been an agony aunt? The Sunday Times, and eight months!How old…
Meet the Agony Aunts: Bel Mooney
Bel Mooney has been the nation's shoulder to cry on for more than a decade. We chatted to the wisdom-giving wonder woman... Hello Bel! Tell us about your column.My advice column appears every Saturday in the Daily Mail, over two pages, with a potential readership of around…
Meet the Agony Aunts: Dear Deidre
For nearly 40 years, perfect strangers have been sending ‘Dear Deidre’ Sanders hundreds of letters a week, every week. We meet the nation’s agony aunt extraordinaire Photography | Ken McKay/TV/REX/Shutterstock Hello Deidre, you hardly need an introduction, but could you explain to our readers who you work…
Happiness is the Spice of Life
We interview the open-hearted cousins behind Dishoom, the Indian eatery that's been named the best restaurant in the UK (twice) Shamil and Kavi Thakrar, the duo behind the incredibly successful chain of Indian restaurants Dishoom, are sitting in a booth in their huge Kings Cross outlet. They are,…