Healing Self Injury

"Parents who discover a teen's self-injurious behavior are gripped by uncertainty and flooded with questions - Why is my child doing this? Is this a suicide attempt? What did I do wrong? What can I do to stop it? And yet basic educational resources for parents with self-injuring children are sorely lacking. Healing after Self-Injury provides desperately-needed guidance to parents and others who love a young person struggling with self-injury"--

Written by the directors of S.A.F.E. Alternatives, a self-injury treatment program, "Bodily Harm" is an authoritative examination of this alarming syndrome, offering a comprehensive treatment regimen.

Self-injury can be as addictive as any drug, and the secrecy and shame many sufferers feel about this behavior can keep them feeling trapped. But if you're ready to replace self-harm with a set of healthy coping skills, this compassionate and practical book can help. This complete guide to stopping self-injury gives you the facts about self-harm, corrects common myths about this behavior, and provides self-soothing techniques you can begin using right away for regulating difficult or overwhelming emotions. Freedom from Self-Harm also includes self-assessment worksheets, guidance for seeking professional help, and information about the most effective therapies and medications. Drawn from treatments such as dialectical behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, the tools in this book can help you cope with your emotions whenever you feel the urge to self-harm. This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

Skillfully woven together with empathic insight into the lives and minds of those who self-injure, "Healing the Hurt Within" is replete with the latest developments in the field, informative statistical data, instructive diagrams, carefully selected resources, case studies, expert testimonies, and practical self-help activities. The author's warmth, compassion, and regard for those caught in the cycle of self-injury shines through the pages of this profoundly enlightening and extensively updated 3rd edition. "Healing the Hurt Within" offers: solace, hope, and direction to those who self-injure; guidance to family and friends supporting a loved one who self-injures; and, guidelines to professionals and voluntary caregivers on how to respond to clients that self-injure.

"Tens of thousands of worried parents have turned to this authoritative guide for the facts about the growing problem of teen self-injury--and what they can do to make it stop. Michael Hollander is a leading expert on the most effective treatment approach for cutting, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Vivid stories illustrate how out-of-control emotions lead some teens to hurt themselves, how DBT can help, and what other approaches can be beneficial. Parents get practical strategies for talking to teens about self-injury without making it worse, teaching them specific skills to cope with extreme emotions in a healthier way, finding the right therapist, and managing family stress. Incorporating the latest research, the revised edition offers a deeper understanding of the causes of self-injury and includes new DBT skills"--

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a baffling, troubling, and hard to treat phenomenon that has increased markedly in recent years. Key issues in diagnosing and treating NSSI adequately include differentiating it from attempted suicide and other mental disorders, as well as understanding the motivations for self-injury and the context in which it occurs. This accessible and practical book provides therapists and students with a clear understanding of these key issues, as well as of suitable assessment techniques. It then goes on to delineate research-informed treatment approaches for NSSI, with an emphasis on functional assessment, emotion regulation, and problem solving, including motivational interviewing, interpersonal skills, CBT, DBT, behavioral management strategies, delay behaviors, exercise, family therapy, risk management, and medication, as well as how to successfully combine methods.

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

In this perceptive work, Dr. Robin Connors offers helpful guidelines to clinicians that will improve their capacity to respond in a direct, effective, and respectful way to people who self-injure. Key to this work is understanding the function of self-inflicted violence and its relationship to unresolved traumas and losses, including the role of trauma in disrupting the formation of the self-boundary. Dr. Connors identifies fundamental therapeutic tasks, gives clear examples of interventions, and offers concrete recommendations for interacting with patients about their self-injury.