Women Living With Self Injury

A compassionate view of a stigmatized condition.

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

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.

Hundreds of thousands of women self-mutilate, yet very little is known about the reasons for this widespread phenomenon or the experience of self-harming itself. Now, this powerful and accessible book gathers together the personal testimonies of a broad range of women who self-mutilate, explores the causes and effects of self-harming behavior and offers strategies for understanding, overcoming and healing from self-mutilation.

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.

Filled with moving stories, this powerful and compassionate book was the first to focus on women who harm themselves through self-mutilation, compulsive cosmetic surgeries, eating disorders, and other forms of chronic injury to the body. In an insightful introduction to this 10th anniversary edition, Miller updates the research and discusses what self-harming women and abuse survivors have known all along: that self-injury activates endorphins that actually calm the psychic pain of old wounds. It is a coping mechanism that unfortunately works all too well to ease the distress of early trauma. Miller describes the treatments geared to this perspective and offers hope and understanding to the women themselves and to those who care for them.

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.

This trusted practitioner resource is acclaimed for its clear, compassionate, and hopeful approach to working with clients who self-injure. Barent Walsh provides current, evidence-based knowledge about the variety and causes of self-injurious behavior, its relationship to suicidality, and how to assess and treat it effectively. Illustrated with detailed case examples, chapters review a wide range of cognitive-behavioral interventions. Essential guidance is provided on tailoring the intensity of intervention to each client's unique needs. Walsh is joined by several colleagues who have contributed chapters in their respective areas of expertise. Reproducible assessment tools and handouts can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size. New to This Edition *Incorporates up-to-date research and clinical advances. *Now uses a stepped-care framework to match interventions to client needs. *Chapters on the relationship between suicide and self-injury, formal assessment, family therapy, and residential treatment for adolescents. *Special-topic chapters on the "choking game," foreign body ingestion, multiple self-harm behaviors, and self-injury in correctional settings.