Self-Injury and Recovery in Teens Information for Parents on - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Self-Injury and Recovery in Teens

Information for Parents on Discovering Self-Injury and Identifying Tools for Support

Objectives

• Identifying Self-Injury and Warning Signs
• Talking about Self-Injury with your Teen
• Understanding the Role of Relationships
• Activities and Resources to Manage Urges
• Self-Injury and the Home Environment
• Finding Treatment
• School Resources
• References for Seeking Help

Identifying Self-Injury and Warning Signs

Self-injury or self-harm is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of one’s body, done without suicidal intent. How do I know if my child is self-injuring?

• Secrecy and withdrawal from others, physically and emotionally, for long periods of time (does not apply

to all cases)

• Signs include:

○ Cut or burn marks on arms, legs and abdomen ○ Discovery of hidden razors, knives, sharp objects and rubber bands (may be used to increase blood flow or numb the area) ○ Spending long periods of time alone (key places include bathroom or bedroom) ○ Wearing clothing that does not match up with the weather (i.e. long sleeves and long pants in warm weather)

Talking about Self-Injury with your Teen

• Important to note the range of emotions as a parent

○ Shock, anger, sadness or guilt

• Acknowledge the behavior and emotional distress
• Address the issue as soon as possible (myth: “they will outgrow it”)
• Opening up lines of communication

○ Validating feelings (calm, comforting, reassurance) ○ Use concern constructively to show the impact that the behavior has on themselves and

• thers

○ Difficulty verbalizing emotions

• Empathy vs. Sympathy

Brené Brown on Empathy

Understanding the Role of Relationships

Self-Injury is often the result of:

• Person’s belief that they cannot handle the stress they feel
• Person’s faulty belief that self-injury is a good way to deal with stress

Parent Relationships

• Focus on family dynamics; allies in the recovery process

Peer Relationships

• “Second family” mindset (impact of negative peer group)

Activities and Resources

• Managing urges to self-injure - Brainstorm with your child

○ Develop a list of support people and what they can specifically do to help at different times of the day ○ Develop a “help card” with your child’s top coping strategies ■ Dig deeper - identify the true emotion you are feeling ■ Match coping technique to your feeling

Activities and Resources

Feelings and Coping Techniques

• Angry

○ Bring body temperature down - ice packs or cold bath ○ Slash an empty plastic soda bottle or a piece of heavy cardboard or an old shirt or sock ○ Squeeze ice ○ Flatten aluminum cans for recycling, seeing how fast you can go

• Craving something - feeling empty or unreal

○ Squeeze ice ○ List as many uses as possible for a random object (such as a twist tie) ○ Bite into a hot pepper or chew a piece of ginger root ○ Rub peppermint oil under your nose ○ Slap a tabletop hard ○ Take a cold bath or shower

Activities and Resources

Feelings and Coping Techniques

• Guilty or like you’re a bad person

○ Read something good that someone has written about you ○ Talk to someone that cares about you (refer to list of people who can help) ○ Do something nice for yourself (paint nails, exercise, bake a treat, paint/draw)

• Sad or Depressed

○ Curl up under a weighted blanket with hot cocoa and a good book ○ Take a hot bath with oils or bubbles ○ Listen to a playlist of uplifting music ○ Make a tray of special treats ○ Visit a friend

Home Environment

• Negative family secrets can cause physical and/or psychological suffering.

Encourage your child to share their feelings with a mental health professional, in or outside of school.

• Foster a protective home environment

○ Model healthy ways of managing stress (work out, see a therapist, use calm tones) ○ Practice positive coping skills together (go to a concert or museum, go on a walk or run) ○ Keep lines of communication and exchange open ○ Emphasize and uphold the importance of family time ○ Set limits and consistently enforce consequences. Consider positive consequences, such as serving in a soup kitchen ○ Respect the development of your child’s individuality ○ Respect is a two-way street ○ Avoid over-scheduling your child or putting too much pressure on them to perform ○ Don’t expect a quick fix and understand that setbacks are a part of the process

Finding Treatment

• Consider individual, family, and/or group therapy
• Examples of local mental health providers:

○ Ashburn Psychological Services 703-723-2999 ○ The Wellness Connection 703-724-0335 ○ Loudoun Family and Relationship Counseling 703-771-7555 ○ Loudoun County Mental Health (emergency services) 571-258-3026 ○ Potomac Psychological Center 703-858-7838

School Resources

https://www.lcps.org/Page/173753 Department of School Counseling

• Jaclyn Smith, Director of Counseling
• Erica Olinares, School Counselor (A-Fe)
• Jocelyn Culver, School Counselor (Fi-Le)
• Laura Northart, School Counselor (Li-Re)
• Maria Porto, School Counselor (Ri-Z)
• Amanda Williams, School Psychologist
• Nicolo Porto, School Social Worker
• Fiona Brown, Student Assistance Specialist

Please contact us if you need referrals to mental health professionals

References

Potomac Behavioral Solutions - https://www.pbshealthcare.com/ General stress-relieving techniques and management strategies: http://www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu/factsheet_coping_alternatives.asp Self Injury Distraction Techniques and Alternatives:

http://www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu/documents/distraction-tech-and-alts.pdf

“Helping Teens Who Cut: Understanding and Ending Self-Injury” by: Michael Hollander