Self-Harm

Using Cognitive behavioral Therapy (CBT), I am able to guide you to healthier coping mechanisms.

When a person becomes overwhelmed and distressed, they may look to various avenues of relief to reduce their uncomfortable feelings, including self-harm. Self harming behaviors can be seen as a coping skill that a person acquires when they do not have other tools in their toolbox to navigate the challenges they may face. When working to address self harm, the main focus of treatment is finding new coping skills that encourage healing and help keep a person safe when facing distress.

Intensively trained Dialectical Behavioral Therapy counselor. DBT has been shown to help with self-harm behaviors.

Whether through cutting, hitting, or using a "good" behavior to the point of hurting ones self, many people will try to soothe distressing emotions or thoughts by hurting themself, usually beginning in their teen years. In session, we will talk through the purpose of the behavior, what it "gives", and find safer alternatives to achieve the same goals, while also working through the pain which led to the self-harm in the first place.

I work with teens and adults who experience self-harming thoughts and behaviors to help them process their experiences.

Building skills and supports to cope with emotional pain, suffering, and numbness; increasing positive meaningful life experiences

I have extensive training, expertise, and experience treating non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and I am happy to provide a complimentary consult to anyone engaging in self-harm or having urges to self-harm, to determine whether DBT-informed therapy could be an effective treatment option.

I have 8 years of experience working with individuals that have significant urges to harm themselves or are experiencing suicidal ideation. I think that recognition, honesty, openness, and having a supportive ally, are really important steps in beginning the path of challenging self harm urges and actions.

Self-harm can serve several functions for people; one of the most common functions is to regulate intense emotion. It often occurs when our rational brain is completely shut down and we are feeling a strong desire to escape the emotional experience. I have worked with many individuals over the years who self-harm, and I know many tools that can help you learn replacement behaviors that won't cause additional damage. There is hope, I promise!

Self-harm is very deceiving. You think it makes you feel better by not feeling at all, but those feelings you've tried so hard to get rid of remain & the cycle continues. It's a high-risk way to cope with unwanted emotions that may lead to an unhealthy way of living. Although it's very hard, it's so important to face those negative emotions that fuel you to self-harm.

I have been working with self-harm issues from a harm reduction lens for 2 years.

Feeling down and alone can be a difficult feeling to cope with. In creating a safety and treatment plan, we can work together to replace harmful behaviors.

I provide comprehensive therapy services for individuals struggling with self-harm, focusing on promoting healing and resilience, and based on the understanding that self-harm is a maladaptive or unhealthy coping mechanism signaling that a person is trying their best to survive overwhelming feelings or experiences.

I have personal experience with self-injury and understand its use as a coping skill on a deep level. I can hold space that others might find uncomfortable, and work within my clients' needs as a support.

I have been working with individuals who self-harm for over five years. Utilizing DBT, my clients are able to understand the reasons they self-harm and find other ways to cope, along with making effective changes in their lives to eliminate stressors that lead to destructive behaviors.

Self harm is in my opinion misunderstood. A client that is using self harm doesn't have the appropriate tools to manage distressing emotions. Clients that self harm are in an extreme amount of pain, and they take the pain out on themselves to feel better. Learning healthy and appropriate ways to tolerate, and work their way out of this addictive pattern of self abuse takes time, patience, and love.

Self-harm occurs for many different reasons and understanding the differences to those reasons is crucial to helping someone stop the behavior. Self-harm does not always equate to suicidality and some providers inappropriately refer individuals who self-harm to inpatient programs, causing the potential for additional trauma and stress. Self-harm, in many cases, is an attempt at coping when a person doesn't yet know alternative healthy ways to cope instead.