Supporting Teens who Self-Harm

Self-harm among teenagers is a topic that often remains shrouded in silence, yet it’s something that affects a significant number of young people and their families. It’s thought that a startling 10 to 20% of teens in the UK engage in some form of self-harm; a figure that has dramatically increased since the pandemic. Awareness and understanding of the issue is crucial to ensure teens and parents can get the help they need. 

This week, we spoke to Dr Russell Woodhead, a Clinical Psychologist with experience working within CAMHS and now in private practice, Thriving Teen Psychology, about understanding self-harm, exploring reasons why teenagers might do it and what parents, carers and schools can do if they discover a young person is self-harming.

What is self-harm and why might teens do it?

Russell started by defining self-harm as any behaviour where a young person intentionally injures themselves without the intention of ending their life. Common forms can include cutting, burning, swallowing objects, and punching walls. 

The reasons behind self-harm are complex and varied. Russell explained that the surge in emotional activity and development during adolescence can lead to emotional dysregulation, where feelings become too intense to manage and teens struggle to move themselves back to a state of calm. Self-harm might be a way to feel better, to convert mental pain into physical pain, or simply because they don’t know how to cope. At its core, self-harm is an attempt to regulate emotions independently in a way that feels manageable

What can parents and educators do to help?

Parents and educators play a crucial role in addressing self-harm, and Russell talked about how to create an environment where teens feel safe to express their emotions and seek help.

Open Communication

Encourage open and non-judgmental conversations about emotions. Don’t panic, ask curious questions and listen actively. Let your teen know that it's okay to talk about difficult feelings and that you're there to support them.

Safety Planning

If you're aware that a teen is self-harming, take steps to ensure their safety. This might involve securing any objects they could use to harm themselves and creating a safety plan that outlines steps to take when they feel the urge to self-harm.

Professional Help

Seeking professional help from a GP, psychologist, or counsellor can be beneficial. Therapeutic approaches like Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Mentalisation Based Treatment (MBT) have been shown to help teens develop better emotional regulation skills.

School Policies

Schools should have clear policies and training in place to support students who self-harm. Staff should be knowledgeable about self-harm and prepared to respond calmly and effectively.

Russell concluded by emphasising the importance of talking about the things that might be going on in a teen’s life that leads them to self-harm:

“Addressing self-harm starts with creating better communication around distress, and to enable that we need to express curiosity. We want to create open doors for young people to tell us whatever they need to.”

To watch the full session and access all of the resources that Russell shared as part of his talk, log in to the hub or register now.