Session Two: Understanding Self-Harm

Sometimes young people may feel upset or distressed when hearing about self-harm, especially when discussing different methods of hurting yourself. If you feel this may be distressing for you, speak with a trusted person who can support you.

What is self-harm?

• Self-harm is one way of trying to make unmanageable feelings more manageable.
• Many people self-harm, you are not alone in this.
• People who self-harm do find other ways of managing their feelings.
• Some methods of self-harm may seem more obvious than others.

Exercise six: Highlight the methods you have used to harm yourself within the last month.

What makes someone self-harm?

Exercise seven: Circle the factors that are relevant for you. There is space to add any factors you feel have contributed to you engaging in self-harm.

Who self-harms?

It's really difficult to say how many young people are self-harming, because lots of people don't share this information with anyone. Here are some stats from YouGov and The Mix (2020).

Effects of Self-Harm

Short-Term effects

• Feeling pain
• Feeling better:
  • Relieved
  • In control
  • Bad thoughts gone away
• Feeling worse:
  • Upset
  • Worried
  • Regretful
  • Embarrassed

Long-Term effects

•  Pain, infection, having to go to hospital
• Guilt or shame
• Hiding scars

Exercise eight: Using the table above, highlight the effects of your self-harm, and add any more that you can think of.

Why people want to stop self-harming

• "Every time you see where you self-harmed it reminds you of when you did it and you down again."
• "I can't wear short sleeved t-shirts in the summer."
• "It is painful - especially if my wounds get infected."

What are your reasons for wanting to stop or manage your self-harm?