The Therapeutic Management of Young People Who Self Injure

Course Aim

Self harm/self injury in young people is a complex issue which many people find difficult to understand. It is often mistakenly seen as attempted suicide where as, in most cases it is much more about making life more bearable. For most young people, their self injury is a way of coping with extreme emotional distress.

The impact on workers dealing with self harm /self injury can be great and it is important that we are aware of our own needs for support in this work. There is often a perceived need on the part of workers; and indeed an expectation from managers of workers; that they will somehow stop the young person from indulging in their self destructive behaviour. It can be difficult to manage the tension between wanting to protect young people and yet not taking away their coping mechanisms.

The number of young people seeking help in this area is steadily growing and it is essential that those who do ask for help have access to workers who are well trained and aware of the issues involved both for themselves, their agency's response to this behaviour and for their young clients.

To explore the subject of self-harm in a detail which generates more confidence in the ability of staff to keep the young person safe while helping them to explore the underlying emotions that young people experience and that often accompany self-harming behaviour

Objectives & Course Content

During the training students will be able to:

* Demonstrate knowledge of the scale of self-harming behaviour in young people
* Identify the causes of self-harm
* List a range of alternatives to self-harming behaviour
* Identify positive coping strategies that can enable young people to limit their self harming behaviour
* Enjoy the opportunity for to reflect on their own practice (and that of their agencies) in working with clients who self injure
* Explore the impact on workers of supporting young people who self-injure, therefore identifying worker´s own needs for supervision, support etc. and looking at ways of ensuring these needs are met
* To be able to identify outside agencies which can assist staff in the management of the young person
* To provide an opportunity for sharing experience, knowledge and views

Certification


Course Tutor Will Provide Certificate of Attendance