Self-Harm

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Emotional regulation and distress tolerance may help individuals who feel overwhelmed in their emotional mind, and turn to self-harm. When safety and containment is not familiar, it can be easy to unconsciously re-enact or re-play out harmful experiences. Inflicting pain can also be a way to feel, and a way to attain intimacy with others.

We use DBT interventions to treat self harm.

By using DBT, I help my clients to understand the chain of events leading to self injurious behavior and replace the behavior with more adaptive coping! I also look for secondary gains that might be reinforcing self injurious behavior when I have a client who is really stuck in their patterns.

DBT is a evidenced based treatment for individuals who have several mental health conditions including: Self Harming Behaviors. We assess for any and all self harming and work on ways to effectively decrease that behavior by applying and using skills learned from group.

Trauma survivors often use self-harm as a way to cope with intense emotional pain. Let's help you find another way.

I have worked extensively with clients struggling with self-harming behaviors. I have worked in a Partial Hospitalization Program and Intensive Outpatient Program that often included work with adults and adolescents working to change their self-harming behaviors. I have been trained in Dialectic Behavioral Therapy to help work on both distress tolerance to decrease the impulses as well as interpersonal skills to be able to express their emotions more effectively.

Self-harm means hurting yourself on purpose. People may self-injure for many reasons. For some, it might feel like relief, like taking the lid off a pressure cooker. Others might self-harm because physical pain might remind them that they’re alive. But self-harm can sometimes be more severe than intended or lead to infection. Utilizing DBT, I have treated children, adolescents, and adults in decreasing the harmful behaviors and replace them with healthy and safe coping skills.

One of the most meaningful pieces of the work I do is helping people improve their relationships with themselves. I have experience implementing DBT-informed therapy and compassion-focused therapies to help clients manage self-harm and related challenges. Through this, we can help you understand what leads to self-harm and get you to a place of not feeling a need to have to resort to harming yourself to feel okay.

As an AMFT, my experience working with clients who struggle with self-harm enables me to offer compassionate, nonjudgmental support. I understand the complex emotional pain behind self-injury and approach each client with empathy and patience. By creating a safe, open space, I help clients explore the underlying issues driving their behavior, develop healthier coping strategies, and work towards healing. My goal is to empower clients to build resilience, self-acceptance, and emotional regulation