Understanding and Working with Self-Harm
Course Outline
Cutting, burning, poisoning and self-mutilation are all common forms of self-harm. Although not a mental disorder in itself, self harm is one of the most difficult and distressing behaviours which care workers have to face.
Self-harm is regularly practised by many thousands of people in the UK. Many people who self-harm see their cutting or burning as a ‘release’ or coping mechanism which has little impact on an otherwise normal way of life. Nonetheless, for those care workers who support clients in shared accommodation or special needs housing, self-harm can present as an insurmountable problem, particularly in situations where clients are injuring themselves frequently and/or to a significant degree.
This one-day course aims to provide participants with some understanding of the cultural, gender and clinical context of self-harm, and introduces the Self-Harm Toolkit to help mental health workers develop skills and strategies to support this client group (when help is sought!), understand their behaviour, assess risk and manage situations in a safe and effective way.
Course Content
• To examine the clinical, social and cultural context of self-harm
• To develop skills and strategies in working with self-harming clients
• To introduce some of the key concepts of risk assessment and management
• To determine the difference between self-harm, suicide and attempted suicide