Healing Together

Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) has become increasingly common among teens and emerging adults. An individual may engage in NSSI for a variety of reasons from coping with emotional pain or as a distraction from difficult thoughts and painful memories. Although NSSI is a common presenting concern, those in supportive roles of clients struggle to understand the motivations to self-injure as well as how to include appropriate supportive family members in the counseling process for long-term healing. The purpose of this article is to (a) review attachment styles in conceptualizing NSSI, (b) discuss the value of including supportive caregivers/family members in treatment, and (c) provide an evidence-based summative list of suggestions for counselors to provide to caregivers. A case illustration is provided.

Understanding the impact of involuntary discoveries of nonsuicidal self-injury: a thematic analysis

“…As such, family-based therapeutic modalities in addition to DBT may also be helpful for clients. Indeed, in many cases, familybased therapies have been suggested to be effective treatment modalities for individuals who engage in NSSI (Schade, 2013;Teague-Palmieri & Gutierrez, 2016). In sum, when addressing IDEs in clinical contexts, tailoring approaches to the unique psychological needs of the clients, including the psychological impact of the IDE, is likely important.…”