What every parent with a child who self injures needs to read

Garry King has extensive experience with working with young people encountering the issues of self harm and suicidal behaviour. This experience is the result of having worked as a teacher, youth worker and counsellor and complimented by degrees in welfare and education as well as masters degrees in counselling and suicidology. Garry has previously worked as the youth welfare consultant for the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention. He was appointed an adjunct lecturer, youth welfare at the Central Qld University and is the recipient of a Churchill Fellowship to the USA.

Garry has written a number of journal articles and books on youth welfare as well as being a speaker at national conferences. He is a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention. Garry is an invited author for the 2015 School Social Work USA. Garry presented at the 2016 International Society for the Study of Self Injury Conference in the USA.

If you have opened this page you are either curious, interested, have a child you are worried about that might be self injuring or your know someone who has a child that could be self injuring and you want helpful information? This type of behaviour is terrifying for families and Garry’s book will assist you with practical advice, hope, and the best research available on how to stop this behaviour.

First lets define NSSI “Non Suicidal Self Injury” – The International Society for the Study of Self Injury say’s: the deliberate, self-inflicted destruction of body tissue without suicidal intent an for purposes not socially sanctioned. It’s where a person purposely cuts, burns or inflicts damage to the body to achieve an outcome that is not socially acceptable.

Most research indicates a figure of 10% to 20% of young people having self injured at some stage. When broken down over a lifetime it equates to 11.1% females and 5.1% males have self injured at some stage.

There is an argument that the male statistics maybe under reported due to the fact ,males are more reluctant to seek help.

There are many and varied reasons why a young person may self injure. The most common reason is that they may become overwhelmed with painful emotions and are not able to manage this (self regulate). Findings do support that it is a coping strategy  because self injury allows them, for a short time, to feel in control again.

There are young people that are more at risk than others which can be understood by reading Garry’s book.

Because NSSI is often secretive and every parent hopes that their child doesn’t become involved it means, that at times, it can go undetected.

Things to look out for that could be a sign that your child is self injuring are: