Help with Self-Harm

Talking about how you’re feeling with someone you trust can feel like a relief. This person could be a friend, family member, teacher, school counsellor/nurse, or youth worker.  Professional support can also make a difference.  Your GP can refer you to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) so you can have an assessment and get the treatment that is right for you. You might be offered counselling or talking therapy, where you can talk with trained mental health professionals about what you are feeling and ways you can cope.

It’s really important to keep yourself as safe as possible and reduce your risk of serious self-injury. Even though you want to stop self-harming, you might not feel able to stop straight away.  You could try to:

• go for a walk or do some gentle exercise
• focus on your breathing
• text a friend and let them know you need them to help you take your mind off things
• play music and sing or dance along
• hold an ice cube
• write down your thoughts
• hit a cushion or pillow
• Create a personal box of items that remind you happy times.

It’s important that you make a safety plan with someone who you trust, and it is important to remember that not all young people deal with things the same .Each young person may need different things to help support them to pass through these intense feelings.

There are other ways in which you can get support such as Chat Health and Kooth.  These are both confidential 1:1 text based services where you can speak to a professional for support.

Calm Harm is a free app which provides you with support and strategies to help you resist or manage the urge to self-harm.

The Mix also offers support to anyone under 25 about anything that’s troubling them.  There is email support available via their online contact form, a free 1-2-1 web chat service available and free short-term counselling service.  The opening times are 3pm – 12am, seven days a week 0808 808 4994