HopeForYourFamily

Click here to access my list of recommended reading for self-injury. Also, there are several links to helpful websites under the section of “self-injury links” on the right side column of my website.

Check out my Parenting 101 page to see my latest interview and read the Q & A regarding children/adolescents and self-injury.

Click here or pick up the September issue of Baton Rouge Parents Magazine to read my article on the growing epidemic of “cutting” (self-injury).  For the record, the magazine took some editorial liberty with my article - most notably changing most of the pronouns to “she” and “her.”  I assume they did so because of the common misperception that self-injury is primarily a female problem.  While there does seem to be a higher percentage of females with this problem, the percentage appears higher due to the much higher rate of females seeking professional treatment.  Unfortunately, we males continue to be socialized with the idea that we aren’t allowed to have problems beyond our control - that this is a sign of weakness, the ultimate shame for a male.  (For more on this topic, read “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge.)

I am continuing to read, train, and grow in the area of working with those who injure themselves through cutting, burning, and other means.  This is an area to which I have committed myself to continual development, as it is clearly a problem that is growing rapidly in our culture.  In fact, at a recent professional training workshop on the topic, the expert speaker, who has worked with self-injuring individuals for over 30 years said, “Self-mutilation is becoming the new smoking.”

If you, or someone you know, is engaged in self-harming behaviors such as cutting, burning, compulsive skin-picking, hair pulling, hitting oneself, or bone-breaking, there is real help available.  Please get help now!  This behavior can often lead people to feel very ashamed, and to work very hard to hide their secret.  You are not alone - 3 million Americans (1%) are struggling with the same thing, and the number of adolescents is about 10%.  And you can get help, but only if you reach out for it.  Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or church member.  You can call S.A.F.E. Alternatives (Self Abuse Finally Ends) at 1-800-DONTCUT.  Talk to a helping professional, such as a counselor, marriage and family therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist.  You can call me at 387-2287 or email me at roger@hopeforyourfamily.com.  There are several options that can offer real help, including counseling, medication, and dietary changes.  For some very practical tips on alternatives to harming yourself, click here.  If you would like additional resources, click here for a list of helpful books and websites.  I recommend “Bodily Harm: The Breakthrough Healing Program for Self-Injurers” by Karen Contario, Wendy Lader, and Jennifer Kingson Bloom as the very best of the book list.

The very serious problem of “cutting” (also known as self-injury or self-mutilation) is growing to epidemic proportion at an alarming rate - particularly among adolescents (a group that spans from about age 10 to 25).  I will write more about this dangerous struggle later, but for now, here is a MSWord document listing quite a few good resources for those of you who would like to be better informed: “Cutting” Resource List