Finding out that your child is self-harming can understandably be very distressing for any parent or carer to hear. When we talk about self-harm we are referring to when someone hurts themselves on purpose, usually as a way to cope with difficult situations, feelings and thoughts. It can also be used as a way of expressing how someone is feeling or releasing difficult emotions that are too hard to talk about. Whilst you might want to ask your child to stop self-harming immediately, we would recommend encouraging them to slowly replace self-harm with more positive/healthy strategies until they no longer feel the need to self-harm.
Below we have some resources that give more information on self-harm as well as some useful distraction techniques and coping strategies that you can show your child and encourage them to use. Whilst these resources are useful, if your child is self-harming and currently does not have any additional support it would be helpful to speak to either your child’s school or your local GP for further help and advice.