PCCS Books > Beyond Fear and Control: <em>Working with young people who self harm</em>

Contents

Part One: Working alongside Young People

1. A Dialogue of Hope and Survival. Clare Shaw and Terri Shaw

2. Edges and Ledges: Reflections on informal support at 42nd Street Eamonn Kirk

3. Finding your own Voice: Social Action group work with young people Keith Green

4.Supportive communities and helpful practices: the challenge for services Ian Murray

Part Two: Abuse, Oppression and Self Harm

5. Calming Down: self injury as stress control Rose Cameron

6.Whose Fear Is It Anyway? Working with young people who dissociate Theres Fickl

7. Disordered Boundaries?: A critique of ‘Borderline Personality Disorder’ Gillian Proctor

8. 'To that piece of each of us that refuses to be silent’: Working with self harm and black identity Vera Martins

Part Three: Strategies of Survival

9. Self Injury and the Law: What choices do we really have? Sam Warner and Doug Feery

10. Weaving different practices: Working with children and young people who self-harm in prison Carolyn McQueen

11.Harm-Minimisation: limiting the damage of self-injury Louise Roxanne Pembroke

12. Exercising Choice and Control: Independent Living, Direct Payments and Self Harm Helen Spandler and Pauline Heslop

Introduction

People harm themselves in many ways and for many different reasons. Whilst we recognise that there is a complex relationship between self harm and suicide, this book is about supporting young people who use self harm primarily as a way of coping with distress. In this context self harm can be viewed as: the expression of, and temporary relief from overwhelming, unbearable and often conflicting emotions, thoughts or memories, through a self injurious act which they can control and regulate. Undoubtedly young people who self harm arouse strong emotional reactions in most people including fear, helplessness, confusion and anger. Responses are often based on a need to try and protect or rescue young people from danger. However, our heightened emotional response, coupled with myths and misunderstandings about both young people and self harm, can lead us to respond in ways that, rather than being empowering and helpful, can be felt as controlling and harmful.