Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a baffling, troubling, and hard to treat phenomenon that has increased markedly in recent years. Key issues in diagnosing and treating NSSI adequately include differentiating it from attempted suicide and other mental disorders, as well as understanding the motivations for self-injury and the context in which it occurs. This accessible and practical book provides therapists and students with a clear understanding of these key issues, as well as of suitable assessment techniques. It then goes on to delineate research-informed treatment approaches for NSSI, with an emphasis on functional assessment, emotion regulation, and problem solving, including motivational interviewing, interpersonal skills, CBT, DBT, behavioral management strategies, delay behaviors, exercise, family therapy, risk management, and medication, as well as how to successfully combine methods.

This volume presents a comprehensive and practical approach to the treatment of suicide and NSSI for adolescents utilizing a mentalizing framework. The beginning of the text provides up-to-date information on the theory of a mentalizing therapy in order to ground the readers in the neuroscientific underpinnings of a mentalizing approach. Next chapters provide information on the fundamental building blocks of a mentalizing therapy at the individual and family level. These chapters provide step-by-step approaches in order to provide examples of the techniques involved in mentalizing treatment that can be employed to address suicidality and NSSI. The next chapter builds on these concepts as the reader learns about mentalizing failures involved in common co-morbidities in adolescents who are experiencing suicidality and/or employing NSSI. The next several chapters cover practical issues related to working within this patient population including the key concept of social systems and connections for both providers and adolescents, the ability of mentalizing theory and therapy to integrate with other effective therapies, how to approach sessions after a suicide attempt, resiliency for patient, family and the provider, along with important self-care for a therapist if a patient commits suicide. The final chapter brings all of the aforementioned elements together in order for the reader to conceptualize employing a mentalizing approach to adolescents and their families when suicide and NSSI concerns are a predominate focus of care. Illustrations of specific therapeutic approaches and a list of resources and guidelines where available are also included. Adolescent Suicide and Self-Injury is an excellent resource for all clinicians working with youths at risk for suicide and/or self-injury, including psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians, family medicine physicians, emergency medicine specialists, social workers, and all others.

‘A much needed resource empowering readers with powerful insights, a road map of practical strategies and above all else hope.’ Karen Young – child & adolescent anxiety specialist Helping teens and tweens cope when times are tough. Wisdom infused, hope-filled and research driven. If you have a child who is struggling with self-harm, I want to remind you that you are your child’s greatest advantage. What you do and how you respond matters. This book was written for you and your family. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a global mental health concern with studies conservatively indicating 10% of young people experiment with self-harm. The ways in which young people self-harm are wide and varied, and a challenge many families now have to face. It remains distressing and difficult for parents and caring adults to understand, as it seems to go against every innate instinct of self-protection and survival. In this book, award-winning speaker, author and educator Michelle Mitchell has combined her 20 years’ experience, with the latest research, interviews with experts and stories from professionals and everyday families, to give parents and teachers fresh insights into how-to prevent, understand and respond to self-harm. Full of evidence-based strategies, this unique resource will provide parents with the facts, practical help and comfort they need. Michelle answers questions like – • Why does my child want to hurt themselves? • Is self-harm about attention seeking? • What do I say if I suspect self-harm? • Why is self-harm so addictive? • How do I manage their safety? • How do I best take care of siblings and other family members? • When is it necessary to seek support? Michelle goes where few have gone before, in tackling the distressing, confusing and fraught issue of self-harm in our young people … Michelle has done us all a great service in bringing us this invaluable title. Melinda Tankard Reist (Author, Speaker, co-founder Collective Shout) Michelle … gives a strong and poignant voice, not only to those who are self-harming, but also to the ones who love them. This book traverses that gap. It is an intelligent, thoughtful, and much-needed resource, empowering all who read it with powerful insights, a road map of practical strategies, and above all else, hope. Karen Young (Author, Speaker, Parenting and Child & Adolescent Anxiety Specialist)

"Parents who discover a teen's self-injurious behavior are gripped by uncertainty and flooded with questions - Why is my child doing this? Is this a suicide attempt? What did I do wrong? What can I do to stop it? And yet basic educational resources for parents with self-injuring children are sorely lacking. Healing after Self-Injury provides desperately-needed guidance to parents and others who love a young person struggling with self-injury"--

This edited volume features evidence-based reviews and practical approaches for the professional in the hospital, clinic, community and school, with case examples throughout. Divided into five major sections, the book offers background historical and cultural information, discussion of self-injury etiology, assessment and intervention/prevention issues, and relevant resources for those working with youths who self-injure.

In this truly comprehensive guide, Dr. D'Onofrio approaches the topic of how first-responders, such as teachers, coaches, social workers, guidance counselors, and campus health counselors, can and do treat adolescent self-injury. From examinations of the core social and emotional issues related to self-injury to the integration of understanding with practice, everything needed for comprehensive care is detailed in this volume. Each part of the book focuses on a basic topic, such as what constitutes self-injury, the foundations for self-injury, and how to engage an adolescent with these issues. Each issue is presented in straightforward chapters that are immediately accessible to those who are currently struggling to address this growing trend among teens. The chapters within each part delve into how to recognize, treat, and approach this illness and incorporate first-person stories from psychologists, teachers, and adolescents themselves.

Research has shown that a range of adult psychiatric disorders and mental health problems originate at an early age, yet the psychiatric symptoms of an increasing number of children and adolescents are going unrecognized and untreated—there are simply not enough child psychiatric providers to meet this steadily rising demand. It is vital that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and primary care practitioners take active roles in assessing behavioral health presentations and work collaboratively with families and other healthcare professionals to ensure that all children and adolescents receive appropriate treatment. Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health helps APRNs address the mental health needs of this vulnerable population, providing practical guidance on assessment guidelines, intervention and treatment strategies, indications for consultation, collaboration, referral, and more. Now in its second edition, this comprehensive and timely resource has been fully updated to include DSM-5 criteria and the latest guidance on assessing, diagnosing, and treating the most common behavioral health issues facing young people. New and expanded chapters cover topics including eating disorders, bullying and victimization, LGBTQ identity issues, and conducting research with high-risk children and adolescents. Edited and written by a team of accomplished child psychiatric and primary care practitioners, this authoritative volume: Provides state-of-the-art knowledge about specific psychiatric and behavioral health issues in multiple care settings Reviews the clinical manifestation and etiology of behavioral disorders, risk and management issues, and implications for practice, research, and education Offers approaches for interviewing children and adolescents, and strategies for integrating physical and psychiatric screening Discusses special topics such as legal and ethical issues, cultural influences, the needs of immigrant children, and child and adolescent mental health policy Features a new companion website containing clinical case studies to apply concepts from the chapters Designed to specifically address the issues faced by APRNs, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health is essential reading for nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists, particularly those working in family, pediatric, community health, psychiatric, and mental health settings. *Second Place in the Child Health Category, 2021 American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards*