Self-Injury Assessment & Treatment: Clinical Strategies (HS - KAMEN - 020648)

Course overview

Whether the behavior is cutting, burning, piercing, starving, purging, head banging, or some other method, self-harming behaviors and the emotions underlying them know no bounds with respect to race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic class, or gender. Feeling shame and embarrassment, those who engage in self-harm may privately console themselves, or befriend other self-injurious peers - which can further intensify the lethality and suicidal intent of their acts. Studies show that professionals who work with adults and youth who self-injure find it to be one of the most challenging psychological issues to treat. David Kamen, PhD, will equip you with practical, evidence-based tools to assess and treat deliberate self-harm, along with other co-morbid psychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and substance abuse. Effective triage, coordination of care, and risk-management practices for your work with self-injury patients, their parents, families, and friends will be addressed. The theoretical and cultural reasons for this epidemic will be explored. Practical approaches that work for individual, group, and family psychotherapy in inpatient, outpatient, school, and community settings will be shared, along with resources to prepare professionals and caregivers to help those who engage in self-injury.