(HS Ferentz 096298 2023) Addressing the Impulse to Self-Harm and Relapse: Developing a Creative and Compassionate Response

Course overview

Are you using standard safety contracts to manage self-harm and addictive behaviors to no avail? No surprise there: Even though plenty of evidence suggests they don't work, many clinicians still insist that clients sign and abide by these contracts, only to find themselves stuck in power struggles with clients. In this workshop, you'll explore a viable alternative that helps decode the deeper trauma-based narratives clients communicate nonverbally through self-harming behaviors and guides them to metabolize emotions. You'll learn: Why standard safety contracts are ineffective and how they can actually increase relapse and self-destructive behavior The three components of the CARESS model-communicate alternatively, release endorphins, and self-soothe-and how to prepare clients to use it when they feel the impulse to self-harm or relapse How to use art and other expressive modalities to help clients access creativity and self-compassion How to teach clients healthy ways of self-soothing that don't lead to guilt or shame