Jan 23, 20223 min read

5 Steps to Supporting Someone Who Has Self-Harmed

Updated: Mar 23, 2022

"Hello! My name is Dr Helen Care and I am a Clinical Psychologist for young people.

I'm here to talk you through some ideas for supporting someone who has self-harmed or is thinking of doing it. I know that it is tricky to know how to react. You may be feeling scared, lonely or confused. Here are some ideas about what to do now.

I’m going to break this down into 5 steps:

Keep calm
Don’t judge
Hold the line
Be practical
Don’t do it on your own

1 - Keep calm

I’m a clinical psychologist and I’m trained in dealing with this, but it still makes me feel upset and sometimes annoyed when someone tells me they have hurt themselves. This is someone you care about, and it isn’t what you want for them. Cutting or hurting oneself is sadly quite common, and it is important that you stay calm.

There are lots of reasons why people feel they might hurt themselves. It isn’t always something catastrophic, they may just be overwhelmed by some difficult feelings. Showing them that you can stay calm will help them stay calm too. They are more likely to feel able to talk to you if you can stay in control.

2 - Don’t judge

I know that you don't want the person to be hurt, but remember that whatever is telling them this might be a good idea, will also be telling them that they are on their own. The fact that they have either come to tell you about it, or you have been sensitive enough to notice that there might be a problem, is great news. They are no longer facing this on their own. Their 'Rubbish Feelings' will immediately be easier to tackle when there are two or more of you working together.

Try to listen to what they are telling you. They may find it hard to put into words to start with. Give them time, and ask some gentle open questions like “What are you feeling at the moment?”, “When did you first notice you were feeling like that?” or “Is there anything you want to tell me about?” Reassure them that they don’t have to tell you everything, but that you will listen if they do.

Rubbish bin with scrunched up paper ready to throw away

3 - Hold the line

This means acknowledging the feelings and still telling them to stop: “I understand how awful this feels right now. The rubbish feeling is making you feel like you can’t cope. But it isn’t OK to hurt yourself."

4 - Be practical

As hard as it feels, being practical and thinking through logical steps will help the person feel contained, feel like they have some strategies, and help them to stay safe.

Ask: “What will help you stay safe?” Think about trigger points so they don’t have things that might remind them of how it feels to hurt.

Ask “What makes that rubbish feeling feel stronger? Would you feel safer if you had someone with you? Which rooms feel safer to be in right now?

If they have already cut or hurt themselves, make it safe. Check – has the bleeding stopped? have they cleaned the cut or burn or scratch? is it covered so it won’t get dirt in it? Does it need medical attention, like stitching?

Emojis and speech bubbles spelling out TALK

5 - Don’t do it on your own

It can feel as if you can’t possibly share the information. But it is important that you try not to deal with it on your own. Feeling rubbish can make someone feel ashamed. Show them that it is OK to talk about it, with people who are trustworthy and safe. Don’t promise them you won’t tell, but you can promise you won’t tell anyone without letting them know. Try to find out who it would be OK to talk to – can I tell your teacher/your doctor/the school nurse?

At the very least, make sure you have someone you feel you can talk to even if you don’t give them all the details or the name of the person you are worried about. This is a lot to deal with on your own, so get support.

Show them our short You Tube animation BREATHE https://youtu.be/vCOdzJ1-ZQQ

This contains no triggers and is designed to be used whenever someone is thinking of self-harming.

Summary

You are taking an important step in showing that person who may have thought about hurting themselves that they aren’t on their own, you are willing to listen and they do have a choice about hurting themselves. They don’t have to listen to that rubbish feeling. No matter what else you do or don’t feel able to do, just being there for the person is a great start.

Thanks for caring and good luck.

Best wishes,

Helen

Dr Helen Care

Clinical Psychologist

AConfidentStart.com