Assessment and Treatment of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

Book excerpt: Assessment and Treatment of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Clinical Perspective is the ideal primer for anyone who works with people who self-injure. Profiling who is affected as well as what their behaviour includes, the book explores the range of factors behind why people self-injure, from the influence of social media to the need for self-regulation, and offers recommendations for both assessment and outpatient treatment. Throughout, the book is permeated by profound respect for those who use self-injury in an attempt to live a good life, while conveying a deep understanding of the challenges that self-injury presents for family members and treatment professionals. It recognizes that the behaviour can spread in hospital wards or other institutional setting, introducing the concept of self-injury by proxy, and assesses the range of therapies available, including CBT, MBT, ERGT and family therapy. Each chapter is complemented by clinical vignettes. In an era when a great number of professionals will come into contact with someone who self-injures – including teachers, social workers and nurses as well as therapists – The Assessment and Treatment of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury is an invaluable resource that examines both the causes and the treatments available.