Episode 79 of the Becoming Centered Podcast is the third part of an arc focusing on self-injurious behaviors among children and youth at a residential treatment program.  This episode moves on from the SIB of head-banging and looks at superficial cutting.  Among some residential treatment populations, this is a distressingly common behavior; however, most staff probably have never attended any training specifically on this behavior.

In addition to addressing the residential counselor’s initial response, this episode presents the psychology behind superficial cutting. Fifteen overlapping reasons for this method of non-suicidal self-harm are reviewed.  It’s really helpful for counselors to know the most common reasons for cutting, so that they can help their child and youth clients find the words to identify their specific motivations.  Being able to use words to discuss what is prompting them to engage in this SIB can prevent future incidents, lessen the medical seriousness of future incidents, and put the client on a path to ending this maladaptive way of changing their state-of-mind when emotionally overwhelmed, when experiencing positive feelings from the behavior, and when engaging in the behavior is a form of self-definition and identity.