Counselling for Self Harm

Self harm involves a person injuring themselves in some way. Self harm has two forms, the first involves a discrete episode where the individual hurts themselves by cutting, burning, hitting or poisoning. The second type of Self Harm involves ongoing mistreatment that has become part of an almost daily routine for example alcohol abuse or an eating disorder.

Who Can Counselling for Self Harm Help?

Do you intentionally cause harm to yourself when you are distressed? Do you find that harming yourself reduces your distress in the short term? Have you been unable to tell others about your Self Harm or have you found that they are unable to either listen or understand? Do you feel unable to resist the urge to Self Harm?

If you have answered ‘yes’ to at least one of these questions you may benefit from our counselling services for Self Harm.

“When I felt as if I had hit rock bottom I turned to a variety of vices, but the one I could never control was my gambling addiction. It took a lot of work from both my therapist and I, but over the months I finally managed to free myself from its grasp. I am so thankful to The British CBT & Counselling Service who stopped me from destroying my life.”

LEWIS, Richmond

What Does Treatment for Self Harm Involve?

STEP 1
You will start by meeting with one or our Therapists to discuss what is currently happening to you. They will ask you some general questions about your life, relationships and other commitments and also some more specific questions about the issues that lead you to self harm and what you would like to achieve through your counselling. They will then use this information to develop a counselling programme for you.

STEP 2
The next step will be to work with your Therapist to understand what feelings cause you to Self Harm and why you cannot resist the urge to Self Harm.

STEP 3
Your Therapist will then teach you alternative coping strategies to your Self Harm which if practiced frequently can be used to reduce distress to a more tolerable level.

STEP 4
You will then focus on eliminating the triggers to your Self Harm by looking at your environment and how you currently respond to it. You will then learn alternatives that will promote well being and calm.

STEP 5
Finally, you will explore with your Therapist the factors that have made you vulnerable to Self Harm in the first place so that together you can devise techniques to protect yourself from these in the future thus preventing relapse.