How to address self-harm in the classroom?

In recent years, self-harm among young people and adolescents has increased considerably. Self-injury, which often begins between the ages of 11 and 13 , is frequently linked to a mental health problem, but increasingly, non-suicidal self-injury is being observed in boys and girls without any prior mental disorder.

Adolescents who self-harm often struggle to manage intense emotions and feelings , and use this behavior to escape them and reduce their distress, even though it can have negative consequences in the medium and long term. To prevent this behavior, it is crucial to provide children and adolescents with tools to manage their emotions and distress, starting within their family and educational environments.

Responding to cases of self-harm can be complicated for school staff. To begin with, it is advisable for the school to have a response protocol that details how each professional should act in a case of self-harm. However, having guidelines or recommendations can help teachers know what to do, what to say, and how to act with a student who is self-harming.

Students who self-harm

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Universal prevention guidelines in the educational field

These are educational practices aimed at training students in adaptive coping skills and strategies for dealing with distress, and which will be beneficial for all students. Some of these practices are:

• To train students in emotional regulation and problem-solving skills.
• To train students in social skills.
• Offer them adaptive stress management strategies.
• Promote the practice of physical activity as a strategy for socialization among peers and emotional regulation.
• Promote involvement with entities and associations with a recreational and social objective.
• To achieve proper literacy in the use of social networks and shared content.
• Consider the "preventive" role that influencers , YouTubers , etc. can play in preventing these behaviors.

Socio-emotional skills that promote resilience

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How can I deal with students who self-harm?

It is important that the person who self-harms feels that their teacher cares about them, without making self-harm the focus of conversations and preventing it from becoming their identity. To help a student who self-harms, it is necessary to listen calmly, respect their privacy, and offer support and availability at all times. It is not easy to intervene in a situation involving self-harm, but some recommendations that may help are:

• Show an attitude of listening, while remaining calm.
• Avoid discussing the student's self-harm with the class. Doing so creates stigma and can perpetuate the behavior.
• Avoid creating complicity with him or her by saying things like, "If you don't cut yourself anymore, I won't tell anyone." Instead, contact the parents and inform them of what happened.
• Avoid dedicating a tutoring session to discussing self-harm. This can contribute to social contagion.
• Show interest in him or her in a broader sense, beyond the self-harm. Don't ask "How are you?" or "Did you cut yourself?", but rather "What did you do this weekend?" or "What are your plans?".
• Focus your educational intervention on "What can I do as a teacher to make you feel better at school?", "How can I help you to feel better?".
• Don't say things like, "I don't understand why you're hurting yourself, if you don't have any real reasons to feel that way."
• Ask him if there is anything in his life that worries him, or that is not going well.
• Show interest in knowing what he/she thinks and feels, but without expressing value judgments.
• Let her know that she has your support to face these moments in her life.
• Provide them with alternative activities to self-harm.
• Make it as easy as possible for him to continue the course.
• Ask her to keep her wounds covered, to avoid stigma and the positive social attention that can contribute to keeping self-harm active.