This book provides a collection of strategies and activities to help children and adolescents who deliberately self-injure. A variety of hands-on creative arts approaches are featured that can be used in private practice and school settings. When working with youth who self-injure it is helpful to have a variety of creative approaches at your fingertips. The approaches and activities in this book can be used with individuals or with a small group. The activities help children/adolescents to express their feelings, understand why they self-injure, engage in a healing process, explore new methods of coping and prevention, and find new meaning and purpose in their lives.
The book provides a description of self-injury in young people and its underlying causes. Then, an overview of therapeutic approaches is presented along with suggestions for the professional counselor/social worker/psychologist, teachers and parents. Sample assessment questions and activities are included.
The following 15 strategies with activities and reproducibles are listed below:
- Crucial Communication Skills
- Creative Journaling
- Personal Strength Coaching
- Relaxation/Guided Imagery
- Visual Arts
- Metaphors
- Sand Tray
- Music
- Story Telling
- Tactile Diversion
- Creative Dramatics
- Animals and Nature
- Prayer Power
- Mentoring
- Clay
