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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $61.50

Format:
Paperback
208 pp.
5 b/w line drawings, 235 mm x 155 mm

ISBN-13:
9780197545065

Publication date:
March 2023

Imprint: OUP US


Understanding Self-Injury

A Person-Centered Approach

Stephen P. Lewis and Penelope A. Hasking

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), the purposeful damaging of one's own body tissue without suicidal intent, is a common and serious mental health concern. Engagement in self-injury is associated with numerous mental health difficulties such as major depression. Of particular concern is recent evidence indicating that self-injury is a significant risk factor for suicide. Taken together, understanding self-injury and appropriately responding to people who self-injure is critical.

Developing a compassionate understanding of self-injury requires not only knowledge of current research but also essential insights from individuals with lived experience. Understanding Self-injury: A Person-Centered Approach offers a significant departure from traditional texts in the field by adopting a person-centered, strengths-based approach to understanding and addressing self-injury. In addition to giving a general introduction to self-injury, this book offers practical tips for families and caregivers, schools, clinicians, and advocates who support individuals who self-injure. Importantly, priority is given to topics that individuals with lived experience of self-injury find central to their experiences, such as stigma, social media, resilience, recovery, and advocacy.

This book is a must-read for anyone who interacts with or plays a supportive role in the lives of people who self-injure, including mental health professionals and students, school professionals, families, researchers, and, importantly, individuals with lived experience of self-injury.

Readership : Mental health professionals; trainee clinicians and students; NSSI researchers; families and caregivers of individuals who self-injure; individuals with lived experience of self-injury.

Reviews

  • "This text offers a refreshing perspective on timely topics for understanding and responding to self injury from a positive framework that seamlessly integrates wisdom from the scientific literature and lived experience. Drs. Lewis and Hasking are pushing the field forward with the contents of this book that are likely to inspire all who wish to make a difference in the lives of those affected by self injury. I'm excited to see this contribution to the field of nonsuicidal self injury as it represents a voice that has been missing until now." -- Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
  • "Lewis and Hasking have written a book that is accessible, engaging, and chock full of useful advice. Merging clear, comprehensive application of science with deep understanding of lived experience perspectives, the book lays out clear road maps for compassionately understanding and responding to self injury in families, schools, and the larger community. It adds to this novel examination of how lived self injury experience influences current thinking about language, recovery, and treatment important contributions to researchers and providers. A must read for anyone who works with individuals with lived self injury experience." -- Janis L. Whitlock, Director of the Cornell Research Program on Self Injury and Recovery

Preface
Chapter 1: Self-Injury: An Overview
Chapter 2: Self-Injury and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors
Chapter 3: A Person-Centered, Strengths-Based Framing of Self-Injury
Chapter 4: Self-Injury and Stigma
Chapter 5: Use of Appropriate Language to Discuss Self-Injury
Chapter 6: Rethinking and Addressing Contagion
Chapter 7: Self-Injury, the Internet, and Social Media
Chapter 8: Addressing Self-Injury in Schools: A Student-Centered, Strengths-Based Approach
Chapter 9: Families and Self-Injury
Chapter 10: Clinical Approaches for Self-Injury: Assessment and Intervention
Chapter 11: Self-Injury Recovery: A Person-Centered Framework
Chapter 12: Building Resilience Through Recovery
Chapter 13: Supporting People With Lived Experience
Chapter 14: Advocating for a Person-Centered, Strengths-Based Approach
Postface
References

There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.

Stephen P. Lewis, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Guelph. He is Past President of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury and Co-Founder and Co-Director of Self-injury Outreach and Support.

Penelope A. Hasking, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University. She is Past President of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury and Co-Founder of the International Consortium on Self-Injury in Educational Settings.

Healing Self-Injury - Janis Whitlock and Elizabeth E. Lloyd-Richardson
The Oxford Handbook of Suicide and Self-Injury - Edited by Matthew K. Nock
Suicide and Self-Injury in Schools - Darcy Haag Granello, Paul F. Granello and Gerald A. Juhnke

Special Features

  • Offers a new person-centered framework within which to understand, assess, and foster NSSI recovery.
  • Contains practical suggestions for how a person-centered framework can be applied in practice.
  • Prioritizes topics of concern and relevance to individuals with experience of self-injury.