Self Harm and Suicidality in Teens
Help your teen go from emotionally overwhelmed and hopeless to hopeful and fulfilled.
Self-harm and Suicidality can be downright terrifying as a parent. Knowing that your child is harming their body can be heartbreaking. Knowing your child contemplates ending their life can be beyond scary. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.
You may find yourself trying to control your child’s behavior or not wanting to let them outside of your sight. Or maybe you feel hopeless and close to giving up. You’ve tried everything and nothing seems to be working.
Self-harm usually shows up due to your child trying to:
punish themself due to chronic feelings of shame (this may manifest as harsh inner judgment and critical self talk) - Ex: I’m so stupid! I hate myself!
trying to feel something, anything
trying to make intense feelings stop
among many other things
Suicide can be even scarier:
sometimes your teen doesn’t truly want to die, they just are trying to express how bad things are. This should never be interpreted as manipulation and should always be taken seriously
sometimes your teen can see no other option out of their pain other than to die
sometimes suicide is about control and being able to “end it all”
suicide can be about ending intrusive trauma symptoms or uncontrollable situations that feel endless
Suicide is almost always about immense pain that someone feels helpless to change
At Safe Haven we believe teens need to feel connected and safe to be able to openly talk about self-harm and/or suicidal ideation. These topics are often seen as taboo. At Safe Haven we are open to speaking about these issues in a nonjudgmental way. We want your teen to feel supported, seen, and understood.
We believe connection is key in healing. Oftentimes there’s a more deeply rooted issue than just depression, suicide, or self-harm. Once safety is established, teens can feel ready to face and heal these deeper issues. We help teens find connection, meaning, and fulfillment in life. There is hope for your child to find happiness once more or maybe for the first time.
We believe you are part of the answer and believe in incorporating parents into treatment when possible. We help parents develop new relational skills that help develop a stronger bond between you and your teen. We ask that parents be available to participate in a session at least once a month.