Self Harm

Friday 20th July 2012

Manchester

Andrew Reeves

Overview

Working with Self-Harm in Counselling and Psychotherapy

Self harm and self injury are strategies used by many clients as a means of coping with overwhelming and powerful feelings. Research evidence suggests that 142,000 young people present to hospital Accident and Emergency Departments annually as a consequence of self harm (The Mental Health Foundation, 2006): however, this is clearly the tip of the iceberg. It is therefore fair to assume that counsellors work extensively with self harm or self injury in their therapeutic relationships. Working with self harm and self injury in the counselling context can provoke powerful responses in both trainee and qualified practitioners. Understanding our own reactions to self harm and self injury is an essential step in supporting our clients in understanding their own processes.

Objectives

This workshop will consider the following areas:

• Definitions between self harm, self injury and self mutilation

• An overview of the various forms of self harm and ways in which we harm ourselves

• The physiological and psychological processes of self harm – differences between self harm and suicide

• The implications of self harm from clients

• General professional considerations

• Assessment considerations for counselling

• Therapeutic considerations

• Self care

About the Trainer

Dr Andrew Reeves is a counsellor, trainer and supervisor at the University of Liverpool Counselling Service. He is also Editor of Counselling and Psychotherapy Research and has written several articles on suicide and self harm. He is co-editor (with Windy Dryden) of Key Issues for Counselling in Action: Second Edition (Sage, 2008), and author of Counselling Suicidal Clients (Sage, 2010). He is a regular contributor to Therapy Today, including editing the Ethical Dilemmas column.

Fees: Relate Practitioner £90 per day

Relate Student £60 per day

External Candidate £130 per day

To book a place on this course please contact Kellie Langford on

01302 553582

Or download & completed an enrolment form from www.relateinstitute.ac.uk & forward to

kellie.langford@don.ac.uk