Now is the Time to Learn Practical Approaches for the Assessment and Treatment of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI)
The number of children and adolescents who are deliberately inflicting physical pain and injury on their bodies has reached epidemic proportions. Self-injury is dangerous, but treatable. The DSM-5 now recognizes non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) as a serious childhood disorder worthy of further research and clinical examination. So, now is the time to learn practical approaches for NSSI assessment and treatment.

This webinar reviews the conceptual theory of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, neurobiological, family systems, and psychodynamic explanations of NSSI will be presented. Case study and empirical literature review will be examined to prepare participants for NSSI assessment and treatment. Participants will be able to successfully explain the self-esteem, emotional, family, and social factors that place children at risk for self-injury.

Course Content

A. The Theory and Cultural Origins of Self-Injury
  1. Review of the spectrum of self-injurious behaviors
  2. Cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, family systems, feminist, and neuropsychological perspectives on self-injury
  3. Comparative analysis of suicidal, para-suicidal, and non-suicidal self-injury
B. Empirical Review on Youth Self-Injury
  1. Epidemic facts on the incidence and prevalence of adult and youth self-injury
  2. Psychiatric and medical comorbidity associated with youth self-injury.
    a. Reactive Attachment Disorder
    b. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
    c. Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
    d. Major Depressive Disorder
    e. Disruptive Behavioral Disorders
    f. Case study
C. The Clinical Assessment of Youth Self-Injury
  1. General diagnostic interview and mental status examination
  2. Suicidal & lethality risk and protective factor assessment
  3. Personality assessment
D. Norm-Referenced Self-Injury Inventories
E. Consultation and Collaboration with Healthcare and Allied Healthcare Professionals
F. The Treatment of Youth Self-Injury
  1. Treating the behavior as an addiction and as an obsessive-compulsive feature
  2. The 4-Step Assessment and Treatment Approach
    a. Emergency triage and case conceptualization
    b. Therapeutic assessment and functional analysis of self-injury behaviors and reinforcements
    c. Motivational interviewing—treating self-injury as an addiction
    d. Exposure Therapy--treating obsessive-compulsive features of self-injury
G. Counseling Techniques
  1. Family systems counseling
  2. Psychodynamic
  3. Group psychotherapy approaches