Did you know that self-harm impacts 14% to 39% of youth? In this advanced course clinicians will grow their understanding of effective interventions for youth who self-harm. Self harm is usually the result of an inability to cope in healthy ways with psychological pain. Youth may be struggling with feelings of worthlessness, loneliness, panic, anger, shame, rejection, and self-worth. The reasons for self-harm are complex, but some youth self-harm with the following intentions:

• Manage or reduce severe distress or anxiety
• Provide a distraction from painful emotions through physical pain
• Feel a sense of control over one’s body
• To feel something, even if it's physical pain, when feeling emotionally empty or numb
• Express internal feelings in an external way
• Communicate depression or distressing feelings to others
• Be punished for perceived failings

Youth struggle with self harm because they haven’t had an opportunity to development some foundational skills. This session will support clinicians in identifying and delivering evidence-based treatments for self-harm.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify factors that increase vulnerability to self harm.
• Understand and identify expressions of self harm and its drivers
• Address the difference between self harm and suicide risk and understand the mechanisms in which self-harm can increase suicide risk
• Understand and anticipate the complications of ongoing self-harm behaviours
• Understand evidence-based interventions that address self-harm and it’s root cause

Audience tags: registered psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, correctional officers, child protection workers, child and youth workers

Meet your trainer:

Carolyn Carrier

Carolyn is a Registered Social Worker working part time with NavOn. She holds a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology, a Bachelor’s Degree in Adult Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts (Sociology). She worked in community corrections for 13 years before transitioning to working in the mental health field. Since entering her career as a psychotherapist, Carolyn has worked in community-based organizations, hospital settings, in private practice, and more recently with NavOn.

Carolyn practices from a trauma-informed perspective with therapeutic goals being determined by the client for the client. She has specialized in working with perpetrators and victims of domestic violence and is a certified user of the Danger Assessment (DA) and the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA). In addition to her specialization in domestic violence, Carolyn has in-depth experience working with individuals who have experienced developmental trauma and dissociation.

Carolyn focuses her efforts on community education through facilitation of workshops on various topics in the mental health field. Topics often include trauma-informed care, anxiety and depression, de-escalation techniques, vicarious trauma, and therapy modalities.

Carolyn is trained in the therapeutic modalities of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Deep Brain Reorientation (DBR), and she is certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Carolyn also provides professional consultation for EMDR. She has been trained in yoga-based interventions for therapy as well as using mindfulness for those healing from trauma.