By Susan Bowman and Kaye Randall
(Grades 5-12) This book provides a collection of strategies and activities to help children and adolescents who deliberately self-injure. A variety of hands-on creative arts approaches are featured that can be used in private practice and school settings. When working with youth who self-injure it is helpful to have a variety of creative approaches at your fingertips. The approaches and activities in this book can be used with individuals or with a small group. The activities help children/adolescents to express their feelings, understand why they self-injure, engage in a healing process, explore new methods of coping and prevention, and find new meaning and purpose in their lives.

The book provides a description of self-injury in young people and its underlying causes. Then, an overview of therapeutic approaches is presented along with suggestions for the professional counselor/social worker/psychologist, teachers and parents. Sample assessment questions and activities are included.

The following 15 strategies with activities and reproducibles are listed below:

• Crucial Communication Skills
• Creative Journaling
• Personal Strength Coaching
• Relaxation/Guided Imagery
• Visual Arts
• Metaphors
• Sand Tray
• Music
• Story Telling
• Tactile Diversion
• Creative Dramatics
• Animals and Nature
• Prayer Power
• Mentoring
• Clay

Paperback, 128 pages.

Click here to see a sample.