Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: Cutting Through the Pain

The number of youth presenting with self-injurious behaviors has increased over the past several years. For school counselors, this has brought a need for relevant information, training, and treatment strategies. This article offers pertinent information on self-injury such as a definition, the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, common misconceptions, prevalence, risk factors, cultural differences, the cycle of self-injury, ethical and legal considerations, and concludes with treatment options.