Supporting Someone Who Self-Harms Worksheet

Having a loved one engage in self-harm behaviors can be scary and you may not feel sure what you can do. Remember that simply being there with them in a caring manner is a huge help.

Here are some tips on how to respond when you are first told:

When you help someone in the long term, remember that you are not there to fix or solve the problem - you don’t have the answers. Rather, you are there to offer support and remind the person that they are not alone.

Here are some tips to help you:

Remember to take care of yourself as well - being someone’s support will mean that you need to put your own self-care practices into your routine.

References:

Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System. (2021). Adult Self-Harm Self Management Toolkit. https://www.midandsouthessex.ics.nhs.uk/publications/adult-self-harm-management-toolkit-nhse/ 

You can download more Mental Health worksheets here.

Please note: There may be a more up-to-date and editable version of this worksheet available here which may be more suitable to present to clients if you are a therapist or to use in a classroom as a teacher or guidance counselor.