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Jessica Garisch, PhD, from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, gives a sneak peek into how she addresses self-injury and self-harm in therapy sessions with youth and their parents. Season 1 | Episode 16 Podcast/ Season 1 | Episode 16 If Your Child is in Therapy for Self-Injury Aug 6, 2021 with Dr. Jessica Garisch If Your Child is in Therapy for Self-Injury with Dr. Jessica Garisch 00:00 / 01:04 Many parents understandably want their child to stop self-injuring immediately, but cessation of self-injury is often a process and recurrence of episodes of self-injury can be expected, even when in therapy. In this episode, Dr. Jessica Garisch provides insight for parents about expectations for therapy and helping their child stop engaging in self-injury and self-harm. For instance, what do you do if your child does not seem to be putting forth effort in therapy? And if you are worried that your child may not be safe enough to go to camp or on vacation, should you keep them home? To learn more about Dr. Garisch and her work at Victoria University of Wellington, visit https://people.wgtn.ac.nz/jessica.garisch . To learn more about the Youth Wellbeing Study and its research team, visit https://youthwellbeingstudy.wordpress.com / . Follow Dr. Westers on Instagram and Twitter (@DocWesters). To join ISSS, visit itriples.org and follow ISSS on Facebook and Twitter (@ITripleS). The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast has been rated #5 by Feedspot in their " Top 15 Clinical Psychology Podcasts You Must Follow in 2021 " and by Welp Magazine in their " 20 Best Injury Podcasts of 2021 ." Previous Next

Home / Awards / Invited Fellow / Dr. Jennifer L. Hughes Dr. Jennifer L. Hughes Previous Dr. Jennifer L. Hughes is a Psychologist and Clinical Scholar in Behavioral Health at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University (United States), with appointments in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and in the College of Public Health. Her research focuses on developing, testing, and disseminating evidence-based interventions to prevent and treat depression and suicide in children and adolescents. She is a co-developer of Relapse Prevention CBT for youth depression and the family-based SAFETY program for suicidal youth. Dr. Hughes is also an international trainer for the Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) program, implementing school-based suicide prevention programs in the U.S., Australia, and India. She has held leadership roles in the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and the American Psychological Association (APA), and she contributes to the NIMH ASPIRES Center for Accelerating Suicide Prevention in Real-world Settings. Dr. Hughes is recognized for her innovative work bridging research, clinical care, and community-based prevention, with a focus on building resilience and improving outcomes for youth at risk. Next ISSS Fellow | 2026

2023 - 2024 Home / Collaborative Research Program / NSSI in Chinese Adolescents NSSI and other life-threatening behaviours among adolescents in China Mentor/s: Moye Xin 2024 - 2025 Project Overview Affiliation: Xhaanxi Normal University, China Project Description: My research interests mainly focus on a combination with Life-threatening behaviors (e.g., NSSI and suicidal behaviors) among other minorities (e.g., adolescents and young adults at risk) and gender study, then try to figure out the mechanism of them, with the perspective of social science and psychological methodology, meanwhile, cooperating with international platforms, if possible. Applicants should have the following skills: Basic skills of data analysis, literature review and a little bit of mind of innovation Junior researcher responsibilities: Collecting literatures and revelant data, drafting manuscripts based on their own research interests Anticipated outcome(s) for junior researcher: Able to start your own research by choosing frontiers of research field, and start to write basic literature reviews and do some basic data analysis. Time commitment: 3 days per week for 1 year Application Deadline: June 1, 2024 Apply Now

Janis Whitlock, PhD, from Cornell University and Senior Advisor for The JED Foundation explains how caregivers with lived experience of self-injury can navigate conversations with their children about their own history of self-harm, and how parents can manage heightened limits to confidentiality when their child who self-injures turns 18 while in therapy. Season 5 | Episode 65 Podcast/ Season 5 | Episode 65 Parenting with Lived Experience of Self-Injury Sep 26, 2025 with Dr. Janis Whitlock Parenting with Lived Experience of Self-Injury with Dr. Janis Whitlock 00:00 / 01:04 Two topics are covered in this episode: (1) how parents with lived experience of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) can navigate conversations with their children about their own scarring and wounds, and (2) how parents (with or without lived experience) can navigate conversations about self-injury with their young adult children when they turn 18. Dr. Whitlock is emerita research faculty at Cornell University, a former Associate Director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, and the founder and director of the Self-Injury & Recovery Resources (SIRR) research program, which serves as one of the best and most comprehensive collations of online resources about self-injury: www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu . It is a go-to resource for parents, therapists, friends, family members, schools, other caring adults, the media, and individuals with lived experience of self-injury. Dr. Whitlock is also Senior Advisor for The JED Foundation. To learn more about The JED Foundation, visit https://www.jedfoundation.org/ . Below is some of the work referenced in this episode: Whitlock, J., & Lloyd-Richardson, E. E. (2019). Healing self-injury: A compassionate guide for parents and other loved ones . Oxford University Press. Taliaferro, L. A., Jang, S. T., Westers, N. J., Muehlenkamp, J. J., Whitlock, J. L., & McMorris, B. J. (2020). Associations between connections to parents and friends and non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents: The mediating role of developmental assets . Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 25 (2), 359-371. Kibitov, A. A., & Mazo, G. E. (2023). Genetics and epigenetics of nonsuicidal self-injury: A narrative review . Russian Journal of Genetics, 59 (12), 1265-1276. Dawkins, J., Hasking, P., & Boyes, M. (2021). Knowledge of parental nonsuicidal self-injury in young people who self-injure: The mediating role of outcome expectancies . Journal of Family Studies, 27 (4), 479–490. Previous Next

Kathryn Gardner, PhD, from the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom discusses the significance of where on the body individuals choose to engage in self-cutting behavior and the psychology of self-injury and self-harm location. Season 2 | Episode 25 Podcast/ Season 2 | Episode 25 Self-Injury Location: Visible vs Concealed May 27, 2022 with Dr. Kathryn Gardner Self-Injury Location: Visible vs Concealed with Dr. Kathryn Gardner 00:00 / 01:04 Does it matter where on the body someone cuts, whether on typically more visible sites such as the forearm and wrist, or in typically more concealed areas, such as the upper arm and torso? Is there a relationship between where someone cuts on their body and their likelihood of continuing to engage in the behavior? In this episode, Dr. Gardner discusses her research on the psychology of self-injury location and where on the body one chooses to self-injure as well as intrapersonal (emotional) reasons and interpersonal (social) reasons for engaging in self-injury and self-harm. Learn more about Dr. Gardner and her work at https://www.uclan.ac.uk/academics/dr-kathryn-gardner , and follow her on Twitter @KathrynJGardner . Below are links to some of her research referenced in this episode: Gardner, K. J., Bickley, H., Turnbull, P., Kapur, N., Taylor, P., & Clements, C. (2020). The significance of site of cut in self-harm in young people . Journal of Affective Disorders, 266 , 603-609. Gardner, K. J., Paul, E., Selby, E. A., Klonsky, E. D., Mars, B. (2021). Intrapersonal and interpersonal functions as pathways to future self-harm repetition and suicide attempts . Frontiers in Psychology, 12 , 688472. Follow Dr. Westers on Instagram and Twitter (@DocWesters). To join ISSS, visit itriples.org and follow ISSS on Facebook and Twitter (@ITripleS). The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast has been rated #5 by Feedspot in their " Best 20 Clinical Psychology Podcasts " and by Welp Magazine in their " 20 Best Injury Podcasts ." Previous Next

Home / Awards / Invited Fellow / Dr. Penelope A. Hasking Dr. Penelope A. Hasking Previous Dr. Penelope A. Hasking is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Curtin University (Australia). Her research focuses on the emotional, cognitive, and social factors that contribute to NSSI and related behaviors. She has played a central role in advancing emotion regulation models of self-injury and in developing prevention and intervention programs that are both evidence-based and sensitive to the needs of young people. Dr. Hasking’s work also highlights the importance of understanding social connectedness, self-compassion, and help-seeking behavior. She is known for her thoughtful mentorship, scientific rigor, and her dedication to making psychological research meaningful and applicable in everyday life. Her work stands out for its clarity, empathy, and commitment to real-world impact. Next ISSS Fellow | 2025

Glenn Kiekens, PhD, from KU Leuven University in Belgium discusses how researchers measure self-injury and self-harm in real time using advances in technology. Season 1 | Episode 11 Podcast/ Season 1 | Episode 11 Monitoring Self-Injury in Real Time Apr 23, 2021 with Dr. Glenn Kiekens Monitoring Self-Injury in Real Time with Dr. Glenn Kiekens 00:00 / 01:04 How do we assess self-injury differently than 20-30 years ago? Rather than asking someone to remember how they were thinking and feeling when they last self-injured days, weeks, and even months ago, advances in technology allow researchers and clinicians to monitor self-injury and self-harm in real time, as it occurs. In this episode, Dr. Glenn Kiekens discusses the advantages of adapting real-time monitoring (also known as experience sampling or ecological momentary assessment [EMA]) in researching nonsuicidal self-injury as well as the ethical concerns to consider when doing research in real time. Learn more about Dr. Kiekens and his work in the Center for Contextual Psychiatry at KU Leuven by clicking here . Follow Dr. Kiekens on Twitter @GKiekens . Below are links to some of his research and the resources referenced in this episode: Opening the black box of daily life in non-suicidal self-injury research: With great opportunity comes great responsibility (preprint available at https://psyarxiv.com/yp86x ) Fluctuations in affective states and self-efficacy to resist non-suicidal self-injury as real-time predictors of non-suicidal self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (2020) Consensus statement on ethical & safety practices for conducting digital monitoring studies with people at risk of suicide and related behaviors (Nock et al., 2020) Revealing the form and function of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors: A real-time ecological assessment study among adolescents and young adults (Nock, Prinstein, & Sterba, 2009) Changes in ecological momentary assessment reported affect associated with episodes of nonsuicidal self-Injury (Armey, Crowther, & Miller, 2011) Follow Dr. Westers on Instagram and Twitter (@DocWesters). To join ISSS, visit itriples.org and follow ISSS on Facebook and Twitter (@ITripleS). Previous Next

Moye Xin, PhD, from Xi’an University in China shares insights from his research exploring how conflict about one's gender role may increase risk for engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury and self-harm. Season 5 | Episode 60 Podcast/ Season 5 | Episode 60 Does Conflict About One’s Gender Role Predict Self-Injury? Apr 25, 2025 with Dr. Moye Xin Does Conflict About One’s Gender Role Predict Self-Injury? with Dr. Moye Xin 00:00 / 01:04 In this episode, Dr. Moye Xin from Xi'an University in the Shaanxi Province of central China discusses how nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is viewed in Asia and shares his thoughts about how gender role conflict may affect rates of self-harm among university students, particularly young Chinese men. Connect with Dr. Xin on ResearchGate at www.researchgate.net/profile/Moye-Xin or visit his work on SciProfiles at sciprofiles.com/profile/1469611 . Below are a few of his research studies referenced in this episode: Xin, M., Petrovic, J., Yang, C., Zhang L., & Yang, X. (2024). Nonsuicidal self-injury among Chinese university students during the post-COVID-19 era: analysis of sex differences and the impact of gender role conflict . Frontiers in Psychology, 15 , 1362762. Xin, M., Zhang, L., Yang, C., Yang, X., and Xiang, M. (2022). Risky or protective? Online social support's impact on nssi amongst Chinese youth experiencing stressful life events . BMC Psychiatry, 22 , 782. Yang, X., & Xin, M. (2018). "Boy crisis" or "girl risk"? The gender difference in nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior among middle-school students in China and its relationship to gender role conflict and violent experiences . American Journal of Men's Health, 12 (5), 1275–1285. Previous Next

About Self-Injury Is NSSI a Disorder? Resources / About Self-Injury / Is NSSI a Disorder? "A condition for further study" The short answer is no, NSSI is not a disorder; however, in 2013, the American Psychiatric Association included Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Disorder (NSSI-D) as a condition for further study in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-5). ISSS was consulted during the development of the proposed criteria for NSSI-D, where concerns and benefits of the diagnosis were discussed. There are currently six diagnostic criteria, and ISSS members continue to be involved in research to improve the reliability and validity of these criteria. Criterion A The first criterion relates to the frequency of self-injury. To meet this criterion, self-injury must have occurred on at least five days during the previous 12 months. Criterion B The second criterion relates to the reasons for engaging in self-injury. To meet this criterion, self-injury must have occurred for one or more of the following reasons: To reduce negative thoughts or emotion To manage interpersonal difficulties To induce a positive state Criterion C There are several components captured by the third criterion. To meet this criterion, self-injury must meet one of more of the following: Be preceded by: negative thoughts/emotions conflict with others Involve preoccupation with self-injury that is difficult to resist Involve recurrent thoughts about self-injury Criterion D This is an exclusion criterion, and stipulates that the self-injurious behaviours must not be socially sanctioned. Therefore, behaviours that cause injury but are socially acceptable, such as piercing or body modification, are excluded. Criterion E As with other disorders outlined in the DSM, to meet this criterion, the self-injury must cause distress or interfere with an individual's quality of life. Criterion F As with other disorders outlined in the DSM, to meet this criterion, the self-injury must cause distress or interfere with an individual's quality of life. References Zetterqvist, M. (2015). The DSM-5 diagnosis of nonsuicidal self-injury disorder: A review of the empirical literature. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health , 9 , Article 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-015-0062-7

Online 2022 Conferences / 17th Annual Conference | Online 22nd - 24th June, 2022 In 2022, we hosted our 17th Annual International Conference online. Details In 2022, we hosted our 17th Annual International Conference online. The conference was packed with inspiring, compelling, and interesting talks from global experts in the field. Show More

2023 - 2024 Home / Collaborative Research Program / FIS Validation Validation of a novel Future Imagery Scale and exploration in a sample of YP with and without NSSI Mentor/s: Martina Di Simplicio 2024 - 2025 Project Overview Affiliation: Imperial College London, United Kingdom Project description: Anticipatory mental imagery of self-injury often precedes engaging in NSSI. Growing evidence suggests it also plays a role in driving urges and facilitating self-injury (Lawrence et al. 2023). However, it remains unknown whether individual differences in the general use of future mental imagery, both of positive and negative valence, might be relevant to NSSI, for example in the form of less frequent or less vivid imagery of future goals and rewards. We developed a novel self-report scale seeking to assess the characteristics of future mental imagery use, the Future Imagery Scale (FIS). Approximately 250 students / young people from the general population completed the scale, as well as 50 YP with NSSI, 50 YP with disordered eating and 50 YP with negative affect but no history of NSSI/other dysregulated behaviours. These were participants from two different studies who also completed various measures of affect, impulsivity and emotion regulation. The aim of the project is to a) assess the psychometric properties of the current scale, 2) explore it's association with NSSI and other mental health measures, and 3) review and develop a final measure of the FIS Applicants should have the following skills: Some data processing skills and statistical skills (e.g. factor analysis, ANOVA); good collaborator. Junior researcher responsibilities: They will process data, conduct analysis under supervision or independently as appropriate and contribute to write-up of results. Anticipated outcome(s) for junior researcher: Exposure to numerous experimental studies in the broad field of NSSI, mental imagery and cognitive mechanism, with opportunities to also support these. Depending on level of writing skills, first or middle authorship on paper. Time commitment: Flexibile weekly hours for 2-8 months Application Deadline: June 1, 2024 Apply Now

Caroline Roberts from the University of Minnesota bridges the conversation gap between self-injurious behavior (SIB) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), including self-harm among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Season 3 | Episode 41 Podcast/ Season 3 | Episode 41 Self-Injury in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Sep 29, 2023 with Caroline Roberts Self-Injury in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDD) with Caroline Roberts 00:00 / 01:04 Up to 1 in 5 (20%) individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and about 3 in 7 (42%) individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) engage in self-injurious behavior (SIB). Common forms of SIB include repetitive head banging, head-hitting, self-biting, self-hitting, eye-poking, skin-picking, and trichotillomania (hair pulling), among other forms of self-harm. In this episode, Caroline Roberts from the University of Minnesota and Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain discusses the differences and similarities between SIB and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and how we can bridge the gap between NSSI research and clinical practice, and SIB among those with IDD. She also shares 4 key topics from her interviews with experts in SIB and NSSI: (1) case ascertainment, (2) perceptions of causal variables, (3) pathways to treatment, and (4) treatment goals and outcomes. Learn more about the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain and their interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and improving SIB workgroup here . Follow Caroline on Twitter/X at @clrobz . Below are one of her papers and other research referenced in today's episode: Roberts, C. L., Avina, A. H., & Symons, F. J. (2023). A qualitative analysis of family caregiver experiences accessing treatment for self-injurious behavior in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities . Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities . Dimian, A. F., & Symons, F. J. (2022). A systematic review of risk for the development and persistence of self-injurious behavior in intellectual and developmental disabilities. Clinical Psychology Review, 94 , 102158. Steenfeldt-Kristensen, C., Jones, C. A., & Richards, C. (2020). The prevalence of self-injurious behaviour in autism: A meta-analytic study . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50 (11), 3857-3873. Follow Dr. Westers on Instagram and Twitter/X (@DocWesters). To join ISSS, visit itriples.org and follow ISSS on Facebook and Twitter/X (@ITripleS). The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast has been rated #1 by Feedspot in their list of " 10 Best Self Harm Podcasts " and #5 in their " 20 Best Clinical Psychology Podcasts ." It has also been featured in Audible's " Best Mental Health Podcasts to Defy Stigma and Begin to Heal ." Previous Next