Home / Awards / Invited Fellow / Dr. Janis L. Whitlock Dr. Janis L. Whitlock Previous Dr. Janis Whitlock is a Senior Research Scientist and Director Emerita at the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery (United States). For over two decades, she has been a pioneering force in understanding the epidemiology, context, and recovery process of self-injury, especially among adolescents and college students. Her work has illuminated how social, developmental, and digital factors influence self-injury, and she has been at the forefront of translating research into accessible educational materials for clinicians, parents, and young people. Her work has been foundational in understanding self-injury among adolescents and young adults, particularly in community and online contexts. Dr. Whitlock is deeply respected for her compassionate approach, her emphasis on resilience and recovery, and her lifelong commitment to empowering individuals and communities to respond to self-injury with understanding rather than stigma. Next ISSS Fellow | 2022

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

Ben from California shares his story of lived experience of self-injury as a man, including how he views recovery and copes with significant scarring from self-harm wounds. Season 5 | Episode 59 Podcast/ Season 5 | Episode 59 Lived Experience: Ben's Story of Self-Injury Mar 28, 2025 Lived Experience: Ben's Story of Self-Injury 00:00 / 01:04 In this episode, Ben Moroski from Los Angeles, CA, shares his story of lived experience of self-injury that began at age 17 when he and his family found themselves in a religious cult. He articulately communicates therapeutic gems he has learned throughout his journey of recovery while remaining honest with how he manages persisting urges to self-harm. Watch his autobiographical solo one man play about his struggle with self-injury at https://vimeo.com/107909913 , and follow him on Instagram @bmoroski . Previous Next

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

Julian Koenig, Dr. sc. hum. (PhD), from the University of Cologne in Germany discusses the psychology of pain in self-injury and self-harm. Season 3 | Episode 40 Podcast/ Season 3 | Episode 40 The Psychology of Self-Injury Pain Aug 25, 2023 with Dr. Julien Koenig The Psychology of Self-Injury Pain with Dr. Julien Koenig 00:00 / 01:04 What is the relationship between nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and pain? Are individuals who self-injure less sensitive to pain than those who don’t self-injure? What are the ethics involved in conducting research on pain? In this episode, Dr. Julian Koenig describes the research on the experience of pain among those who self-harm. Learn more about Dr. Koenig and his research lab at www.koeniglab.de , and follow him on Twitter/X at @koeniglab . Below are links to some of the research referenced in this episode: Koenig, J., Thayer, J. F., & Kaess, M. (2016). A meta-analysis on pain sensitivity in self-injury . Psychological Medicine, 46 (8), 1597-1612. Koenig, J., Klier, J., Parzer, P., Santangelo, P., Resch, F., Ebner-Priemer, U., & Kaess, M. (2021). High-frequency ecological momentary assessment of emotional and interpersonal states preceding and following self-injury in female adolescents . European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30 (8), 1299-1308. Kaess, M., Hooley, J. M., Klimes-Dougan, B., Koenig, J., Plener, P. L., Reichl, C., Robinson, K., Schmahl, C., Sicorello, M., Schreiner, M. W., & Cullen, K. R. (2021). Advancing a temporal framework for understanding the biology of nonsuicidal self-injury: An expert review . Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 130 , 228-239. Störkel, L. M., Karabatsiakis, A., Hepp, J., Kolassa, I.-T., Schmahl, C., & Niedtfeld, I. (2021). Salivary beta-endorphin in nonsuicidal self-injury: an ambulatory assessment study . Neuropsychopharmacology, 46 (7), 1357-1363. Sigrist, C., Kaess, M., & Koenig, J. (2023). Autonomic nervous system function in nonsuicidal self-injury—A Research Domain Criteria perspective on the arousal/regulatory systems . In E. E. Lloyd-Richardson, I. Baetens, & J. Whitlock (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of nonsuicidal self-injury (pp. C18S1–C18S23). Oxford University Press. Naoum, J., Reitz, S., Krause-Utz, A., Kleindienst, N., Willis, F., Kuniss, S., Baumgärtner, U., Mancke, F., Treede, R.-D., & Schmahl, C. (2016). The role of seeing blood in non-suicidal self-injury in female patients with borderline personality disorder . Psychiatry Research, 246 , 676-682. 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

Kim Gratz, PhD, and Matthew Tull, PhD, from the University of Toledo walk us through Emotion Regulation Group Therapy (ERGT) intervention for nonsuicidal self-injury and self-harm. Season 3 | Episode 34 Podcast/ Season 3 | Episode 34 Emotion Regulation Group Therapy for Self-Harm Feb 24, 2023 with Dr. Kim Gratz and Dr. Matthew Tull Emotion Regulation Group Therapy for Self-Harm with Dr. Kim Gratz and Dr. Matthew Tull 00:00 / 01:04 A lot of therapies address the context in which nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and self-harm may occur, but only a few treatments have been designed to address NSSI specifically. In this episode, we dive into one of these treatments: Emotion Regulation Group Therapy (ERGT). Drs. Kim Gratz and Matthew Tull from the University of Toledo in Ohio walk us through in significant detail each of the 90-minute 14 sessions of ERGT. Learn more about Dr. Gratz here and reach her at klgratz28@gmail.com . Learn more about Dr. Tull here and follow him on Twitter @MTTull . Learn more about the Personality and Emotion Research and Treatment (PERT) Laboratory within the Department of Psychology at the University of Toledo here , and follow the PERT Lab on Twitter @LabPert . Below are links to their research on ERGT referenced in this episode: Gratz, K. L., & Gunderson, J. G. (2006). Preliminary data on an acceptance-based emotion regulation group intervention for deliberate self-harm among women with Borderline Personality Disorder . Behavior Therapy, 37 (1), 25-35. Gratz, K. L., & Tull, M. T. (2011). Extending research on the utility of an adjunctive emotion regulation group therapy for deliberate self-harm among women with borderline personality pathology . Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 2 (4), 316–326. Gratz, K. L., Tull, M. T., & Levy, R. (2014). Randomized controlled trial and uncontrolled 9-month follow-up of an adjunctive emotion regulation group therapy for deliberate self-harm among women with borderline personality disorde r. Psychological Medicine, 44 , 2099–2112. Gratz, K. L., Bardeen, J. R., Levy, R., Dixon-Gordon, K., L., & Tull, M. T. (2015). Mechanisms of change in an emotion regulation group therapy for deliberate self-harm among women with borderline personality disorder . Behaviour Research and Therapy, 65 , 29-35. Sahlin, H., Bjureberg, J., Gratz, K. L., Tull, M. T., Hedman, E., Bjarehed, J., Jokinen, J., Lundh, L., Ljotsson, B., & Hellner, C. (2017). Emotion regulation group therapy for deliberate self-harm: A multi-site evaluation in routine care using an uncontrolled open trial design . BMJ Open, 7 (10), e016220. 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

Ruth Tatnell, PhD, from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia describes how the COVID-19 pandemic and first lockdown affected rates of self-injury and self-harm. Season 3 | Episode 33 Podcast/ Season 3 | Episode 33 Did Self-Injury Increase During the COVID-19 Lockdown? Jan 27, 2023 with Dr. Ruth Tatnell Did Self-Injury Increase During the COVID-19 Lockdown? with Dr. Ruth Tatnell 00:00 / 01:04 Early in the pandemic there was a lot of talk about how the initial lockdown and stay-at-home orders would affect people’s mental health, including risk for suicide and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). In this episode, Dr. Ruth Tatnell answers questions about the pandemic's effects on rates of self-injury: Did the initial lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic increase self-injury urges and behaviors like many people thought would happen? And do we know if self-harm has increased, decreased, or stayed the same since the first lockdown of the pandemic? Learn more about Dr. Tatnell and her work at Deakin University here , and connect with her on LinkedIn here . Below is her publication discussed in this month's episode as well as additional articles referenced in our interview: Tatnell, R., Terhaag, S., & Melvin, G. (2023). Covid-19 lockdown and non-suicidal self-injury: A Mixed methods analysis of NSSI during Australia's national lockdown . Archives of Suicide Research . Online ahead of print. Tanaka, T., & Okamoto, S. (2021). Increase in suicide following an initial decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan . Nature Human Behaviour, 5 (2), 229–238. Read about the Harvard Happiness Study published in The Atlantic here . Read about the Cigna loneliness study here and their tips for addressing loneliness here . 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. 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

Together, a dad and his young adult daughter share their story of her self-injury and self-harm. Season 3 | Episode 37 Podcast/ Season 3 | Episode 37 A Dad & Daughter Discuss Her Lived Experience of Self-Harm May 26, 2023 A Dad & Daughter Discuss Her Lived Experience of Self-Harm 00:00 / 01:04 What is a parent's role in helping their child recover from self-injury? What might a dad say about supporting his child when he learns his child is engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)? In this episode, a father and daughter sit down to discuss her lived experience of self-injury and self-harm and how parents, especially dads, can support their child. This is a shared story. 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 " 20 Best Clinical Psychology Podcasts " and also featured in Audible's " Best Mental Health Podcasts to Defy Stigma and Begin to Heal ." Previous Next

NSSI Measures Resources / NSSI Measures Towards Field Consistency Measuring and assessing non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is complex and various measuring systems have been created. To facilitate the use of reliable and validated measures, the ISSS has established a repository of measures available to ISSS members. Assessment tools listed below are included with the permission of the authors. If there is a measure you think should be added to this list, please suggest it! Suggest a Measure Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation Lloyd et al., 1997 FASM Inventory of Statements About Self-Injury Klonsky & Glenn, 2009 ISAS Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Interview - Revised Nock et al., 2007 SITBI-R Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Interview - Short Form Nock et al., 2007 SITBI-SF The Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory Nixon et al., 2015 OSI The Screen for Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Halverson et al., 2022 SNSI

ISSS Invited Fellows Home /Awards / Invited Fellows Celebrating Excellence Invited Fellows of ISSS are esteemed members who have made outstanding contributions to the field. Through their research, clinical, and/or advocacy work, ISSS Fellows have advanced science and improved the lives of people with lived experience. 2026 Invited Fellows To be announced To be announced 2025 Dr. Stephen P. Lewis Dr. Lewis is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Guelph. Read more 2025 Dr. Penelope A. Hasking Dr. Hasking is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Curtin University. Read more 2024 Dr. Jason J. Washburn Dr. Washburn is a Professor and the Chief of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University. Read more 2024 Dr. Kim L. Gratz Dr. Gratz is a writer, clinician, and an affiliated faculty member at the University of Toledo. Read more 2023 Dr. Nancy L. Heath Dr. Heath is a Professor at McGill University in the Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology. Read more 2023 Dr. Laurence Claes Dr. Claes is a Professor at Ku Leuven in the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. Read more 2022 Dr. Janis L. Whitlock Dr. Whitlock is a developmental psychologist and public health specialist specializing in the mental health of adolescents and young people. Read more 2022 Dr. Paul L. Plener Dr. Plener is a Professor at the Medical University of Vienna where he is Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Read more 2021 Dr. Barent W. Walsh Dr. Walsh is a Clinical Social Worker and author. Read more 2021 Dr. Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp Dr. Muehlenkamp is a Professor at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Read more

Michelle Hiner, MS, from Rutgers University in New Jersey breaks down how high and low arousal emotions affect the perception of pain among those who engage in self-injury and self-harm. Season 4 | Episode 53 Podcast/ Season 4 | Episode 53 Effects of Emotions on Self-Injury Pain Perception Sep 27, 2024 with Michelle Hiner Effects of Emotions on Self-Injury Pain Perception with Michelle Hiner 00:00 / 01:04 Does the emotion someone experiences immediately preceding an episode of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) influence how painful that episode of self-harm feels? In this episode, Michelle Hiner, MS, a Clinical Psychology PhD student in the Emotion and Psychopathology (EmP) Lab at Rutgers University in New Jersey talks about how individuals who self-harm after experiencing high arousal negative emotions (HANEs), like anger, experience pain differently than those who self-injure after experiencing low arousal negative emotions (LANEs), like sadness and dissociation. Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn here , and learn more about the Emotion and Psychopathology (EmP) Lab here . Below are some papers referenced in this episode: Drummond, P. D. (1995). Noradrenaline increases hyperalgesia to heat in skin sensitized by capsaicin . Pain, 60 (3), 311-315. Wiercioch-Kuzianik, K., & Bąbel, P. (2019). Color hurts. The effect of color on pain perception . Pain Medicine, 20 (10), 1955-1962. Paul, E., Tsypes, A., Eidlitz, L., Ernhout, C., & Whitlock, J. (2015). Frequency and functions of non-suicidal self-injury: Associations with suicidal thoughts and behaviors . Psychiatry Research, 225 (3), 276–282. Previous Next