Self-harm in children and adolescents can lead to strong feelings of anxiety, fear and frustration in the people who are trying to support them.
The management of these feelings is an important factor in supporting the child or adolescent. To help you do this, try not to focus too much on the actual self-harm behaviour; ensure that you engage with the person and the issues underlying the self-harm. Offering what support you can, being there for the person and their feelings and problems can be very helpful, but it’s important to be aware of your own limitations and not offer more than you can cope with.
