Our Children and Self Harm

The SonRise Project creator, Kelli Richardson Lawson, introduces therapist, Dr. Julie Lopez. She is founder of Viva Partnership and the Resilient Brain Project. In this episode, Dr. Lopez tackles the difficult subject of self-harm. Self-harm or self-injury is defined as: “The condition, clinically known as non-suicidal self-injury characterized by deliberate self-inflicted harm that isn’t intended to be suicidal.” Dr. Lopez says big life stressors can become the catalyst to self-harm, including: violence, neglect, abuse, sexual abuse and natural disasters. Smaller life stressors can also cause distress in one’s system, even though society might not see or culturally recognize them. According to statistics, nearly one in five humans self-injures in their lifetime. Dr. Lopez discusses with SonRise listeners the signs, causes and strategies that can help reduce self-harm. She also encourages parents to educate themselves so they can be an ally to their children in the process of recovery.