Self-harm and suicide prevention

Young people are avid consumers of social media, and use various platforms to interact with each other. The #chatsafe project is the first, internationally, to develop a set of evidence-based guidelines on how young people can engage in safe peer-to-peer communication online about suicide.

This webinar will examine briefly the facts about self-harm in young people, and will examine some of the more commonly reported reasons for self-harm. The importance of understanding these reasons will be discussed, for engaging young people and for intervening and building more adaptive coping skills. This webinar will help professionals working with young people to feel more confident to understand the reasons for self-harm.

Self-harm is a key risk factor for suicide; the leading cause of preventable death for Australians between 15 and 44 years of age. This webinar will introduce the types of therapies that have been developed for young people engaging in self-harm, the evidence-base for these treatments, and what more needs to be done to further prevent self-harm and suicidal behaviour in young people in Australia.

Self-harm is common in young people, with 17% of adolescents (10-17) and 13% of young adults (18-24) reporting that they have engaged in deliberate self-harm. This behaviour can be difficult for schools to manage and causes distress amongst staff, students and families.

Self-harm is a symptom of distress, and can be associated with a wide range of problems. This webinar will focus on how to work with complex and chronic patterns of self-harm that can be particularly challenging for clinicians.