Adolescents have been engaging in risky and harmful activities such as using drugs, alcohol, and sex for decades. Now children and adolescents from the ages of 5 years old up to 17 years old exhibit in something that is quiet alarming: non-suicidal self-injuries or NSSI.

Children and adolescents experience several things in their life such as: stress from school, homework, bullying, hormones, relationship issues, early pregnancy and standardized testing. All of these things can cause severe depression and anxiety for this population. So, how do they handle these pressures in life? Unfortunately, these teens have been turning to drugs, alcohol, and sex. Now they are performing NNSI behaviors such as cutting their arms, legs, thighs, feet, and toes. Sometimes adolescent males will exhibit in self-harming behaviors including: burning, hair pulling, skin picking, punching themselves in the head or face, or banging their head against walls.

This population is very misunderstood. I love working with this population and helping the teens with their problems. The boys and girls are very sensitive and vulnerable. During my years of experience with teens and adolescents, I have come to find adolescents are extraordinarily genuine, honest, and kind.

I have worked with children and adolescents from the ages of 5 up to 17. I have had several years of experience from inpatient psychiatric hospitals, private practice, and outpatient settings. From all of my experiences working with adolescents, it has been so rewarding to see how much they learn, grow, and understand themselves better.

How Can We Help Adolescents with NSSI

  1. Increase Communication SkillsRemember to engage in conversations with children and adolescents. The teens are learning from observation and interactions during this time period. It is essential to have good communication skills with children and adolescents in order to build growth and development.
  2. Increase Daily ActivitiesThese activities can include: going grocery shopping together, going to the movies together as a family, spending the day with Mother or Father, one day a week or every other week having dinner with the family at home or going out to a restaurant, one day a week watching a movie together at home or at the theater, going shopping together, and going to family events together – cousin’s house, fourth of July BBQ, weddings, etc.
  3. Reward Good BehaviorsIf your daughter or son exhibits polite behaviors such as opening the door for parents, doing choirs around the house, vacuuming, cleaning the dishes, doing the laundry, taking out the trash, picking up Mother’s dress from the cleaners, picking up Father’s clothes from the washer/dryer etc. then reward your child by appreciate, affection, or admiration. Kind words will go a long way for this population.
  4. Listen to Their Wants/NeedsSitting down and listening to exactly what adolescents and children want compared to what they need, can be an essential tool to have in your toolbox. This can also help children and adolescents grow. Communicating with adolescents about the difference in wants and needs is important. This will also increase communication skills.
  5. Being Supportive and UnderstandingIt is crucial to be supportive and understanding for this population. Children and adolescents are at a vulnerable and sensitive point in their lives and attempting to understand can go a long way. They always need all the support they can whether it’s for school, grades, increasing self-esteem, growing confidence, or relationship issues, it was definitely help.