Self-Injury and Teen Cutting Therapy

Foundations Counseling provides self-injury therapy and counseling for teens and adults in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor. Self-harm therapy teaches individuals to rely on healthy coping mechanisms when dealing with feelings of rage, anxiety, or powerlessness over life. Instead of internalizing these feelings and then turning to self-injury, individuals are given more appropriate strategies for dealing with stressful situations.

Self-harm consists of behaviors that people intentionally engage in that cause physical bodily harm to themselves. Individuals who self-harm are attempting to deal with difficult or overwhelming emotions, and are not sure how to more effectively manage these feelings. Self-injury may take on several forms, most commonly cutting, scraping, burning, biting, or hitting.

Most self-injurers are not trying to hurt themselves, commit suicide, or seek attention. Mainly, they utilize self-harm as a coping mechanism to alleviate or manage emotional pain they can’t verbalize. Teen cutting and self-injury is also used as a distraction to avoid experiencing intense feelings “at that moment” when people feel they are losing control. This behavior can help regulate mood by providing an endorphin “high” that calms them down once the injury occurs. Most people who injure themselves find it to be the quickest and most relieving coping mechanism they know to address painful issues.

What You Can Expect with Self-Injury and Teen Cutting Therapy

Foundations Counseling offers self-injury and teen cutting therapy in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor. With self-harm counseling, you can avoid doing things that make you feel bad enough to injure yourself, and do more of the things that will help you feel better. As you begin our self-injury and cutting counseling program, you will notice an improved ability to handle your emotions. Some examples of strategies a person can learn to use to cope with stress include the following:

• Relaxation techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery
• Putting thoughts in writing, which can be shared with someone you trust, such as a counselor
• Increased positive social interaction; the more positive interactions we have with others, the more our mood and hope improve

If you or someone you know would benefit from self-injury and teen cutting therapy, please contact Foundations Counseling in Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor to arrange a free consultation.