ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the practitioner will gain an understanding of:
Best approaches to universal and program-based prevention strategies
The role of various personnel and professionals within the school
School policy and protocol surrounding the issue of NSSI
School-based approaches to intervention with students engaging in NSSI
M.J. was a 13-year-old girl experiencing difficulties in school. She would have periods of time where she would miss days of school and then suddenly return to class. She tried to keep up with her homework but was unable to manage her course load. One day, when reviewing her assignment that she had received an extension on, I noticed a series of fresh cuts on the inner aspect of her wrist, which she was attempting to hide with several bracelets wrapped around her wrist. She looked away when it became apparent that I had noticed several fresh cuts and then indicated that she felt she needed to leave and would return at a later time to discuss the assignment. After her departure, I pondered what to do with the information I had. I felt both concerned and confused. Did her parents know about this behavior? How long had this been going on for? If I did not bring this to someone’s attention, would something more serious happen? What were my responsibilities as her teacher?
I chose to set up a meeting time with the school counselor to discuss my observations at the end of that day. It certainly felt better to review the situation with a colleague. It was agreed that I would continue to support her in her desire to get her credits for the course that I was responsible for, that I would continue to feed forward to the school counselor any further observations or concerns that I might have, and that the school counselor, who had seen her in the past, would invite M.J. to meet with her to have a discussion about how she was doing. As a high school teacher, I decided that I needed to understand this behavior better, so I did an internet search and had difficulty knowing which sites were reliable. There was a wealth of opinion offered on many websites but I found only several sites that were helpful from my perspective. The following day, at our staff meeting, there were very mixed opinions and a heated discussion among the staff regarding the self-injurious behaviors of students. Some felt students use this behavior to get the attention of others or to avoid attending school. Some felt a student that cuts themselves intentionally must be experiencing some form of personal difficulty and that the self-injury was undoubtedly a “symptom.”
