ABSTRACT
The form teacher of a local school telephoned the CAMHS in a state of high anxiety and wanted to discuss an urgent problem that had arisen at school. She was directed to a member of staff who had been assigned the task of taking emergencies for the day. The teacher was very worried and concerned about Emma, a 15-year-old girl in her form. It had been brought to her attention by other pupils in the class that Emma had cut herself with a Stanley knife that she had brought to school. When discussing the self-harm instances Emma was asked to describe them in detail. Most of the incidents occurred at home when she came back from school. Based on the information derived from the assessment sessions, it was felt that Emma was using self-cutting a way of coping with her intense feelings of sadness, anger and frustration.
