Synopses & Reviews
Review
"When I asked my seminar of school psychologist interns how many were presently working with young people who self-injure, every hand in the room went up. This excellent, well-organized text has given my graduate students strategies for assessment, intervention, and management of self-injury that will likely be well utilized in daily professional practice. The students value the book's specific examples, checklists, and step-by-step structure. I use it in both my School Psychology Internship Seminar and my course on Counseling Procedures With Children."--Joy E. Fopiano, EdD, Program and Clinical Coordinator, School Psychology, Southern Connecticut State University "Finally there is a book that integrates the most current research in the field of self-injury with useful clinical approaches. Walsh's expertise as a researcher and clinician shines in his sensible approach to an often misunderstood and difficult topic. Through the use of case examples, research, and practical exercises, this book provides professionals with a thorough understanding of self-injury and its treatment."--Tracy Alderman, PhD, adjunct instructor, Chapman University-San Diego; author of The Scarred Soul: Understanding and Ending Self-Inflicted Violence
"Comprehensive and highly readable, this book provides what has long been needed--a thorough, compassionate, and practical guide to understanding, evaluating, and treating the complex and multifaceted behavior that is self-injury. Walsh's book is sure to become an invaluable and indispensable resource, required reading for anyone working with those who self-injure."--Caroline Kettlewell, author of Skin Game: A Memoir
"A pioneer in the field, Dr. Walsh has created a comprehensive guide to understanding and treating self-injury. His compilation of current research and his discussion of available treatment models are unparalleled. The steady rise in self-injurious behaviors makes it imperative that all clinicians be prepared to work with clients who utilize these unhealthy coping strategies. This book will be invaluable toward that end."--Wendy Lader, PhD, and Karen Conterio, Founders, S.A.F.E. Alternatives; authors of Bodily Harm: The Breakthrough Treatment Program for Self-Injurers
Self-injury is an increasing challenge for schools and communities across the United States. Behaviors such as self-inflicted cutting, scratching, burning, hitting and excoriation of wounds are becoming a regular part of middle school, high school, and college life. Walsh provides a scholarly summary of what is known and what needs to be known to address this intense social challenge. Offering a needed perspective, the text integrates current definitions and assessment practices and summarizes the array of clinical strategies being used to address self-injury.”--Robert H. Horner, PhD, Area of Special Education, University of Oregon
"This is one of the first books to describe a cognitive-behavioral perspective on deliberate self-injury. Setting the standard for other texts that might follow, it covers an important and challenging area for clinicians. Graduate students and front-line mental health professionals will profit greatly from the compassionate approach offered by Walsh in this book."--Dean McKay, PhD, Department of Psychology, Fordham University
"Treating Self-Injury offers mental health practitioners the ultimate practice guidelines for giving competent care to those who engage in these extreme coping behaviors. This is no band-aid treatise: Walsh delivers a wise and thoughtful set of directives for reaching those who self-harm. He clearly defines their dynamics and constructs an assessment and treatment strategy that is sound and empirically based. This book deserves every clinicians attention."--Alan L. Berman, PhD, Executive Director, American Association of Suicidology
Review
"It makes an important contribution to literature on self-injury and is vital reading for any clinician working with those who self-injure."--Metapsychology Online Reviews
"Walsh presents a comprehensive manual written for professionals in which he leads the reader through the intricacies of defining self-injury, delineates the essential components of an accurate assessment, describes the elements of a successful treatment program, and discusses SIB in special populations....Walsh skillfully defines and describes the complexities of SIB and leaves the reader with a clear picture of the population with whom Walsh has spent his career working....A comprehensive guide to understanding and treating individuals who self-injure. Walsh's comfort and mastery in sharing meaningful experiences that shaped his ideas about this population helps the reader to feel connected and empathic towards this group whose needs for understanding are substantial. Moreover, Walsh's clear explanations of the therapeutic models enable even beginning clinicians with little exposure to CBT to understand the origins and rationale for his approach, and then be able to apply the techniques in their work with clients."--Clinical Social Work Journal"This is a thorough and comprehensive book on SIB reflecting many years of experience....Beneficial reading for any advanced graduate course in behavior therapy, with special focus on borderline personality and other difficult populations. Anyone dealing with a patient with SIB, or specializing in this population, will find this book valuable in providing a basic overview of accepted treatment strategies as well as giving valuable advice regarding appropriate ways for the therapist to manage themselves when confronted with injury in their patients....Good value. Integrating the included material with emerging strategies and treatments will provide therapists with the full range of skills needed to deal with and cope with this challenging problem."--Child and Family Behavior Therapy "Walsh does an admirable job at delineating and providing treatment guidelines for the diverse population of self-injurers....A practical guide....Dr. Walsh's tone is respectful and knowledgeable, and provides a comforting voice in this field of distress."--Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic "It is a good therapy, social work, and counseling psychology book that reflects Walsh's extensive experience in treating and dealing with self-injurers....Achieves its goal as a fine introduction to SIB."--Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Review
"For many reasons, this is a welcome addition to the literature on the management of self-injurious behaviors (SIB). Most compellingly, it delivers what it says on the book cover: it is a practical guide. The voice of a wise and experienced clinician is apparent throughout, and this will be particularly reassuring to, and welcomed by, practitioners who are relatively inexperienced in working with self-injury....Walsh's writing is particularly fluent and he has made a sometimes repellant subject engaging and readable, while never appearing voyeuristic or sensational. He manages never to present information in such a shocking way as to alienate the reader and seems sensitive to his audience's capacity to tolerate horror and respectful of patients whom he discusses....this text will be invaluable for any practitioner who works with patients who self-injure; the novice will be informed of key issues to guide his practice and the more experienced practitioner is sure to learn from the wealth of experience and knowledge that Walsh shares. I am glad to have read it and would confidently recommend it to others."--Journal of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy
Review
"Walsh's book will be both in my reading list for students and in practical material I distribute....Through a range of case studies as well as sections on defining and contextualizing self-injury, assessment and treatment, and specialized topics ('contagion,' school-based injuring, and major self-injury relating to severe mental illness), Walsh provides a set of therapeutic tools useful for any clinician encountering self-injury."--Journal of Mental Health
Review
"This clearly written and well-referenced book presents state-of-the-art practical information on the assessment and treatment of self-injury in multiple settings. The superb use of case histories and examples of treatment make it an indispensable resource for therapists, teachers, and others who are called upon to deal with self-injurers. Highly recommended!"--Armando Favazza, MD, author of Bodies Under Siege
"The second edition of Treating Self-Injury is the most up-to-date and clinically useful resource on this extremely important public health problem. Walsh and his collaborators are clinical experts who are also versed in the research literature. From topics like the 'choking game' to self-injury in correctional settings to family approaches and beyond, the book is absolutely essential for mental health professionals who treat any form of self-injury."--Thomas E. Joiner, PhD, The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Florida State University
"Walsh combines extensive clinical expertise and knowledge about self-injury with an accessible writing style and careful attention to the latest research. It is clear that Walsh cares genuinely and deeply about the people he seeks to help. Treating Self-Injury, SecondEdition, is one of the most important volumes on nonsuicidal self-injury. The book is distinguished by its practical and thoughtful guidance regarding the intricate, often messy clinical realities that treatment professionals encounter every day."--E. David Klonsky, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Canada
"There are a number of books about understanding and treating self-injury. This is by far the best one. Walsh has been a pioneer in the field for decades, and this second edition expertly incorporates recent research advances and translates them into useful assessment and intervention practices. If I could have only one book to guide me in the treatment of self-injury, it would undoubtedly be this one."--Matthew K. Nock, PhD, Department of Psychology, Harvard University
"In this second edition, Walsh solidifies his status as one of the foremost experts in the treatment of self-injury. Combining a nonjudgmental and compassionate understanding of self-injury with practical strategies for treating this increasingly common behavior, this book is a 'must' for anyone who works with clients who self-injure."--Kim L. Gratz, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center
"I described the first edition of this book as wise, thoughtful, and sound. Now I need to add 'brilliant' to reasonably describe the second edition. Not only has Walsh incorporated lessons learned from the explosion of research in this area, but he has also woven in the insights of additional well-chosen chapter authors. As the subtitle says, this is a practical guide--but beyond that, it is the definitive treatise on what is known and how to intervene in this most significant of pathologies, and an essential addition to every clinician's resources."--Alan L. Berman, PhD, ABPP, Executive Director, American Association of Suicidology
"Walsh has done it again! This is an incredible resource for those supporting individuals who self-injure--and the second edition is even more comprehensive. New content includes updates on psychosocial and pharmacological interventions, which inform clinicians on the most effective supports; a stepped-care model of service delivery that offers targeted strategies to address each client's unique needs; and chapters on issues unique to various treatment settings. I recommend this practical guide to working professionals as well as students preparing to enter the mental health field."--Melissa M. Pearrow, PhD, School Psychology Program Director, University of Massachusetts Boston
Review
"Delivers what it says on the book cover: it is a practical guide....[Makes] a sometimes repellant subject engaging and readable, while never appearing voyeuristic or sensational....This text will be invaluable for any practitioner who works with patients who self-injure."--Journal of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy
Review
"Walsh's clear explanations of the therapeutic models enable even beginning clinicians with little exposure to CBT to understand the origins and rationale for his approach, and then be able to apply the techniques in their work with clients."--Clinical Social Work Journal
Review
"[An] extremely practical guide to coping with self-injury. This book anticipates and guides the reader through the complicated multisystemic disasters that this symptom can set off....Reflects the years of experience and wise counsel provided since the 1970s by the Bridge of Central Massachusetts, where Walsh is director."--Journal of Trauma and Dissociation
Review
"Other books on self-injury are available, but none is so comprehensive in approaching treatment in a way that is extremely useful to mental health practitioners....An excellent manual...useful in clinical decision-making/m-/a must-have reference."--Metapsychology Online Reviews
Review
"Those working in the health and education scopes of practice with youth and young people will be well rewarded for the time they spend reading this book. Given the incidence of deliberate self-harm in the community, maybe this book should be added to the list of required reading for all those assessing and helping to manage risk within health services"--Psychology Aotearoa
Synopsis
Uniquely practical and comprehensive, this timely guide addresses a problem that is on the rise, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Practitioners gain a wealth of knowledge about the variety and causes of self-injurious behavior and how to recognize it in people at risk, ranging from those who do not have psychiatric diagnoses to those with eating or mood disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, personality disorders, or psychoses. Illustrated with detailed case examples, clear guidelines are presented for assessing clients and conducting evidence-based interventions using replacement skills training, cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure treatment, psychopharmacology, and family- and school-based strategies. Reproducible clinical materials are included.
Synopsis
This trusted practitioner resource is acclaimed for its clear, compassionate, and hopeful approach to working with clients who self-injure. Barent Walsh provides current, evidence-based knowledge about the variety and causes of self-injurious behavior, its relationship to suicidality, and how to assess and treat it effectively. Illustrated with detailed case examples, chapters review a wide range of cognitive-behavioral interventions. Essential guidance is provided on tailoring the intensity of intervention to each client's unique needs. Walsh is joined by several colleagues who have contributed chapters in their respective areas of expertise. Reproducible assessment tools and handouts can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.
New to This Edition *Incorporates up-to-date research and clinical advances. *Now uses a stepped-care framework to match interventions to client needs. *Chapters on the relationship between suicide and self-injury, formal assessment, family therapy, and residential treatment for adolescents. *Special-topic chapters on the "choking game," foreign body ingestion, multiple self-harm behaviors, and self-injury in correctional settings.
About the Author
Barent W. Walsh, PhD, is Executive Director of The Bridge of Central Massachusetts in Worcester and Teaching Associate in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. The Bridge specializes in implementing evidence-based practice models according to protocol in public-sector settings. It comprises over 40 programs serving persons with mental health or developmental disability challenges, including special education; residential treatment; wraparound services; supported housing services; a drop-in center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender teens; and a program for homeless people. A recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Dr. Walsh has worked with self-injuring persons for over 40 years and has conducted research, written extensively, and presented internationally on self-injury. He has consulted on this topic at numerous schools, outpatient clinics, group homes, psychiatric hospitals, and correctional facilities, and has also served on the clinical and research faculties of the Simmons and Boston College Schools of Social Work.
Table of Contents
I. Definition and Contexts for Self-Injury 1. Definition and Differentiation from Suicide 2. The Relationship between Self-Injury and Suicide 3. An Overview of Direct and Indirect Self-Harm 4. Major Groups in Which Self-Injury Occurs 5. Body Piercings, Tattoos, Brandings, Scarifications, and Other Forms of Body Modification 6. A Biopsychosocial Model for Self-Injury
II. Assessment and Treatment: A Stepped-Care Model Treatment: Step 1 7. Initial Therapeutic Responses 8. Formal Assessment of Self-Injury,
Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp 9. Cognitive-Behavioral Assessment 10. Contingency Management
Treatment: Step 2 11. Replacement Skills Training 12. Cognitive Treatment 13. Family Therapy,
Michael Hollander 14. Psychopharmacological Treatment,
Gordon P. Harper Treatment: Step 3 15. Body Image Work 16. Prolonged Exposure or Cognitive Restructuring for Treating PTSD and Related Self-Injury
Treatment: Step 4 17. Treating Persons with Multiple Self-Harm Behaviors 18. Residential Treatment in AdolescentsTargeting Self-Injury and Suicidal Behavior, with
Leonard A. Doerfler and
Ariana Perry III. Specialized Topics 19. Managing Reactions to Self-Injury: A Guide for Therapists and Other Caregivers 20. Social Contagion and Self-Injury 21. A Protocol for Managing Self-Injury in School Settings 22. Asphyxial Risk Taking (the Choking Game),
Amy M. Brausch 23. Understanding, Managing, and Treating Foreign-Body Ingestion, with
Ariana Perry 24. Self-Injury in Correctional Settings,
Kenneth L. Appelbaum 25. Treating Major Self-Injury Afterword Appendix A. Breathing Manual Appendix B. Body Attitudes Scale (BAS) Appendix C. Clinical Scales to Assess Self-Injury Appendix D. Helpful Websites Related to Self-Injury
Appendix E. Bill of Rights for People Who Self-Harm