Treating Self-injury

“Underneath it all, there are often layers of human experience that contribute to the emotional discomfort that requires self-injury, and over time, the client starts to peel them away, until you get to the heart of the matter.” Dr. Barent Walsh

This course is taught by Dr. Barent Walsh, a leading authority on non-suicidal self-injury and related self-destructive behaviors.  He is the author of the bestselling Treating Self-Injury: A Practical Guide, the executive director emeritus of Open Sky Community Services, and a teaching associate in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.  He also has specialized expertise in the treatment of atypical, severe non-suicidal self-injury.  Dr. Walsh’s warm and practical teaching style is characterized by a deep respect for patients and their suffering.  

You’ll also hear from a panel of expert teachers and practitioners in the area of self-injury who offer clinically applicable insights drawn from up-to-date knowledge of evidence-based treatment, as well as their own real-world expertise.

This course addresses the specific challenges that clinicians often encounter when working with self-injury.  This includes issues like: 

• How to assess when self-injury may require escalation to emergency services (and when it doesn’t)  

• Recognising specific red flags indicating escalation and severity of behaviour 

• Skills for reducing clients’ sense of rejection when referring on is necessary  

• When and how to assess wounds or scars in a clinically appropriate way 

• How to validate the function of self-injury for the client while still working to reduce the behavior 

• Why removing means of self-harm is not the same as removing means of suicide 

• Specific guidance for school counselors and therapists working with young people, including the unique challenges of social contagion  Comment end 

Course Format

This self-paced course includes:

• Ten modules comprised of four hours of content related to the assessment, management, and treatment of self-injury, including modules relating to social contagion, setbacks, and therapist self-care 

• Direct teaching from Dr. Walsh and a faculty of international experts in self-injury 

• Therapy demonstrations of each stage of treatment, including assessment, teaching specific coping skills, and referring on complex cases

• 12 months of access to review the material at any time

If you would like to request an invoice, please fill out a form here.

Treating Self-Injury is designed for mental health and health professionals worldwide. On completion you'll receive an official certificate of completion, which can be submitted to registration bodies for CPD.

This course is accredited for 4 CE/CME credit hours for US licensed professionals:

• Psychologists - 4 CE hours, APA - co-sponsored with Amedco, an APA-approved sponsor

• Social workers - 4 general CE credits, ASWB ACE

• Physicians - 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, ACCME

• Nurses - 4 contact hours, ANCC

• Counselors, MFTs & addiction professionals - 4 hours, accepted by most US state boards via APA and ASWB ACE credit - see the state-by-state list

• Approved CE activity with the New York State boards for Psychology, Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, and Marriage & Family Therapy.

View the full learner notification for this course (PDF) - includes complete accreditation statements, state board acceptance lists, learning objectives and faculty disclosures.