Hello, I started SIing in high school and did it through half of college. I stopped doing it after I got into a serious relationship, and kept it off even after that relationship ended. However, I went through an assortment of emotionally damaging relationships and eventually started SIing this year. I have tried to tell some people, but I feel like it is hard to connect with them. I need to find somebody to talk with so that I can stop doing this and start repairing my confidence. I don’t have health insurance and cannot afford expensive counseling, but I work full time. What do you recommend?
I didn’t think I could get help, but I heard of this amazing organization and I applied. It took months to complete the application process and then I had to wait a while on the waiting list, but now I’ll be leaving for their center in a little over a week. I am not lying to you, not at all. I thought it was too good to be true until I applied, got in, and started waiting for a bed! Now my flight has been booked, I’ve been talking with staff at the center, and I’m getting ready to go 🙂
If you don’t like or agree with the center I’m going to — or if it is just not for you, there are other options. Some counseling centers offer a sliding fee, especially if you go through a college’s program where they have interns/ graduate students. You can also apply for programs that are designed for low-income people, as that is how I got help to get me up to this point. I stayed in a crisis stabilzation hospital for months until I was healthy enough for discharge, and then I did follow-up at a free clinic locally and now I’m about to leave for treatment.
Yes, it is possible to get help. I promise you, you can get help! I would love to share with you how I did it… and when I was in the hospital this last time, my doctor and I used “Bodily Harm” from SAFE – it was incredible! It helped so much in my treatment and it taught everyone more about self-injury, especially the staff and my doctor. I had already read the book, but reread it while I was there and learned so much more when I started working the questions in the back…
Don’t give up! cratclif@gmail.com