Hello. I live in southern wisconsin. i am 33 yrs old and have self harmed for past 5 -6 yrs. Does anybody know of any treatment places for self harm or groups for it? Anything?? I can’t seem to find anything other than other states where my insurance is not accepted. I have been in this bad cycle for 5 years now and I want it to end but I need help. I know I cannot do this alone as I have been trying for a very long time now. Any words of advice, places of help, support groups for self harm, any info would be greatly appreciated. thank you.
Hi – thanks for writing. It is often hard for people to get into programs for treatment specifically for self injury. It’s sad that there are not enough programs for it. Are you working with an individual therapist? That is a very good place to start. There should be therapists in your area who work either through a Community Mental Health agency or who work on what’s called a “sliding fee scale” – that means you pay according to how much you can afford. Sometimes it takes some footwork to find one – and I know that’s extra hard to do when you already fell lousy. I hope you’ll try though.
Also, the book “Bodily Harm” written by our cofounders (Conterio & Lader) was written to help people who may not be able to come to our program. It has writing assignments in there and a lot of good information. You can find it at selfinjury.com or also in your local library.
Best wishes and I hope at least some of these things may help. Keep reaching out – we all need help now and then.
Pam
If you can’t find an SI specific treatment, you may still be able to find DBT (most likely at the outpatient clinic of a hospital). It helps with SI.