Abstract
The familiarity with and interest in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been rising. Not only has the media increased the public’s familiarity and interest, mental health professionals are seeing this behavior more in the clients who are coming to them for treatment. Schools, in particular, are coming across more adolescents engaging in NSSI, and school-based professionals are becoming more concerned. With this increase in awareness and an inadequate understanding of NSSI, misinformation has been reported in the literature. In addition, the preponderance of research in the area of NSSI has been restricted to adults or adolescents with severe mental health issues. Limited studies have centered on adolescents in school-based settings. Consequently, few school professionals feel confident in handling students exhibiting self-injurious behavior and could actually be doing more harm than good. The objective of this doctoral project is to gain an understanding of NSSI in school settings, impart this information to school personnel in a training format, and gain competency in working with students who engage in self injurious behavior.