Developing and piloting community-based self-injury treatment groups for adolescents and their parents

Self injurious behaviour is not uncommon in depressed adolescents while little is known about effective treatments for this behaviour in this age group. The objective of this article is to illustrate the development and initial pilot of groups for adolescents who self injure and their parents.

Articles and texts derived from a literature search of group treatments for self injuring adolescents were used to develop a pilot group for self injuring adolescents and a separate group for parents. The groups were piloted over the spring of 2004, at a community child and youth mental health clinic.

Eight weekly sessions for adolescents and 4 biweekly sessions for parents occurred. The adolescent group was a back to back dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills group followed by a therapeutic support group. Two thirds of both the adolescents and parents completed their groups. Overall, adolescents found both theirs and the parent group helpful. Parents reported that their group enabled more balanced and less reactive communication as well as benefit in meeting and talking with other parents facing similar difficulties.

Further refinement and formal evaluation of such group therapy approaches to the treatment of self injurious behaviour in adolescents is warranted.