This week we speak with Kim Johancen, LPC about key warning signs that a student may be self-injuring, what a teacher should do if they discover that a student is self-injuring, key risk factors that increase a student’s likelihood of self-injuring and what school leaders can do to educate all students on mental health.

Kim is a counselor who has worked for a number of years with students who self-injure or who have experienced trauma. She is co-author of the newly released book, Traumatized Students: School-Based Interventions for Reaching Below the Surface, and will be presenting at Innovative Schools Summit Las Vegas July 6-10.

One recent study found that nearly 1 in every 6 American teenagers engage in self-injury. This equates to about 7 million students nationwide – which is more than the population of several states.  And the numbers are on the rise. Another recent study found that the self-injury rate among 10 to 14-year-old girls has nearly tripled since 2008. 

With these numbers in mind, we thought it was important to have Kim on the show to learn what educators can do to help students struggling with this behavior.

Here are links to resources relevant to the topics discussed in the episode:

Traumatized Students: School-Based Interventions for Reaching Below the Surface.

WebRemix: ACEs-Informed Schools: Take-Aways from Classroom Case Studies

WebRemix: Engaging the Traumatized Student