70: Kirrilie Smout: Self-Harm in Teens: What Parents Can Do

What can parents do to reduce the chance of teens hurting themselves?   Kirrilie Smout This is the title of an article (and today’s podcast) with Kirrilie Smout, clinical psychologist and founder of Developing Minds: Helping kids & teens learn life skills & manage tough times, located near Adelaide, Australia. In a nutshell, Kirrilie says: We should do everything we can to help teens be connected with a peer group. (And she gives suggestions on how to do this.) We need to help teens learn strategies to cope when they are feeling agitated, stressed, hopeless and overwhelmed. (And she describes some of them.) In the article, there is a link for some of these strategies: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/beyondnow-suicide-safety-planning/create-beyondnow-safety-plan Beyond Blue is in Australia, but the coping strategies are universal.  She asked that I give several links in the United States: https://www.newhavenrtc.com/self-harm-help/effective-therapies-for-adolescent-cutting/ https://www.aamft.org/Consumer_Updates/Adolescent_Self_Harm.aspx Kirrilie has also written two books that are available through her website: www.developingminds.net.au When Life Sucks: ideas and tactics for teens in tough times When Life Sucks for Kids: ideas and tips for when you feel mad, worried or sad – or life gets kind of messy.