support groups. -AWARENESS-

[Jupiter]

have you tried to start a self harm awareness group at your school? at anywhere else?

i am currently in the process of turning peoples minds to realize that it is a silent epidemic, and that people like that could be anyone. i have to get at least 20 people to realize this to start the group, because once that happens, it'll start growing. i don't know what i should call it. ideas?

I guess I don't mean a group, but an awareness spreading group.

[kenoloor]

I've never participated in one, and I've never actually heard of any. I definitely think it's a good idea and I hope you can get one going.

As far as names go, I'm not the person to go to for that; I'm sure someone else who is more original and creative will have suggestions for you.

Good luck!

[Jupiter]

Thanks Bradi. :)

[ApresMidi]

Sounds good, I've seen tons of people making wrist cutting actions all the time in school and its surprisingly how much it huts/how ill-informed they are.

Just giving myself 30 seconds.and looking at what words you used in your OP ,rough drafts of names could be
Stop the SIlence. [ SI in capitals for self injury.] ?

I dont know. Its pretty dire.
Let me have the weekend and I'll come up with something far better/actually decent/not embarrassing. x

[Fiction]

I've never been to a self-harm support group, however I have been too an eating disorders support group in which we did talk about self-harm either.

As much of a good idea as it may seem, in my personal experience it only ever triggered me to do more. I felt inferior if someone was skinnier than me, or had cut deeper than me. It made me want to become more and more extreme. It gave my ED and my cutting a competative streak. It wasn't a good thing for me.

I also think that at school you'd be lucky to get anyone admitting to do it. I know I never did at school.

It may work for other people though, that's just my personal experience.

I'm shit and thinking up names for things, but if I where you i'd make it pretty obvious as to what the group was about.

[Alexithymia]

Sadly, I agree with Kathy, again. It's a great idea, but it just will lead to triggers. Triggers that may make someone cut deep, or deeper. Then again, when I was at the hospital, finding people that cut like me made me feel so much better. So it has its positives and its negatives. Just make sure that the positives outweigh the negatives.

An idea that you might want to try is to point out something special in everyone, whether it be that they're pretty, smart, funny, wise, etc. That way they will A) look up to you and B) feel better about themselves. Then again, that's just my idea. I know it's hard to find something special in -everyone-, but it's just worse to pick out a few people.

As for the name, I like "Stop the SIlence".

[ApresMidi]

Aw thanks Alexethymia,you made me blush :)

I think... I may have gotten the wong end of the stick though-i thought it was an AWARENESS group not a therapy group.A therapy group in school run by students wouldn't work.
However I think an awareness thing may do.. just alerting people to it,how people get addicted and how to Really help,not just 'don't cut!',basic first aid for wounds,teaching people how to get a cutter to talk etc would be good. Maybe aim more at non self harmers ?x

[Jupiter]

Sounds good, I've seen tons of people making wrist cutting actions all the time in school and its surprisingly how much it huts/how ill-informed they are.

Just giving myself 30 seconds.and looking at what words you used in your OP ,rough drafts of names could be
Stop the SIlence. [ SI in capitals for self injury.] ?

I dont know. Its pretty dire.
Let me have the weekend and I'll come up with something far better/actually decent/not embarrassing. x

i love the name. :3

I've never been to a self-harm support group, however I have been too an eating disorders support group in which we did talk about self-harm either.

As much of a good idea as it may seem, in my personal experience it only ever triggered me to do more. I felt inferior if someone was skinnier than me, or had cut deeper than me. It made me want to become more and more extreme. It gave my ED and my cutting a competative streak. It wasn't a good thing for me.

I also think that at school you'd be lucky to get anyone admitting to do it. I know I never did at school.

It may work for other people though, that's just my personal experience.

I'm shit and thinking up names for things, but if I where you i'd make it pretty obvious as to what the group was about.

actually, my school, there are 6 known self harmers, including myself. not everyone, in fact, only ONE is really open about it. but this is not for like, talking about it, which we totally could. but the issue would be raising awareness.

You see everyone, this isn't a therepy group. This is a awareness group.

[Carly011]

I think its a good idea, but i would never be able to go to one. I would not be able to admit to others what i do to myself because i go to such lengths to hide it. I would never want others to know :/ also i feel like it would trigger me more to cut if we are talking about why we SI because then i would think about the reasons and feel the urge to cut again :/

[FullyAlive]

I don't like this idea sorry, who are you looking to attend this group..? Self harmers? Self harm sympathizers? :S I don't see many people attending especially at a school when you don't want people to know, I also don't really see your teachers okaying this either.

I don't know just my opinion but self harm support groups might help, self harm awareness groups in schools too seems a bit pointless.

[ApresMidi]

Maybe rather than a whole group , just one project,just a one off campaign?So just you doing it ,rather than a club? Hmm. I dont know anymore :L x

It seemed good but I wouldn't want to go to one... no offence :L

[Jupiter]

I don't like this idea sorry, who are you looking to attend this group..? Self harmers? Self harm sympathizers? :S I don't see many people attending especially at a school when you don't want people to know, I also don't really see your teachers okaying this either.

I don't know just my opinion but self harm support groups might help, self harm awareness groups in schools too seems a bit pointless.

I think its a good idea, but i would never be able to go to one. I would not be able to admit to others what i do to myself because i go to such lengths to hide it. I would never want others to know :/ also i feel like it would trigger me more to cut if we are talking about why we SI because then i would think about the reasons and feel the urge to cut again :/

I hope people read my red edit on the first post.

It isn't a group like AA, but more like spreading awareness so it isn't made to look like such an awful thing that should be shut out of people's minds.

[FullyAlive]

Yes I've read the red. I still don't see why awareness needs to be spread in schools. I'd much rather young and impressional children weren't informed all about self harm. If I'd have known what it was before sure there's a slight chance I may not have started but likely I'd have just started sooner.

[Jupiter]

I guess you're right. But do you think that the awareness would maybe bring hope to those who already know about it, maybe it would show that people care?

I'm open to criticism, i really am. Please don't think I'm trying to defend, I'm just wondering.

[FullyAlive]

No, only speaking from my personal experience the people who care will notice and tell you anyway. Maybe not about self harm specifically, but they'll let it be known. I think an awareness group wouldn't necessarily educate as it might appear but open students up to more degrading comments.

[Jupiter]

maybe not at school then. maybe get things out like on youtube?

[Fractured Silhouette]

Umm... Just thought I'd point this out, but spreading awareness may not be such a good thing. I mean look at smoking, it's horrible, but it's not seen as something you should shun people for.

People know the risks when it comes to smoking, yet kids go ahead and do it anyway, because of whatever reason. Kids get in trouble if they're caught sure, but even knowing the risks they still do it.

So what if kids started seeing cutting, the same way people view smoking? It may cause more kids to do it to be rebellious or whatever. You may start to have groups forming around it, I know they already do, but it may become more common because they start to see it as something that is more widespread/common. The less kids know about the positives of cutting, the better, because they might see the positives as over-lapping the negatives and do it anyway.

It might be better to educate parents over educating kids, because parents are more likely to see the negatives, and kids can sometimes do stupid things.

eg. My friend smoked some weed and nobody said a word about it because it's just weed. Now if he said he was cutting himself, there would have been more of an outcry about it. So what if cutting becomes like weed or smoking? Where it's just something that teens do because they have heard about it and want to try it.

But it's just something to consider. It might turn out to be a good thing. I don't know. I wish you luck with it anyway.

[FullyAlive]

maybe not at school then. maybe get things out like on youtube?

This I'd probably be a lot more supportive of, I just think I have the issue with awareness in schools in particular, just my opinion though.

[DerBear]

We have motoring at our school where students can come and discuss a variety of issues from self harm to all sorts. It's effective. Also its confidential.

As for your group I have no idea. I thought most schools have to have some form of support group for students. What are the aims of your group other than trying to raise awareness