Birmingham

Support For People at Risk of Self Harm

Last Friday I attended an open day at the Zinnia Centre in Sparkhill, Birmingham where I met staff, volunteers and members of a support and action group for people who are at risk of self harm. The group is called SASH and meets every first tuesday of the month between 5.30 and 7.30pm.

The programme of forthcoming events includes a talk on Distraction techniques on 2nd June, 'Mind,body and soul' - alternative therapies to reduce self harm on 7th July and Good turn week - volunteering your way to happiness on 1st September.

To find out more about the SASH Forum please contact the Zinnia Centre on 0121 301 5700. You will need to check out whether you are eligible to attend the group beforehand (are you living in the right area...there may be a group in your own area).

The group have various resources around self-harm including an information pack full of guidance, information, contact details of support groups and coping systems and strategies.

Self harm is defined as "An intentional self poisening or self injury (such as cutting), irrespectove of the apparent purpose of the act".

The Information Pack goes on to say:

"Self harm is therefore a way of releasing and dealing with emotions, and includes the idea of punishing the bbody. This may be caused by many factors such as:

• past / present trauma
• low esteem - lack of confidence
• feelings of isolation - (agoraphobia)
• fear of being different or misunderstood
• lack of support, including lack of communication

For anyone who knows someone, a relative, friend or service user at risk of slef harming, the pack offers the following Methods for Help:

• Be open about self harm
• Offer advice and understanding
• Support, care and friendhsip
• Offer sources of help
• Show the person is not alone
• Offer the opportunity to share experiences - either in specialist group or 1 to 1
• Give direct answers
• Offer distraction techniques and work through these
• Building on trust (counsellor or psychiatrist)

For information from Birmingham and Mental Health Trust contact 0121 678 2000

As well as local groups such as the one based at the Zinnia Centre, SASH run a national support line on self harm matters on:

07805073590 or 078050735573

Other useful numbers include:

Childline

0800 1111

Samaritans

0845 90 90 90

Focusline (all issues regrading mental health)

0800 027 2127

Dosti Men's Group (Birmingham self harm support group)

0121 685 7120

There are also websites worth visiting for further information:

http://www.selfharmuk.org/

http://www.siari.co.uk/

http://www.youngminds.org.uk/

Source: Spaghetti Gazetti

Dissociation

Grounding Skills are interventions that assist in keeping a person in the present. They help to re-orient a person to reality and the immediate here-and-now. Grounding skills are useful in many ways.

However, then can be used to help re-orient oneself when experiencing intense and overwhelming feelings and intense anxiety. They help to regain one’s mental focus. These skills usually occur within two specific modalities:
1. Sensory Awareness
2. Cognitive Awareness

Sensory Awareness Grounding Skills
• Keep your eyes open, look around the room, notice your surroundings, notice details.
• Hold a pillow, stuffed animal or a ball.
• Place a cool cloth on your face, or hold something cool such as a can of soda.
• Listen to soothing music.
• Put your feet firmly on the ground.
• FOCUS on someone’s voice or a neutral conversation.

Cognitive Grounding Skills
Re-orient yourself in place and time by asking yourself some or all of these questions:
• Where am I?
• What is today?
• Whatis the date?
• What is the month?
• What is the year?
• How old am I?
• What season is it?

• List as many grounding skills as you can.
• Practice several grounding skills every day
• Construct a list of those which are most helpful and effective.

Goals When Using Grounding Techniques
1. To keep myself safe and free from injury.
2. To re-orient myself to reality and the here-and-now.
3. To identify what I attempted to do to prevent the dissociative experience.
4. To identify skills that I can use in the future to help myself remain grounded.
5. Choose a new response: What action, if any, do you want to take to feel better in the present?

For example, a flashback
may indicate that a person is once again in a situation that is in some way unsafe. If this is the case, self-protective actions should be taken to alter the current situation. On the other hand, a flashback may simply mean that an old memory has been triggered by an inconsequential resemblance to the past such as a certain colour or smell. In such cases, corrective messages of reassurance and comfort need to be given to the self to counteract the old traumatic memories.

Image: Out of Body Experience by ~parallelspaces

Link: NHS (pdf)

See Me ...

See me, is a media campaign in Scotland to stop the stigma associated with mental health. This clip was one that was broadcast in that country. This coincides with the UK, 'Just Like Me' campaign.

Wordless Wednesday

Image:Self Harm - Part Six by *maryana01