La Verne, CA 91750
Phone: (909) 596-5921
Fax: (909) 596-7583
Self-Injury
You'll hear it called many things -- self-inflicted violence, self-injury, self-harm, para -suicide, delicate cutting, self-abuse and self-mutilation. Broadly speaking, self-injury is the act of attempting to alter a perceived intolerable mood state by inflicting physical injury serious enough to cause tissue damage to the body.
Types of self-injury:
- The most common is cutting (using razor blades or broken glass, etc.)
- Burning
- Scratching
- Picking
- Hair Pulling
- Interfering with wound healing
- Head banging
- The breaking of bones
There are many reasons people self-injure, some include:
- Relief from psychological pain
- Release of mounting tension
- Inability to feel
- Feeling too much
- Wanting to feel something
- Expressing anger
- Sometimes self-injury is even used for getting negative attention-although in the majority of cases this is not true
Click for more self injury info and programs available for our residents or on an outpatient basis.
Whether self-injury, addiction, eating disorders or other behavioral problems, the consequences are similar. Declining academic performance, poor family functioning, isolation, and unhappy peer relationships.
The Outpatient Intensive Treatment Program (OITP) at David & Margaret Youth and Family Services was developed to provide specialized therapeutic services to adolescents, families and others who are experiencing a crisis within the family or with someone cared about. As a leader in the field and study of addictive disorders, David & Margaret Youth and Family Services remains dedicated and passionate about working with families who’s children or loved ones are struggling with issues related to self-injury, drug and alcohol use, eating disorders, behavioral acting out and education difficulties.
Our families and all interested parties are guided on a healing journey leading towards abstinence from all self-injurious, isolating and shameful behaviors. Our clinical staff provides individual, family and group sessions designed to address the specific clinical issues most often associated with the self-injurious adolescent and family.
Clinical Services:
-Intake screening
-Intervention services
-Outpatient intensive treatment
-Individual therapy
-Group therapy
-Impulse control management
-Art Therapy
-Psychiatric assessment, medication management and monitoring
-Education and community support services
-Family support and multi-family groups
The OITP is a voluntary program consisting of intensive education and therapy designed to address unwanted and unsafe destructive behaviors that have led to significant consequences or losses in a person’s life. It was developed as an alternative to traditional weekly individual or group therapy. The OITP is specific to clients and families with special concerns such as a return from a recent hospitalization, non-successful therapeutic interventions or consistent thoughts of being stuck or helpless. The treatment program is considerably more structured than weekly therapeutic sessions and sometimes serves (if medically indicated) as an alternative to recurrent hospitalizations.
One of the foundational beliefs of treatment at David & Margaret is focused on reintroducing people to themselves in a more loving way. We accomplish this by helping people remove negative appraisals of self; ingrained shame-based thinking patterns, rage and anger. We help our families create opportunities to develop more trusting and meaningful relationships and to improve communication, roles and expectations within the family. The exact nature of therapy and therapeutic activities differ from client to client and is collaboratively discussed during the intake process. Significant family members, friends, partners and siblings are encouraged, when appropriate, to be involved in the healing process.
Most clients who seek OITP for self-injury have at one time received therapy or counseling at an inpatient, residential or on an outpatient basis. Clients in the program are expected to follow the structured treatment schedule and fully participate in all therapeutic activities during the length of the 90-day treatment program.
We utilize the most up to date and current therapeutic intervention strategies to partner with our clients and families creating opportunities for empowerment, safety and improved communication with one’s self and others.
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