Abstract
Aim: To understand the experiences of self-harm and the process of seeking and accessing help for self-harm from the perspectives of counselling clients, gatekeepers and counsellors.Method: A qualitative study which focuses on the ideas and experiences of (1) current counselling clients who have a history of self-harm, (2) community gatekeepers in a range of roles who are often the first point of contact for people who self-harm when they seek help, including community workers, youth workers, helpline supervisors, clergy and the partner of a person who self-harms, and (3) counsellors who have experience of working with people who self-harm. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 10 participants from each sample group (total n = 30). Data analysis of the three sets of findings was conducted using Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) Grounded Theory and facilitated with NVivo 9.0.
Findings: Each set of findings yielded six major categories, all of which inter-relate to form the core category, “The journey through self-harm: Developing a healing reconnection with self and others”.
Discussion: The three perspectives were synthesised and areas of convergence and divergence with the existing evidence base were identified to provide a composite portrayal of the helping process for people who self-harm.
Implications: Core and critical implications have been deduced from the findings in relation to practice and research. A pertinent implication of the study is that it is possible to recover from self-harm, with the support of helpers who can relate with compassion and humanity and thus promote the individual’s capacity for self-healing.
Conclusion: There is a need for individual helpers and the organisations in which they work to seek to listen to, understand and respond to the individual life story communicated by every person who self-harms.
| Date of Award | May 2013 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Roger Manktelow (Supervisor) & Anne Tracey (Supervisor) |
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