What Can I Do If My Daughter Is Self-Harming?
Self Harm Treatment For Teen Girls
We Accept Insurance
It can be deeply terrifying to realize your daughter is self-harming. You have had this little girl since she was a tiny baby you had to protect from everything in the world. To then see that she is becoming the biggest threat to herself is so scary. How can you protect her from herself? You know she has her whole life ahead of her, and that many of the things your daughter is stressed about now will likely seem very minor to her in 20 years. You know that the world isn’t ending, even if your daughter feels like it is sometimes.
Watching your daughter go through a serious mental illness and self-harm before she is even done with high school is not something any parent ever expects to have to deal with. You want to help her more than anything, but you may feel like nothing you do is helping, or that you don’t even know where to start.
Teen girl group therapy provides a supportive environment where adolescent girls can share their thoughts and feelings with peers facing similar life experiences
If you believe your daughter is self-harming, it is important to know that she is not alone. According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, more than 3,000 females self-harmed in Texas in 2015. In total, over 980 kids 17 years old or under performed self-harm in Texas in 2015. It’s interesting to note that the majority of people who self-harm are in the 18-44 age bracket, which suggests that a habit of self-harming that begins in adolescence may very likely carry over into adulthood unless it’s addressed.
Here at Roots Renewal Ranch, we specialize in treating adolescent girls ages 13 to 17 suffering from a range of mental illnesses or substance use disorders. We offer a 60-90-day residential treatment program right here in the Fort Worth, Texas, area.
(888) 399-0489
What Is Self-Harm?
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) defines self-harm as “self-poisoning or self-injury, irrespective of the apparent purpose of the act.” Now, that definition is a little technical and wordy. So, what does self-harm actually mean? Self-harm, broadly speaking, is the act of hurting oneself. Often, people self-harm in an attempt to punish themselves for wrongdoing, or as a way to relieve stress by inflicting physical pain to replace the emotional pain they’ve been feeling up to that point.
When we think about self-harm, we usually think of violent forms of self-harm, like intentional cutting or burning. However, when we are talking about self-harm in the realm of mental health, it is important to consider other forms of self-harm.
Just like we know that people don’t only feel physically unwell but also emotionally unwell, we also know that people don’t just physically self-harm, they also emotionally self-harm. Especially if a teen girl has had someone be very critical of her, she may internalize that criticism and repeat it to herself. Teenage girls may also harm themselves by restricting their food intake or other less visibly noticeable forms of self-harm.
What Does Self-Harm Look Like?
Self-harm is often performed as an act of physical violence that someone does to themselves. This may be cutting themselves, burning themselves, or hurting themselves in other ways, like pinching or pulling their own hair. Self-harm can also be emotional. A teenage girl might talk really harshly about herself, call herself names, or just generally be mean to herself.
Self-harm can also take the form of self-denial, like refusing to eat, sleep, or bathe as a way to punish themselves for things.
In 2015, the most common method of self-harm reported in Texas was poisoning, which includes drugs. The second most common method was cutting/piercing. Self-harm is also a risk factor for suicide later in life.
Symptoms & Signs of Self-Harm
As discussed in the above section, different people self-harm in different ways. There are many different forms of both physical and emotional self-harm, and they are all detrimental to your daughter’s well-being.
Some symptoms of self-harm include:
- Expressing feelings of hopelessness or shame
- Reckless behavior
- Unexplained scars, wounds, bruises, or scratches
- Scars or scratches in patterns or all in the same area
- Depressive symptoms
- Mood swings
- Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
- Isolation
- Stockpiling knives or razors in their rooms
- Hiding bloody rags in the garbage
- Wearing long sleeves or more conservative clothing to cover injury marks
- Weak excuses about injuries or claims of being accident-prone
- Keeping sharp objects on hand
- Social withdrawal
- Having bruises that will not heal
- Missing patches of hair
- Being defensive about injuries
- Reluctance to show parts of the body
- Talking about death
- Keeping secrets or changing their normal communication style
- Sleeping too much or too little
What Can I Do If My Daughter Is Self-Harming?
If your daughter is self-harming, it can be really hard to know what you should even think or say to your child. So, here are a few suggestions from Roots Renewal Ranch.
Ask your child directly if they are self-harming. Make sure this conversation is done gently and calmly. You need to talk to her in a way that lets her know her safety is your top concern. During this conversation, you need to make sure to acknowledge the reality of her pain and discuss healthier outlets to express that pain.
It’s important to be patient when talking with your daughter. As much as you are scared for her and want to be able to fix things, she is also scared and hurting. Change takes time, and punishing her for needing time to heal will likely make things worse. Try to get to the root of the problem. Maybe it’s a recent traumatic event, or maybe it’s some ongoing negative experience in her life that’s driving her to self-harm.
If you believe your daughter is hurting herself, it is very important that you don’t “freak out” and get visibly panicky or angry. Don’t try to get her to stop harming herself by being intensely controlling or watching her like a hawk.
Simply removing her self-harm tools, like taking away her razors or telling her not to talk badly about herself, is not the solution. The self-harm is not the root of the problem, it is a symptom. She will likely need professional help to get to the core of the problem.
If your daughter has gotten to the point where she is self-harming, her mental health is likely very poor. She would almost certainly benefit from professional treatment to get to the root of her behavioral health issues and to discover why she feels the need to self-harm.
Treatment for Self-Harm at Roots Renewal Ranch
We know you have come to this page because you care about your daughter and you want to help her get through this difficult time. That’s what we want, too.
If your daughter is self-harming, you need to approach the situation gently. She is already struggling and is putting a lot of blame on herself.
Residential treatment may be a good option for your daughter, so let’s explain what she would experience here at Roots Renewal Ranch.
Your daughter will receive individual therapy sessions every week, in addition to daily group therapy sessions with girls her own age who are struggling with similar issues. The girls at Roots Renewal Ranch will also journal and complete assignments provided regularly by our clinical staff.
We’re here For You!
Your daughter or loved one is so much more than the problems they are facing. Call us today.
We use many evidence-based therapy methods to treat your daughter as effectively as possible. These therapy methods include:
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Somatic psychotherapy
We structure our day based on the guidelines provided in the Healthy Mind Platter by Dan Seigal, to improve productivity and healing.
We know how important it is that your daughter stay up to date on her education, which is why our clients spend about 2.5 hours in a classroom setting every day with the teachers who are on our staff. We keep parents and home schools informed through weekly progress updates.
We also provide a variety of outdoor activities to keep the girls in our care active, as well as spiritual opportunities like a nondenominational church service and prayer.
Alumni Reviews
Proud to be highly rated
Our daughter came home nearly two and a half months ago after completing 75 days at Roots Renewal Ranch. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Roots Renewal Ranch.
Megan B.
My daughter was there for 70 days and the staff treated her with great care. She bonded with her counselor and enjoyed the activities. She loved the horses and other animals on site as well. The family weekend was amazing! I highly recommend Roots!
Jay L.
This is a place of healing for both children and parents. The support system is beyond expectations. What Roots did for our family could never be repaid. We thought we had lost our child forever; however, Roots brought our little girl back to us. It’s a scary feeling for any parent, but Roots is a safe place, and you’ll see positive transformations in the long run.
Juan H
Roots is a wonderful place. The staff is amazing and they went above and beyond to help my granddaughter. They teach the girls self love and confidence. I would definitely recommend them for anyone who needs help for themselves or their loved ones.
Kathy H.
I always tell people, if it weren’t for roots, I probably would not be here today. I would not be the strong person I have become. Roots gave me a home when I felt I didn’t have a home. They taught me how to stand up for myself when I had been pushed down my entire life.
AJ W
Contact Roots Renewal Ranch Today
We know how terrifying it can feel when you find out that your daughter is self-harming. We are here to help you and your daughter. Our goal at Roots Renewal Ranch is to provide ethical, effective, evidence-based care for your daughter. Our care is based on the values of commitment, safety, integrity, transparency, vulnerability, trust, service, growth, purpose, and simplicity
CALL NOW | (888) 399-0489For a FREE & confidential assessment