Supporting a young person who is self-harming feels like a minefield. Why are they doing it? And why can’t they just stop? Self-harm goes against every innate instinct of self-protection and survival, and remains a distressing and difficult issue for parents and carers.

Uncovering the wide and varied reasons and ways young people self-harm, this book offers fresh insights into how to prevent, understand and respond to self-harm. With 20 years experience in the latest research, Michelle Mitchell combines interviews, expert advice and personal stories in one unique resource to provide parents and carers with the practical help and comfort they need.

Michelle Mitchell is an educator, author and award-winning speaker with a passion for supporting families. Having left teaching in 2000, Mitchell founded Youth Excel, a charity supporting young people with life skills education, mentoring and psychological services. Bringing hands-on experience in the health and wellbeing sector, she is now the author of the bestselling self-help books ‘Self Harm: Why Teens Do It And What Parents Can Do To Help’ and ‘Everyday Resilience: Helping Kids Handle Friendship Drama, Academic Pressure and the Self-Doubt of Growing Up’. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband and two teenagers.