CXMH: On Faith & Mental Health

CXMH: On Faith & Mental Health


164 - Self-Harm: Compassionate Understanding & Healing (feat. Dr. Janis Whitlock)

March 27, 2023

Content warning: discussion of self-harm, suicide, and related topics.



This week we’re joined by Dr. Janis Whitlock, one of the authors of Healing Self-Injury: A Compassionate Guide for Parents and Other Loved Ones. Dr. Whitlock talks about what self-injury is (2:46), how it differs from suicidal actions (3:47), ways self-harm can happen (4:59), current rates/trends (6:07), how self-harm works (8:18), first steps when helping someone (13:50), and much more.


Things we mention in this episode/other resources:

- get information about the forthcoming book The Oxford Handbook of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

- Healing Self-Injury: A Compassionate Guide for Parents and Other Loved Ones by Janis Whitlock, PhD and Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, PhD

- CXMH ep. 12 - Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (feat. Dr. Janis Whitlock)

- Cornell’s Self-Injury & Recovery Resources page


Connect with Dr. Whitlock on her Cornell faculty page, or visit the SIRR page. Buy Healing Self-Injury: A Compassionate Guide for Parents and Other Loved Ones on Amazon.


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Intro/Outro music for this episode is ‘Fall Down’ by Rivers & Robots.