Plan a family discussion time on the topic of self-harm. Use these questions to get it started:
- Do you know kids who are cutting or injuring themselves?
- Why is it so hard to explain emotional pain?
- What is self-harm?
- What do you think would happen if you talked about cutting with your youth pastor?
- Why do you think people injure themselves? What do they want?
- What are other ways kids tend to injure themselves intentionally? Why do you think they do this?
- Have you felt the desire or temptation to cut or hurt yourself?
- What are some healthy and unhealthy ways we handle stress in our home?
- Do you think we know and understand you? If not, can you help us know you better? What don’t we understand? Help us understand.
- Do we laugh enough in our home? Do you feel overwhelmed? What have we not heard from you that we need to hear?
Since this is a difficult topic, when you feel it’s a good time to end, talk about how the family can laugh—right now.