Self-harm: having the first conversation
Tips for school staff from YoungMinds about how to speak to a young person about self-harm.

The sooner we can encourage a young person to disclose their self-harm, the sooner we are able to provide or seek appropriate support to help them break the cycle. We can do so by passing our concerns on to a safeguarding officer or by providing a safe space for the young person to talk to us.
This guidance from YoungMinds shares some simple advice for school staff about how to have a supportive, non-judgemental conversation about self-harm with a young person.
Using this resource
This resource is designed for:
- use by school staff
Related resources

Help when we needed it most
This resource helps schools to prepare for and respond to a suspected suicide in their setting.
View resource
The truth about self-harm for young people and their friends and families
This booklet sensitively explores why self-harm happens, how to deal with it, and how to recover...
View resource
Wellbeing poster for school staff
Pin up this poster in staffrooms, offices and toilets to remind school staff about the importance of...
View resource
Reframing thoughts activity for school staff
This simple template can be used by anyone to identify unhelpful or negative thoughts, and try to...
View resource