Self-Injury Awareness Day (March 1), with Drs. Sylvanna Mirichlis & Stephen Lewis

The Psychology of Self-Injury: Exploring Self-Harm & Mental Health

In this episode, Dr. Sylvanna Mirichlis from Curtin University in Perth, Australia, and ISSS Past President Dr. Stephen Lewis from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada share about the origins of the annual March 1st Self-Injury Awareness Day (SIAD), what people around the world are doing as part of this day, and what our ISSS Stigma, Recovery, and Lived Experience Special Interest Group is doing to boost awareness of self-injury. We also share some of our favorite clips from past episodes.

Self-Injury Resources:

1. International Society for the Study of Self-Injury (ISSS) (https://itriples.org/
2. Self-injury Outreach & Support (SiOS) (http://sioutreach.org/)
3. Cornell's Self-Injury & Recovery Resources (SIRR) (www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu)
4. Shedding Light on Self-Injury (https://www.self-injury.org.au/)
5. Lewis, S. P., & Hasking, P. A. (2023). Understanding self-injury: A person-centered approach. Oxford University Press.
6. To watch Dr. Lewis' TEDx talk about his own lived experience of self-injury on YouTube, visit https://youtu.be/G17iMOw0ar8.

Timestamps for clips from past episodes:

• 37:37 - Lived experience: Kirsty's story of self-injury & advocacy (Season 2, Episode 30)
• 43:41 - Psychologists with lived experience of self-injury, with Dr. Sarah Victor (Season 1, Episode 9)
• 45:25 - Self-injury stigma and language, with Dr. Penelope Hasking (Season 1, Episode 4)
• 48:26 - Lived experience: Thomas' story of self-injury & gender dysphoria (Season 4, Episode 48)
• 52:48 - Self-harm across cultures, with Dr. Marc Wilson (Season 2, Episode 24)
• 56:39 - The psychology of self-injury scarring, with Dr. Taylor Burke (Season 2, Episode 31)
• 1:01:52 - A dad & daughter discuss her lived experience of self-harm (Season 3, Episode 37)
• 1:15:15 - Parenting youth who self-injure, with Dr. Janis Whitlock (Season 1, Episode 3)
• 1:23:49 - Supporting siblings of individuals who self-harm, with Dr. Amy Lucas (Season 4, Episode 46)

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The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast has been rated as one of the "10 Best Self Harm Podcasts" and "20 Best Clinical Psychology Podcasts" by Feedspot and one of the Top 100 Psychology Podcasts by Goodpods. It has also been featured in Audible's "Best Mental Health Podcasts to Defy Stigma and Begin to Heal."