About the course

The course will be facilitated by a locally based trainer and practitioner and is for supported housing staff who work with tenants who self harm, or who support vulnerable people and want to know more about this issue. This training is experiential. Participants will be asked to think about their own coping strategies and their feelings about working with self harm. For this reason, it is essential that people attend of their own volition

Course Content

• What is self-harm?
• Why do people self-harm?
• What helps and doesn't help when working with self harm
• Dealing with difficult situations in housing
• The support needs of people who self-harm
• Resources available for people who self-harm
• The support needs of staff who work with self harm
• Reflection and evaluation.

Course Content

• Have developed knowledge and understanding of self-harm, its nature and function for people.
• Have an understanding of the distress that underlies self harm and recognition that it is a coping strategy.
• have identified some of the important issues arising in working with people who self-harm.
• have reflected on their own practice in working with people who self-harm.
• Have had an opportunity for sharing of experience, knowledge and views.
• Be informed on resources available, locally and nationally.
• Have an increased awareness of their own support needs in working with people who self-harm.

Fiona is a freelance trainer who has worked with self harm in a number of settings during the last 14 years.Fiona is currently the manager of the Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service, which supports people in acute mental health crisis at the point of crisis; many of whom self harm. Fiona has also been the Deputy Chief Executive of Leeds Mind for four years, worked with homeless people with mental health problems in London and managed the Suicide and Self Harm Project of 42nd Street, a service for young people in Manchester. Fiona volunteers as a therapist at the Leeds Women's Counselling and Therapy Service as part of a Person Centred psychotherapy training.