Parenting with Lived Experience of Self-Injury, with Dr. Janis Whitlock

Two topics are covered in this episode: (1) how parents with lived experience of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) can navigate conversations with their children about their own scarring and wounds, and (2) how parents (with or without lived experience) can navigate conversations about self-injury with their young adult children when they turn 18. 

Dr. Whitlock is emerita research faculty at Cornell University, a former Associate Director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, and the founder and director of the Self-Injury & Recovery Resources (SIRR) research program, which serves as one of the best and most comprehensive collations of online resources about self-injury: www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu. It is a go-to resource for parents, therapists, friends, family members, schools, other caring adults, the media, and individuals with lived experience of self-injury. Dr. Whitlock is also Senior Advisor for The JED Foundation. To learn more about The JED Foundation, visit https://www.jedfoundation.org/.

Below is some of the work referenced in this episode:

1. Whitlock, J., & Lloyd-Richardson, E. E. (2019). Healing self-injury: A compassionate guide for parents and other loved ones. Oxford University Press.
2. Taliaferro, L. A., Jang, S. T., Westers, N. J., Muehlenkamp, J. J., Whitlock, J. L., & McMorris, B. J. (2020). Associations between connections to parents and friends and non-suicidal self-injury among adolescents: The mediating role of developmental assets. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 25(2), 359-371.
3. Kibitov, A. A., & Mazo, G. E. (2023). Genetics and epigenetics of nonsuicidal self-injury: A narrative review. Russian Journal of Genetics, 59(12), 1265-1276.
4. Dawkins, J., Hasking, P., & Boyes, M. (2021). Knowledge of parental nonsuicidal self-injury in young people who self-injure: The mediating role of outcome expectancies. Journal of Family Studies, 27(4), 479–490.

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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."