CounselEd
Self-injurious Behavior in Social Media Consumed Youth
2
T
he overwhelming presence of youth engaging in
self-injurious behavior can leave today’s therapist
feeling perplexed and inadequate. This article
challenges the reader to adapt a new understand-
ing of the behavior through the lens of trauma. It
explores how the developing brain of an adolescent has the
potential to perceive the world, complicated by social media,
as traumatic. Self-injurious behavior (SIB) can be a response
to navigating the novel relationship with their prefrontal
cortex and the pressure for social acceptance versus au-
tonomy. A trauma-informed approach to treating self-injury
is explored with the introduction of the T.E.A. Model (which
stands for Together/Transform, Educate/Empower, Accept/
Autonomy). When competing with day-long social media
exposure, a 50-minute session can seem insufficient. The
T.E.A. Model guides the therapist to optimize session time
by helping clients make sense of their behavior, respond
therapeutically, and create opportunities for change while
decreasing the risk for future trauma experiences.
When discussing self-injurious behavior, it is imperative
to define what it is and is not. King-Miller (2014) defined SIB
as the direct and intentional injuring of oneself characterized
as repetitive, low-lethality actions that alter or damage one’s
body. Other SIB synonyms include self-harm or self-muti-
lation comprised of cutting, burning, scratching, and biting.
There are, of course, other forms of self-injuring, such as
restricting food intake, promiscuity, extreme risk taking and
so on. However, for the purpose of this article, SIB specifi-
cally refers to behaviors related to direct bodily harm and
mutilation without suicidal intent as outlined in the
DSM-5
diagnosis of non-suicidal self-injury disorder (American
Psychiatric Association, 2013; Favazza & Rosenthal, 1993).
A common mistake made by parents and community mem-
bers (i.e., school faculty, youth pastors, etc.) is confusing
SIB for suicidal ideation or attempt. When caretakers rush to
this assumption, they fear the worst and react with extreme
consequences that isolate and disempower the client. Ac-
cording to a 2004 study of 390 high school students, there
was no correlation between the attitudes toward life of those
who engage in SIB and those who have attempted suicide.
Furthermore, the findings indicated that there are significant
differences between the patterns of behavior and cognition
between adolescents who self-injure and those who have at-
tempted suicide, suggesting no evidence for treating the two
groups the same (Muehlenkamp & Gutierrez, 2004).
Self-injury is a perplexing behavior, as it challenges the
human mind to consider why one would be drawn to inflict
ADELE M. MARTELLE, MSW, LCSW
“A common mistake
made by parents and
community members is
confusing SIB for suicidal
ideation or attempt. When
caretakers
rush to this
assumption
, they
fear
the worst
and react with
extreme consequences
that
isolate and
disempower
the client.”