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CounselEd
Self-injurious Behavior in Social Media Consumed Youth
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ily members by modeling reframing from the trauma
behavior with a traumatic reaction. It is imperative to
help concerned caregivers understand that SIB serves
as a functional response for an adolescent who inher-
ited a social-media consumed world.
The T.E.A. Model is a trauma informed approach
to treating SIB that emerged out of the good old at-
titude, “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!” “T.E.A.” is an
acronym for Together/Transform, Educate/Empower,
and Accept/Autonomy. It focuses on acknowledging
youths’ perception of what is traumatic while rec-
ognizing what social networks truly represent: com-
munity, connection, and communication (Ellin, 2014).
Social networks offer young clients ample opportunity
to dip their hypothetical toes in the pool of power,
control, and identity formation. Dismissing the value of
social media due to fear or misunderstanding would
be like throwing out the baby with the bath water. As
Ellin (2014) puts it, adolescents “may be accustomed
to social media answering their every need, but this
type of efficiency is deeply desired in the real world as
well.” T.E.A. seeks to optimize the benefits of social
media, reshaping the way a client with SIB engages
it, while expanding his or her platform for identity
formation and acceptance. Keeping T.E.A. in perspec-
tive during treatment of SIB helps to rewire the client’s
perception of trauma in hopes of decreasing the
chance of exposure to new trauma experiences.
One surely cannot force adolescents with SIB to
navigate their treatment or trauma experience from
the prefrontal cortex prematurely. That is why T.E.A.
focuses less on symptom management, an executive
functioning skill, and emphasizes skill building that
regulates and responds to emotion. To begin, thera-
pists can provide each SIB client with a limbic system
calming cheat sheet—a handout that simply suggests
alternative coping skills designed to trigger all five
senses and sooth a hyper-stimulated limbic system.
For example:
•
Use safe objects to respond to emotional trig-
gers (i.e., feelings of rejection or lack of control)
>
Ice cube, red marker, squeeze a comb
•
Use pleasing and comforting scents
>
Essential oils, candles, nature
•
Find safe expressions of emotional regulation
>
Ripping paper, throwing eggs or ice in the
shower, Play-doh™
>
Art – painting, teen coloring book, collage
>
Music
•
Use movement or sensory input to channel
emotions
>
Yoga, weighted blanket, dance