May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s been observed in the U.S. since 1949 to raise awareness and educate the public about mental health.
The Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery (CRPSIR) generates new research and insight into self-injury and translates knowledge into tools and resources to help everyone better understand, treat and prevent it.
For Mental Health Awareness Month, CRPSIR Director Janis Whitlock is sharing these resources for better understanding self-injury and mental health.
Updated NSSI 101 courses for youth-serving professionals and parents
The NSSI (non-suicidal self-injury) 101 course has been updated for Mental Health Awareness Month. This course, administered through eCornell, is for anyone interested in understanding non-suicidal self-injury (also sometimes referred to as “cutting”) in youth and for parents, clinicians, or anyone who lives with or loves someone who engages in non-suicidal self-injury. Visit this website to learn more and enroll: http://www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu/training.html
Podcast
Whitlock was a guest on a new podcast from WBGO Studios called Conversations with Sydney. The series is a powerful and candid conversation between journalist Micah Fink, his daughter, Sydney, and several mental health experts on topics related to self-injury and suicide.
You can check out the NSSI episode (here on Apple, but also available on Spotify and Google) and subscribe to the series here (see the “Ways to Subscribe” buttons at the bottom of the description).
The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting has also put together an educational guide — which will be available tomorrow — and there will be some public events for educators beginning at the end of the month.
Video
Whitlock also participated in an interesting conversation with Personal Resilience Science Labs a few months ago on Finding the Strength to Live. They are an international group with a set of interesting interviews on a variety of compelling topics.
Article
In alignment with Whitlock’s desire to expand the conversations around mental health into new and emerging arenas, she’s written a commentary in her capacity as senior advisor for The Jed Foundation. It discusses the need to confront and productively address the growing challenges climate change poses to youth mental health. Whitlock is passionate about the need to be proactive in anticipating and responding to clearing upcoming challenges to mental health and well-being for people of all ages. Climate change is one of those.
Book
Another great resource is Healing Self-Injury: A Compassionate Guide for Parents and Other Loved Ones, written by Whitlock and Elizabeth Lloyd Richardson. While the book was released in 2019, it remains pertinent.
Have a resource to add? Let Janis know!
The CRPSIR resource center will be expanding to include more topics – especially around non-suicidal self-injury, mental health and well-being. If you have ideas for topics that would be helpful for you or the communities you work with, please let Janis Whitlock know by emailing her at jlw43@cornell.edu.
