What is Self-Harm Awareness Day 2025?
Self-Harm Awareness Day is an annual campaign coordinated in the UK by Harmless which aims to raise awareness of self-harm, reduce stigma around it and increase people’s knowledge of when to access support. The event takes place every year on 1st March and this year we want to share some facts around self-harm with you and let you know where you, or someone you know can get support around self-harm.
Why do people self-harm?
Self-harm is essentially a coping mechanism that enables a person to deal with very difficult feelings, painful memories and overwhelming experiences. It is a way of dealing with the associated intense emotional distress. Talking and thinking about self-harm can cause anxiety and even fear and for these reasons many people avoid talking about it. However in order to understand self-harming it is necessary to talk about it in a safe way. It is often unrealistic to expect a young person to ‘just’ stop such behaviours but with the right support young people can find healthier alternative coping strategies.
Factsheets to help you understand self-harm and recovery
Increasing your knowledge can help you to increase your understanding of self-harm and recovery. We have developed some factsheets to help you look after yourself and the young people around you.
How to get support around self-harm
Below you can find some information you may find useful to either support yourself or find support through a local organisation.
Choose an area for local support information
For information on specialist support around self-harm in South Tyneside, please click here.
South Tyneside Lifecycle Primary Care Mental Health Service
The Lifecycle Service incorporates the provision of IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) mental health services across the entire age spectrum including the 0-5 Early Years, Children and Adolescent (Tier 2 CAMHS), together with South Tyneside Talking Therapies for adults with mild to moderate mental health difficulties.
View this service
For information on specialist support around self-harm in Sunderland, please click here.
Washington Mind Young People’s Project
We currently offer counselling and support such as creative expressive group work for young people aged between 11 and 25yrs who live in the City of Sunderland. Support is offered in a variety of community settings chosen by young people, which include The Life House, Connexions and Poprecs and some…
