Self-harm support
Support services, people to talk to and resources for coping with urges.
For people aged 16 and over. Each service has its own age limits. Choose what feels relevant and take your time.
Read or save the full booklet (PDF)
Find the support you need
You can go straight to what you need. Select a section below. For immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.
03 You deserve care and understanding
04 Getting through an urge
05 People who understand self-harm
06 Apps worksheets and DBT resources
07 Treatment programmes and referrals
08 Courses to explore
09 Self help booklets to explore
10 A plan that fits you
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Useful links
You deserve care and understanding
Self-harm can be a way of coping. It often arrives because something feels unbearable and other ways of managing are not available or do not feel enough. Being told to stop, by someone who has not offered anything to put in its place, is not the support you need.
You do not have to have stopped self-harming to deserve help. This guide offers ways to understand what is happening, get through urges and build other forms of support, at a pace you can work with.
You are entitled to compassionate treatment for injuries, without a lecture. You can ask about pain relief, dressings and aftercare like anyone else. You do not have to justify yourself to earn care. Clinicians may ask what happened so they can treat you safely and offer the right support.
Medical care matters
A GP or urgent treatment centre can assess minor injuries and advise on aftercare. Seek prompt medical advice for signs of infection, worsening pain or an injury you are unsure about. Call NHS 111 if you need help deciding where to go.
When help cannot wait
Call 999 or go to A&E for a serious injury, uncontrolled bleeding, suspected overdose or poisoning, or if you cannot keep yourself safe. Do not wait for symptoms after an overdose. Ask someone to stay with you and help you get care.
Someone to talk to now
For urgent mental health support in England, call 111 and select the mental health option. Samaritans: 116 123, free, 24/7. Shout: text SHOUT to 85258, free, 24/7. If you are under 19, Childline: 0800 1111.
Self-harm does not always mean wanting to die, but suicidal feelings can occur alongside it. If that changes for you, tell someone and seek urgent support. This guide supports, rather than replaces, medical care and an individual assessment.
Useful links
Getting through an urge
The aim is to create a little more space between an urge and an action. Choose one tool that feels manageable. If a tool does not help, that is useful information about what you need, not a failure.
Start with the next few minutes
Move towards somewhere safer or another person. If you can, put distance between yourself and things you might use to hurt yourself. Send a simple message: "I am struggling with urges. Can you stay with me or talk for a while?"
TIPP skills from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a talking therapy with practical skills for managing emotions. TIPP uses changes in the body to help reduce intense distress. You do not need to use all four. These are brief coping skills, not a complete treatment programme.
T - Temperature
Try a cool, damp cloth on your cheeks or gently splash your face with cool water. Keep it comfortable; avoid direct ice, painful cold or holding your breath.
I - Intense exercise
If medically safe, try a short burst of movement such as brisk walking or dancing. Adapt to your ability; avoid exercise if injured, unwell or if it becomes a way of punishing yourself.
P - Paced breathing
Breathe gently in for about 4 counts and out for about 6. Keep the breath comfortable; return to normal breathing if you feel dizzy.
P - Paired muscle relaxation
Gently tense a muscle group while breathing in, then release it as you breathe out. Try hands or shoulders; avoid injured or painful areas.
Check with a clinician before temperature or intense exercise skills if you have a heart condition, fainting, an eating disorder, cold sensitivity, or take medication affecting heart rate. Choose breathing or a comfortable grounding activity meanwhile.
Useful links
People who understand self-harm
Sift - formerly Self Injury Support
Non-judgemental listening support for all ages and genders. Call 0808 800 8088 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6-9pm; text 07537 432444 Monday-Friday, 6-9pm. Email support is also available; replies can take up to a week. Check current hours before contacting.
Battle Scars - survivor-led support
UK-wide virtual peer groups for adults aged 18+, including an Inbetweeners group for people who mostly do not act on urges, and support for family and friends. FRESH offers a planned peer-support call for adults in England via an online referral; it is not a crisis service. Check the current age wording and group criteria.
LifeSIGNS
User-led since 2002. Information for people of all ages, with accessible writing about why self-injury happens, coping with urges and supporting someone else. Includes resources about adult self-injury.
Harmless
User-led specialist information and support for people who self-harm, families and professionals. Offers therapeutic and stabilisation support across ages. Funded services have geographical and other criteria; check eligibility rather than assuming UK-wide therapy is available.
National Self Harm Network forum
A moderated online peer-support forum, available to access 24/7. Check registration rules and age requirements. A post may not receive an immediate reply; use live crisis support if you need someone now. Step away if reading discussions increases your urges.
Useful links
Apps worksheets and DBT resources
Calm Harm - free app
A free, password-protected app from stem4, developed for young people over 13. Short activities help you manage urges, including comfort, distraction, expression and breathing. Download through the official website. It is not an emergency service or a substitute for therapy.
Get Self Help - DBT skills
Free explanations and worksheets covering mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Explore one skill at a time; using worksheets is different from taking part in a full DBT programme.
Get Self Help - an emergency or soothe box
Ideas for a small collection of comforting objects, grounding reminders and activities to reach for during distress. Choose things that fit your sensory needs and do not cause pain or injury.
DBT Self Help
Accessible explanations of DBT and its skills, including TIPP, mindfulness and ways to navigate relationships. An educational website; it does not provide individual assessment or a treatment programme.
DBT Tools
Free explanations of DBT skills across distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Use alongside professional support where possible, adapting tools to your needs.
Mindful Teen - DBT for young people
Information and practical skills written for young people, including TIPP. Useful for 16-17-year-olds and anyone supporting them. Educational resources rather than a UK referral service.
Useful links
Treatment programmes and referrals
Ask your GP or mental health clinician for an assessment of what is driving self-harm and what treatment may help. You can ask about DBT, DBT adapted for adolescents (DBT-A), or a CBT-informed intervention tailored to self-harm. There is no single programme suitable for everyone.
For young people aged 16-17
NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommends considering DBT-A for young people with frequent self-harm and significant difficulties regulating emotions. A full programme may include individual therapy, a skills group, coaching and work with family or carers. Ask children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) about local provision and the age limit for starting.
NELFT DBT-A - north-east London
Free NHS programme for young people aged 13 to 17 years and 4 months with a GP in Barking & Dagenham, Redbridge, Havering or Waltham Forest. Includes individual therapy, multi-family skills training and coaching. Only allocated CAMHS clinicians can refer; clinical criteria and assessment apply.
ELFT CAMHS DBT - east London
Free NHS programme within City & Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets CAMHS for ages 13-18. A clinician must refer by 17 years and 4 months to allow treatment before 18. Includes individual therapy, multi-family skills training and coaching; discuss suitability with your care coordinator.
For adults aged 18+
NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommends a structured CBT-informed intervention tailored to self-harm for adults. DBT may also be appropriate depending on your needs. Ask your GP or community mental health team about available programmes and referral criteria. A stand-alone skills group is different from comprehensive DBT.
Kingston Complex Needs Pathway - adult example
Free NHS service for adults aged 18-65 in Kingston meeting its clinical criteria for emotionally unstable or borderline personality disorder (EUPD/BPD). Offers DBT and other interventions following assessment. Ask your GP about referral through Kingston Single Point of Access, or discuss with your existing NHS team. Self-harm alone does not establish this diagnosis.
Useful links
Courses to explore
LATER - Wellbeing and Recovery College
Free course for adults aged 18+ living, working or studying in Ealing, Hounslow or Hammersmith & Fulham. Learning about Thinking, Emotions and Relationships draws on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), group psychotherapy and attachment theory. MBT explores our own and other people’s thoughts and feelings; attachment theory explores how close relationships shape us. It is an educational course, rather than a full DBT treatment programme. The Autumn 2026 listing starts 7 October, Wednesdays 10am-12pm, for 10 weeks in Brentford. Check places or future intakes on 020 8483 1456.
Alumina - online support for ages 16-17
Free seven-week online self-harm support course. The full service range is 10-17, with groups arranged by age; some 18-year-olds may be accepted at the team's discretion. Sign up online to explore suitability. A paid companion workbook can also be used with a trusted adult. This is not a crisis service.
Finding the right level of support
A course or peer group can offer connection and practical skills alongside therapy. If self-harm is frequent, worsening or linked to suicidal feelings, ask for an individual assessment rather than relying on a course alone. You can ask a clinician to help you choose a programme and plan support while waiting.
Useful links
Self help booklets to explore
These free resources cover adults, older young people and those supporting them. Choose a format and starting point that suits you; no single booklet fits every age or need.
Self Harm - CNTW NHS self help guide
For adults and older young people. An NHS guide written by clinical psychologists, exploring self-harm, emotions, relationships and longer-term support. Read online or explore the available formats. Use coping exercises with a clinician where possible; some older sections contain pain-based alternatives.
The truth about self-harm - Mental Health Foundation
Free downloadable booklet, primarily for young people and their supporters. Covers understanding self-harm, talking about it, coping with urges and seeking help. A useful shorter introduction alongside the adult-focused guide above.
Cardiff and Vale NHS self-help workbook
Free interactive workbook for secondary-school-age young people, including ages 16-17. Contains worksheets on feelings, triggers, self-compassion and DBT skills. Work through selected sections with support; avoid pain-based substitutes and follow current medical advice rather than older first-aid guidance.
Coping with self-harm - parents and carers
Free booklet developed by Oxford researchers and clinicians with parent/carer input. The guide received Highly Commended recognition at the 2016 BMA Patient Information Awards. Written for supporters of young people, rather than as an adult self-help workbook. Download through Charlie Waller.
Useful links
A plan that fits you
Make a safety plan together
When things are calmer, write down early warning signs, what tends to make urges stronger, a few coping steps, safer places, people you can contact and where to get urgent care. Agree practical ways to reduce access to things you might use to hurt yourself. Keep the plan where you can find it quickly.
Sift - self-harm safety plan
A free worksheet to help you create your own plan, ideally with someone you trust or a clinician. Include what has helped before and what you need others to do when you are struggling.
Understanding what the urge is asking for
At a calmer moment, notice what happened beforehand and what self-harm seemed to offer: relief, expression, control, feeling something, or a break from overload. This can help you and a therapist choose support that addresses the need. Keep notes brief and non-graphic.
Changing Faces - support with scars
For people who would like support with the appearance or emotional impact of scars. Skin camouflage information, online resources and support are available. Face-to-face camouflage appointments are currently limited to Bridgend in Wales; they are not available through Changing Faces in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. You do not need to hide scars to deserve care.
Hub of Hope - find support near you
A searchable UK mental health support directory. Search by location and use the filters to explore local or national services. Check age limits, referral routes and availability directly with the provider.
If you are supporting someone
Listen without judgement. Ask what would help, offer company and practical support, and help them access medical care when needed. Avoid punishment, demands for promises or making support conditional on stopping. Agree a plan for urgent situations together.