Self-injury in Educational Settings
Another core part of our work that includes but extends beyond research is our aim to ensure schools and universities are well-positioned to best understand and support students who self-injure. Indeed, there is ample empirical evidence that self-injury is a common behaviour in a range of educational settings but it remains one that is stigmatised and for which and thus play a faciliatory role in promoting their recovery, resilience, and wellbeing. In this way, the fourth stream of my research program is a convergence of those above.
To work toward the above goals, we partner with other scholars and clinicians across the globe. For example, Dr. Lewis and several students on our team are members of the International Consortium on Self-injury in Educational Settings (ICSES). ICSES is composed of leading researchers and clinicians worldwide who share common passions and missions to ensure that students across all educational settings are appropriately supported when it comes to self-injury. To date, ICSES has published papers articulating research-informed recommendations for schools and universities when responding to and supporting students who self-injure; this includes position papers for urban schools (e.g., (Hasking et al., 2016); rural schools (Lewis et al., 2022), and universities (e.g., Lewis et al., 2018). To learn more about ICSES, please visit:
Related to the work we’ve been involved with related to schools and universities, we have been involved with research about self-injury stigma in educational settings (e.g., Hamza et al., 2021; Peralta et al., in progress), how students who self-injure have fared since COVID-19 (e.g., Lewis et al., 2021), and how students can be supported in university residence settings (Gayfer & Lewis, in preparation), among others.
In keeping with the applied nature of our work, we have also developed and routinely offer research-informed trainings and workshops for both schools and universities; these have been delivered to large groups as well as directly to unique stakeholders in each context. For inquiries about arranging a training (virtual or in-person), please click here: