The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is a federal advisory committee that advises the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on issues related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It was established by the "Children's Health Act of 2000" (Public Law 106-310), reconstituted under the Combating Autism Act of 2006 (CAA;…

Children must be empowered to find their unique path to personal pride and respect. The concept of empowering youth is widely touted but often misunderstood and underutilized. Young people cannot fully develop their strengths and independence without being empowered to take charge of their lives. The polar opposite of coercion, empowerment is…

The purpose of this article is to present creative ways that chain analysis techniques, an intervention used in dialectical behavior therapy, can be used to address clients' nonsuicidal self-injurious behaviors. A description and rationale for using chain analysis techniques with clients who self-injure is provided. An illustrative case example is…

This article presents guided imagery as an intervention that can be used to address clients' nonsuicidal self-injurious behaviors. Guided imagery is a behavioral therapy technique that involves the use of positive thoughts or images to regulate negative emotional experiences, and it can be used to prevent and manage impulses to self-injure.…

Self-injurious behavior is commonly observed among persons with intellectual disabilities. However, a second parallel use of this term is used in the general mental health field for self-mutilation. The authors describe these two disorders and how they differ. Characteristics of what we refer to as repetitive self-injurious behavior among persons…

In the past few years, there has been an explosion of online content and communication regarding nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Research indicates the Internet may be particularly salient among those adolescents who engage in NSSI. Indeed, many youth who self-injure connect with others who self-injure via the Internet in order to obtain needed…

One of the more controversial issues in working with people who self-injure is whether counselors should use no-harm contracts. Important therapeutic considerations include the efficacy of such contracts or agreements in preventing self-injury, the emotional and behavioral responses of clients, and the perceived protection these contracts or…

Pogo recognized long ago that we often are our own worst enemies. Sure, he was a cartoon character, but he had a point--especially in higher education, where self-sabotage seems to be a standard characteristic of academic careers. In the author's 30 years as a professor, five years as a dean, and three years as a provost, he has observed many…

Trends in college mental health literature suggest many college and university counseling centers are facing increased demands for services. Moreover, survey data suggest that counseling center directors and staff perceive increases in serious psychopathology, suicidality, and nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior, along with other typical student…

Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) is a therapeutic, verbal strategy for intervention with students in crisis. It explores a student's reactions to stressful events to gain insight into thinking, feelings, and behavior in order to strengthen resilience and self-esteem (Long, Wood, & Fecser, 2001). By exploring timelines of challenging…

The death of a child is one of the most tragic events imaginable. Even more gut-wrenching is when a child intentionally chooses to end his or her own life in order to escape from unbearable suffering. Unfortunately, the occurrence of self-harm behaviors increases dramatically and occurs at elevated rates during adolescence (Nock et al., 2008), and…

This "2018-2019 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Strategic Plan Update" is the work of the IACC membership that was appointed under the Autism CARES Act of 2014. The Committee agreed that the "2016-2017 IACC Strategic Plan" reflected a comprehensive review of the state of the field and provided a set of 23 new…

Neighborhood factors have been linked to HIV risk behaviors, HIV counseling and testing, and HIV medical care. However, the social-psychological mechanisms that connect neighborhood factors to HIV-related behaviors have not been fully determined. In this article we review the research on neighborhood factors and HIV-related behaviors, approaches…

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a significant issue among college students but few resources are available to college mental health professionals. This article consolidates extant knowledge on NSSI from the empirical and clinical literature, including common NSSI characteristics (rates, methods, demographics, and concomitants), intrapersonal and…

It has been unclear whether adolescent deliberate self-harm (DSH) is more associated with substance use or with characterological impairments. Multivariate determination of (N = 114 Scottish adolescents) ever engaging in DSH (Youth Risk Behavior Survey) from alcohol use, other substance use, and immature defense mechanism use (Defense Style…