The process and perspective of the therapist in the treatment of self-mutilation

Research for the past 35 years has involved inpatient mentally ill persons who have been institutionalized. Treatment for self-mutilation has also focused primarily on mentally ill and mentally retarded patients. There has been little research done on the specific topic of adolescent female self-mutilation. Self-mutilation has become increasingly prevalent among female adolescents. In this paper the therapist\u27s perspective of treatment and the therapist\u27s process of treatment were researched. Treatment should be tailored to the specific needs of the adolescent and often involved multiple treatments. Eleven styles of treatment were addressed and the qualities that a therapist needs to possess were also addressed. The main ingredients for success with female adolescent self-mutilators are stability, constancy, reliability, and the formation of a positive therapeutic alliance