Selfharm.co.uk has launched ‘Alumina’, the UK’s first online self-referral recovery programme for young people struggling with self-harm. Alumina is a six-week programme, which takes 14 to 18 yearolds through discovering why they started self-harming, to a future free from self-harm.
Selfharm.co.uk’s director Rachel Welch said: ‘We recognise that for a lot of young people, making a disclosure about their self-harming can feel impossible. We are able to connect with these young people, offering them the chance to think differently about their situation and to complete the process feeling both stronger and more empowered to communicate their needs to someone in their locality. We have the opportunity to give young people a positive experience of the internet before they become another statistic.’
The project has been trialled over the last year. One of the young people involved, Grace, aged 16, said: ‘Being a part of Alumina is amazing. You begin to start helping yourself without even realising. I’d recommend it to anyone, without a second thought.’ At the launch event Grace added ‘(doing Alumina) was the first time I realised I wasn’t alone.’
Selfharm.co.uk’s patron Dr Ranj Singh said: ‘So many young people are being let down because they can’t access help when and how they need it. That’s why we have to find new and innovative ways to make things better.
One of the unique features of Alumina is that young people are able to register themselves without being referred. The online course and group is accompanied with a journal for participants to complete. A video series is also available to download. For more information go to www.alumina.selfharm.co.uk
