Maureen

No Secrets

Supporting those affected by self-injury

When my daughter, Kerri, told me she had been diagnosed with depression I was concerned, but when she later told me she was self-injuring, my world fell apart. She tried to end her own life, twice. I was devastated, not knowing what to do or where to turn. The next twelve months proved to be the worst time of my life. Kerri spent four months on a psychiatric unit. She was so withdrawn I hardly knew her and couldn’t reach her, she wouldn’t let anybody in – it was unbearably painful. She eventually made some progress, only to relapse a few months later. At her lowest point, I had to use all of my strength to keep her alive, to show how much she is loved and wanted.

And through all of this, the one thing I needed most was to be able to talk to someone who was going through or who had been through the same experience as me. Sadly, there were no support groups associated with self-injury in St Helens, so I decided to set up a support group myself so that others would not have to feel isolated or suffer alone. At the same time, as part of her recovery process, Kerri wanted to set up a self-help group for those who self-injure. As a result, "No Secrets" was born, a new initiative aimed at addressing the issues around self-injury and offering support for people living in St Helens. The response we have had proves that such a project was desperately needed.

Because self-injury is not understood it is feared, hidden away and not talked about, hence the name ‘No Secrets’. One of the aims of ‘No Secrets’ is to raise awareness and understanding of self-injury by enabling those who self-injure and their relatives, friends and carers to talk openly about how it has affected their lives. This will also help to reduce the stigma, myth, blame and shame around self-injury.

The carers support group, for those who have relatives, friends or who care for those who self-injure, runs monthly on the last Wednesday of each month between 6-8pm at St Helens Carers Centre (01744 675615).

The support group for those who self-injure runs fortnightly on Wednesdays between 6-8pm at the Millennium Drop-in Lounge (01744 627429).

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to call me on 07964 226657 or email me at maureen@sthnosecrets.co.uk

Kerri can be contacted on 07964 226657 or at kerri@sthnosecrets.co.uk

I look forward to hearing from you or meeting you at the "No Secrets" group – you will be so welcome!

Best wishes - Maureen.

To contact Maureen directly, you can email her or call 07964 226657