Luton Churches Education Trust

LCET was featured in BBC's Songs of Praise on Sunday 17th October 2010.

You may have seen our recent appearance on the Songs of Praise, 'Children in Need' special. On this page you can find out more about our work and how to support us.

Thanks partly to the grant we received from BBC Children in Need we are able to provide support to young people who self harm in Luton, Bedfordshire, through our therapeutic group programmes in schools. Although we are unable to offer these groups outside of Luton, our national website selfharm.co.uk is launching in November and means we can support young people all over the UK with some ground-breaking and innovative online services.

Our charity is only able to work with young people through the generosity and support of individuals in Luton and around the UK. This is especially true in the current economic climate where, like many charities, we are finding it hard to make ends meet. If you would like to help us continue this project please consider giving a donation. You can click on the 'Give' link at the top of the page or download a regular donation form from the link on the right. You'll need to print it off, fill it in, and send it to us. Thank you, we really do appreciate your help.

Why is our work important?

Self harm has become a primary coping mechanism for many young people in the UK today. Research shows that at least 1 in 10 young people deliberately hurt themselves to deal with their emotions, a statistic that demands attention. You may come across self harm in many different forms (including scratching, biting, burning or hair pulling) but the most common method seen is cutting. This non-suicidal behaviour can become such a habit, such a ‘normal’ reaction to situations or emotions, that it becomes addictive. The focus of supporting these vulnerable young people needs to lie in addressing the underlying emotions at the root of the problem, in order to help them then overcome the behaviour more successfully.

Our therapeutic group programme helps young people understand why they have started harming and begin to find other ways of coping with pressure. We run these groups for four to six young people, together with two adult group leaders. It's a safe place for young people to talk openly about something that they may well have kept secret for years.

Young people self harm when they feel overwhelmed by the emotions that they are experiencing, whatever those emotions may be. For a lot of young people, inflicting physical pain can validate their feelings, creating a ‘real’ pain that is easier to cope with than the hidden emotional pain. The sense of calm that is experienced afterwards, as a result of the body releasing chemicals, provides the desired respite from their situation. This will often lead to a person going on to harm again, in search for that same feeling of relief that has worked before.

Helping someone who harms

Supporting someone who harms, or indeed experiencing it yourself, can be a scary situation that requires a lot of understanding and patience. Recovery can be a long process, but lots of loving support makes it easier. When you first discover that someone you care about is self harming it can provoke all sorts of emotions, but it is important to try not to panic or overreact. Here are some useful points to consider: 

- Listen in a non-judgemental way

- Encourage them to identify the emotions surrounding their self harm, and help them to explore alternative ways of expressing this emotion(s)

- Don’t ask them to stop or intervene

Further support can be found through your GP, who may make a referral to the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service.

selfharm.co.uk

For young people in Luton, you can contact us to find out about taking part in one of our therapeutic group programmes. The good news is that we'll shortly be launching a national website, selfharm.co.uk, to provide support for young people from all over the UK. You can register to find out when it's up and running by going here and, in the meantime, you can also sign up to the Facebook page.

Thanks for taking an interest in our work. We're passionate about making a positive difference to young people and we're determined to continue to do more and more to achieve that in the coming months.