Sensitive Conversations Around Self-Harm

Warning: This episode includes frank discussions around self-harm which some listeners may find distressing. Please use discretion when listening and take a break if needed.

In this episode, Clare talks to Marie Greenhalgh, Relationships Director at Inclusion Education, about how to have sensitive conversations around self-harm.

They discuss what self-harming behaviour might look like, explore some of the underlying reasons for self-harm, and identify ways to address associated feelings of shame, stigma, and secrecy. They also talk about how to create supportive environments where children and young people feel safe to share their emotions and engage in sensitive conversations.

Marie is Relationships Director at Inclusion Education, where she has worked for over 16 years, building programmes and education provision that support young people with mental health needs and neurodivergence.

She was Project Lead for Baton of Hope Tour, Basingstoke in 2025 and co-authored ‘All the Things They Never Told You About Teaching: Facilitating Sensitive Conversations with Our Learners’ and ‘Supporting Bereaved Children in the Primary Classroom’, both of which are published by Routledge.

She is also a Community Ambassador for Winston’s Wish, and monthly columnist for Fusion Magazine UK. Marie is passionate about diversity, inclusion, wellbeing, and challenging the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health and suicide.

You can find Marie on LinkedIn or go to Inclusion Education to find out more about how to support children and young people in your organisation.

Marie also shares three tips during the episode:

• Listen with empathy and compassion, not judgement.
• Know your processes, to make sure you are equipped with the confidence to have difficult conversations.
• Conversations around self-harm can be very upsetting, so make sure you seek support for yourself, too.

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