Letting Go of Self-Destructive Behaviors

Letting Go of Self-Destructive Behaviors offers inspiring, hopeful, creative resources for the millions of male and female adolescents and adults who struggle with eating disorders, addictions, any form of self-mutilation. It is also a workbook for the clinicians who treat them. Using journaling exercises, drawing and collaging prompts, guided imagery, visualizations, and other behavioral techniques, readers will learn how to understand, compassionately work with, and heal from their behaviors rather than distracting from or fighting against them, which can dramatically reduce internal conflict and instill genuine hope. Techniques are provided in easy-to-follow exercises that focus on calming the body, containing overwhelming emotions, managing negative and distorted thoughts, re-grounding from flashbacks, addressing tension and anxiety, decreasing a sense of vulnerability, strengthening assertiveness and communication skills, and accessing inner wisdom.This workbook can be used in conjunction with Treating Self-Destructive Behaviors in Trauma Survivors, 2nd ed, also by Lisa Ferentz, to allow therapists and their clients to approach the behaviors from the same strengths-based perspective. Photocopiable workbook exercises can be completed as homework assignments or as part of a therapy session. In either case, the client is given the opportunity to process their work and share their insights with a compassionate witness and trained professional, making the healing journey even safer and more rewarding.

Lisa Ferentz, LCSW-C, is the president and founder of the Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy Training and Education, which provides continuing education to mental health professionals. She was named "Social Worker of the Year" by the Maryland Society for Clinical Social Work in 2009 and has been in solo private practice specializing in trauma for 30 years.

"This is a book for anyone who has had a rocky start in life and is ready to stop turning that neglect and abuse in on themselves. The exercises in Letting Go of Self-Destructive Behaviors will help you and your therapist navigate the rough terrain from self-inflicted pain to healthy self-soothing. Lisa Ferentz provides a manual of exercises for the journey from self-harm to self-care, and it's essential reading. Even if you have experienced a good reason not to trust a therapist, Lisa Ferentz will win you over with her compassionate, non-judging and wise approach to putting you-not your overwhelming feelings or the strategies you use to numb them out-in the driver's seat. After reading about Lisa Ferentz's calm acceptance of her clients' 'secrets,' and the ways in which they, in their own words, begin to let go of shame and change their behavior, you will be inspired to work with a therapist who can help you." -Amy Weintraub is the author of Yoga Skills for Therapists and Yoga for Depression and is the founder of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute "Trauma survivors and their therapists will be grateful to Lisa Ferentz for this rich resource, which helps empower the client and facilitate recovery with concrete exercises that identify triggers, teach new self-soothing strategies, and interrupt the cycle of self-destructive behaviors. Even seasoned therapists can learn new metaphors, breathing exercises, and self-help tools that will enrich their practices. Survivors will especially appreciate the respectful and honest tone, which validates feelings while gently offering concrete alternative behaviors. I have used Lisa Ferentz's Caress model for interrupting self-destructive behavior in my own practice and trainings, and this book will allow this powerful set of tools to be accessible more widely. I highly recommend that trauma therapists and their clients take advantage of this accessible, well-written, and valuable new resource." -Joyanna Silberg, PhD, is the author of The Child Survivor: Healing Developmental Trauma and Dissociation "In Letting Go of Self-Destructive Behaviors, Lisa Ferentz has achieved something no other workbook has attempted: addressing the relationship between trauma and a broad spectrum of self-destructive behaviors, covering not only self-harm and suicidality but also addictions and eating disorders. In simple, compassionate language, she guides the reader step by step toward establishing new, healthier patterns of regulating unbearable feelings and memories. This is a book for self-healing, not just behavior management." -Janina Fisher, PhD, is coauthor of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment and Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors "This workbook is a real treasure trove of tools for healing. I am deeply impressed by the range of exercises Lisa Ferentz has created, offering a path to healing that honors the client's intelligence and capacity for letting go of toxic beliefs, self-defeating stories, and behaviors that are no longer useful. Building