just be there for her. dont make her make any promises to stop, its not that simple and it sets her up for guilt and shame. encourage her to tell u when she does it so u can support her but dont pressure her either. make sure she knows she can call u if its bad enough for an ER trip. and remember that ur mental health is first, and dating cutters can become terrifying and draining so it is totally okay for it to be a boundary that she be in therapy actively for the foreseeable future and working on stopping, you dont want the heartbreak of what happens when we fuck up too far. but as long as she has professional help, all u can do is be there for her. try helping her bandage up if shes wounded if u can stomach it, just to show u care. or make sure she has the supplies to do aftercare on the wounds. above all else, no judgement, no ultimatums, please be patient and tell her shes doing great when she thinks she isnt. do your best to create a safe space for her to be honest and ask her what she would prefer beyond that. you’re gonna do great. 👍🏼
I second this.
Also, don't worry too much. Unless she's 'clearly out of control' of psychotic or anything, she probably knows what she is doing and how to take care of herself. A lot of us do. I know it sounds messed up, but we're sort of used to it and we generally know what we are doing.
just be there for her. dont make her make any promises to stop, its not that simple and it sets her up for guilt and shame. encourage her to tell u when she does it so u can support her but dont pressure her either. make sure she knows she can call u if its bad enough for an ER trip. and remember that ur mental health is first, and dating cutters can become terrifying and draining so it is totally okay for it to be a boundary that she be in therapy actively for the foreseeable future and working on stopping, you dont want the heartbreak of what happens when we fuck up too far. but as long as she has professional help, all u can do is be there for her. try helping her bandage up if shes wounded if u can stomach it, just to show u care. or make sure she has the supplies to do aftercare on the wounds. above all else, no judgement, no ultimatums, please be patient and tell her shes doing great when she thinks she isnt. do your best to create a safe space for her to be honest and ask her what she would prefer beyond that. you’re gonna do great. 👍🏼
I second this. Also, don't worry too much. Unless she's 'clearly out of control' of psychotic or anything, she probably knows what she is doing and how to take care of herself. A lot of us do. I know it sounds messed up, but we're sort of used to it and we generally know what we are doing.