Hope and Healing for Kids Who Cut: Learning to Understand and Help Those Who Self-Injure
Marv Penner
Youth Specialties, 2008, 160 pp., $9.99, www.youthspecialties.com
Having seen this issue explode in my youth group and community in recent years, I’ve read several books on cutting and self-injury. By far, Marv Penner’s is my favorite.
He has put together a well-written and concise resource based on his years of experience in counseling self-injurers. His careful research explains the various underlying issues behind cutting in a way that really helped me look at the issue and understand it in a much clearer way than I previously had.
In addition to his thorough exploration of the topic, throughout the book he includes comments aimed specifically at youth workers, parents or people struggling with self-injury. Even more valuable, though, are the pages of resources at the back of the book—dozens of Web sites, books and organizations with detailed descriptions of what each offers.
