Upcoming Events

Mental Health Moment: A Conversation about Digital Self-Harm and Youth

When: Thursday, July 16 - 11:00 AM

Duration: 1 hours

Location: Zoom

Event Details:

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Justin W. Patchin, co-founder and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, to discuss the latest research on digital self-harm to help youth-serving mental health professionals understand how to best prevent and effectively respond to it.

Self-harm involves intentionally inflicting physical damage to one's own body (e.g., cutting or burning) and has been heavily researched. With the introduction of technology and digital media, what we think of as traditional self-harm has evolved. Digital self-harm is the anonymous, online posting or sharing of hurtful, degrading, or threatening content about oneself on social media platforms. It has not received the public and scholarly scrutiny as other forms of self-directed abuse. Many people do not know what it is, what it looks like, or why teens do it. 

By the end of this Mental Health Moment, participants will be able to:

  • Define and understand the nature of digital self-harm

  • Recognize the extent of digital self-harm among adolescents

  • Identify the underlying causes of this behavior

About the Presenter:

Justin W. Patchin, Ph.D., is a professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin-EauClaire. He received his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University in 2004. Since 2002 he has been exploring the intersection of teens and technology, with particular focus on cyberbullying, online social networking, and sexting. He has traveled around the country (and abroad) training educators, counselors, law enforcement officers, parents, and youth on how to prevent the misuse of technology. Dr. Patchin is co-founder and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center and has written nine books and numerous academic and professional articles on adolescent behaviors online. His first co-authored book: “Bullying beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying” was named Education Book of the Year in 2009 by ForeWord Reviews.