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In late  2008, Clare was delighted to take on the role of chair of the National Self-Harm Minimisation Group; a national group bringing together the leading survivor-activists, academics and professionals currently working and campaigning on the issue of self-harm, specifically those with a commitment to harm-minimisation. Other members include Louise Pembroke, Mark Cresswell, Helen Spandler, Sara Stanton, along with representatives of the Newham Asian Women’s Project. The group is working hard on an exciting and innovative project,  producing a DVD and training manual targeted at medical students and other professionals to enable them to  understand the issues around self harm minimisation, and how to put it in practice in a variety of medical and community settings. This project is being funded by Tudor Trust, and hosted by Together. 

Terri and Clare are looking forwards addressing Ireland’s first ever National Day of Self-Injury Awareness, to be held on March 2nd at Trinity College in Dublin. They will be speaking alongside some of Ireland’s leading voices on the issue of self-harm, including Dr. Kay Inckle, Karl Tooher and Jean Freeman. The event aims to promote dialogue and to inform practice around self-injury, as well as to launch an annual day of awareness. Harm-ed are grateful to the Women’s Trust Fund who provided funding to make their involvement possible.

“THAT’S NOT THE WAY TO DO IT!!” – Clare’s new satirical play based on and around the issue of personality disorder – had its first public outing on January 30th when it was presented as a “work in progress” at the festival of Creative Personalities at Leeds Carriageworks. Clare collaborated with Shoestring Theatre to develop the play, with the financial support of P+ and Leeds Community Links.

Terri is currently working on a ground-breaking article on the ethics of harm-minimisation practice – watch this space!

Harm-ed were excited to feature in a recent magazine article on the mental health of lesbians and bisexual women in the Lesbian lfestyle magazine, Diva http://www.divamag.co.uk/diva/

"Beyond Fear and Control",  is one of the newest and most innovative books on self-harm, available from April 2007, edited by Sam Warner and Helen Spandler and published by PCCS Books. It brings together practitioners, activists and service users from a wide range of service contexts who have developed new and innovative ways of effectively supporting young people who self-harm. Authors include Louise Pembroke, Vera Martins, Eamon Kirk - and harm-ed's own Terri Shaw and Clare Shaw, who have co-authored the opening chapter, "A Dialogue of Hope and Survival", which draws from experience, research and theory to discuss the user and carer experience of self-harm; service responses to self-harm; and harm-minimisation practice.

"Biological reductionism of self-harm" - in an article published in Mental Health Practice; the journal for mental health nurses and others involved in the mental health field (May 2007, Vol 10, No 8), Clare Shaw, Louise Pembroke and Phil Thomas argue that the theory that self-harm is linked to the production of the body's natural painkiller (endorphins), is doing more harm than good.

Watch out for the next groundbreaking book edited by Louise Pembroke, bringing together writing from leading practitioners and activists on the issue of harm-minimsation. Chapters address issues such as "Practical harm-minimisation - imparting the basics to service users", as well as other practical, legal and ethical aspects of harm-minimisation. Terri Shaw will be writing about her research with mental health nurses and service users on the issue of harm-minimisation in inpatient settings; whilst Clare Shaw's chapter looks at the need for user-led training, drawing on the example of harm-ed. The book will be published later in 2009.

Listen to Clare Shaw speaking about her experiences of self-harm and using services, as well as her opinions on the issue of harm-minimisation, in the recent "Woman's Hour" debate. The programme, broadcast on 23rd May 2007, "Is too much emphasis placed on the "symptoms" of self-harm rather than the causes?" and featured a live discussion between Dr. Sam Warner and Tim McDougall. Downloadable from www.bbc.co.uk/radiofour/womanshour/listenagain