Demystifying non-suicidal self-injury

Demystifying non-suicidal self-injury

Author: Charts & Leisure September 24, 2025 Duration: 39:30

In this episode, Kurt sits down with guest Dr. Stephanie Jarvi Steele, a clinician and researcher who has extensive experience and knowledge about "non-suidical self-injury". In this detailed and thought provoking interview, she helps unravel common misperceptions about NSSI, including it's differentiation from suicidal behavior, and its complicated relationship to suicidal thinking. We discuss myths about the topic - like that there is a contagion effect to discussing it or sharing information about it - as well as the varying groupings of motivation for those who engage in this behavior. 


Resources:

Cornell resources are excellent through the Self-Injury and Recovery Resources program

NAMI

Crisis line info (if someone is struggling with urges/thoughts/etc)

Dr. Steele referred at an article of hers about contagion we discussed, and generously wanted to let folks can also email her directly at ssteele@smith.edu for the full paper.

Dr. Steele's faculty page at Smith College

Dr. Steele Bio:

Dr. Stephanie Jarvi Steele is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at Smith College. Dr. Steele directs the Behavioral Assessment of Self-Injury Lab (BASIL), which aims to further elucidate risk factors for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. She regularly teaches undergraduate classes on Abnormal Psychology, Personality Disorders, and a seminar on high-risk behaviors in psychological disorders.

Dr. Steele is a licensed clinical psychologist in Massachusetts; she earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Suffolk University in Boston and completed her predoctoral clinical internship at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston University. Dr. Steele has published extensively on the topic of non-suicidal self-injury, or "NSSI", for more than a decade, and is currently working on projects related to NSSI and self-disugst, and understanding NSSI among parents.


There’s a thread that connects our inner lives to the culture we live in, and Unravelling pulls on it to see what emerges. This isn’t a lecture series, but a conversation guided by therapist Kurt White and journalist Mary Wilson, who bring their distinct perspectives to every discussion. They explore how mental health is woven into everything from our daily fitness routines and societal pressures to the art we consume and the relationships we keep. In each episode, you’ll hear from experts who study the mind alongside individuals sharing their personal, lived experiences, creating a dialogue that feels both intellectually rigorous and deeply human. The aim is to move beyond simple definitions, examining how anxiety, resilience, joy, and struggle shape our collective reality. Produced by Charts & Leisure, this podcast provides a space for nuance, challenging the idea that our psychological worlds exist in a vacuum. It’s for anyone who has ever felt the tension between their private thoughts and the public world, offering not easy answers but a more textured understanding. By listening, you become part of a broader exploration into how compassion, for ourselves and our society, can actually be built from a place of genuine curiosity.
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