30. Self-Harm and Suicidal Thoughts in Kids and Teens: What Parents Need to Know (with Katie M Kay)

It's the situation every parent dreads: Your child or teen is hurting themselves. Or, worse yet, wants to kill themselves.

What do you say? What do you do? And how do you not fall apart in the process?

This episode is for parents in the thick of it...and for the ones who want to be ready before they get there.

Licensed therapist and author Katie May joins Dr. Gila to talk about self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and high-risk behaviors in kids and teens: What's driving them, how to respond, and what parents can start doing now.

In this episode:

• Why self-destructive behaviors aren't what they seem, and what they're actually communicating
• The one parenting skill Katie says could have prevented her own self-harm as a teen
• How to have the conversations you're dreading...and what not to say
• What to do when your child tells you they want to die

RELATED RESOURCES:

⭐️ Get the first chapter free of You're on Fire, It's Fine: Effective Strategies for Parenting Teens with Self-Destructive Behaviors at youreonfireitsfine.com/chapter

⭐️ Episode 26. Does Attention Reward the Tantrum?

ABOUT KATIE K MAY

Katie K. May is a licensed therapist, author, speaker, and group practice owner. She founded Creative Healing, a multi-location teen support center in the Philadelphia area, and wrote the #1 Amazon best-seller, You’re On Fire, It’s Fine. With lived experience as a teen who turned to self-harm, Katie is one of only 11 Linehan Board Certified DBT Clinicians in Pennsylvania, the gold standard treatment for self-harm and suicidal behaviors. She equips parents and clinicians with practical, trauma-informed tools to decode behavior as survival and create lasting change.

👉 Website: youreonfireitsfine.com

👉 Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

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❤️ FREE guide: Tantrums, & Meltdowns, & Rages...Oh My! The single parent's guide to understanding challenging behaviors

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©️ 2026 Dr. Gila Parenting | All rights reserved

DISCLAIMER: All episodes of Single-Parenting with Connection (NOT Perfection) are for educational and informational purposes only. Although Dr. Gila is a licensed psychologist and certified coach, this podcast and the information discussed within the podcast do not constitute therapy, counseling, coaching, or other professional service, and are not a substitute for professional services including medical or psychological advice. Moreover, the views expressed on the podcast are those of the host and guests. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or applicability of the content.

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