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Our counselors offer self-harm counseling in Knoxville, TN

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686,000 people sought help with Thriveworks in the last year

Discover how starting self-harm counseling can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.

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Starting Self-harm counseling

What is Self-harm counseling?

Self-harm counseling is aimed at helping individuals who struggle with harming themselves break this pattern by addressing the underlying emotional causes and work to develop new, healthier coping skills. Thriveworks self-harm therapists in Knoxville, TN are experienced in treating those who self-harm with empathy, compassion, and unconditional regard in order to help them heal and recover, both physically and emotionally.

How does Self-harm counseling work?

Self-harm counseling at Thriveworks often uses cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to help clients discover the connections between their thoughts and feelings and their behaviors. By assessing these areas, Thriveworks Knoxville therapists can help clients find and address the true emotional roots of their patterns and, from there, effectively adjust unwanted behaviors.

Is Self-harm counseling conducted in person or online?

Self-harm counseling at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.

How long does Self-harm counseling last?

The duration of self-harm counseling will often depend on a variety of factors, such as the intensity of an individual's symptoms or the current levels of stress present in their lives. Because of this, treatment can last a handful of months or on a continual basis over the course of years. In the end, it's up to the client and their individual needs.

Need more help deciding?

Theresa’s husband just passed away in a terrible accident. They were about to retire and start living their dream. Now, Theresa is having to rebuild her life in her mid-60s. Mac feels stuck. He has been in the same job for ten years, and he does not know how to move ahead. Anya is starting her sixth-grade year at her fourth school. Maybe at this school, she will find friends. Anya, Mac, and Theresa are facing very different circumstances, but they are coping with these circumstances in a similar way. They are doing the best they can to put one foot in front of the other, and for them, they are turning their emotional pain into physical harm. They are cutting.

“Other times, I look at my scars and see something else:
a girl who was trying to cope with something horrible that she should never have had to live through at all. My scars show pain and suffering, but they also show my will to survive. They’re part of my history that’ll always be there.”
― Cheryl Rainfield, Scars

Trauma and stress can trigger substantial emotional and psychological pain. Many times, people face life challenges they never asked to face and have no idea how to handle. Many people can identify with Cheryl Rainfield’s words—they are suffering, but they are also surviving. They are doing the best they know to process their pain.

Many people who have coped through self-harm in the past are learning that there is another way. They are survivors, and while cutting may have helped them endure in the short term, they want more for the long term. These people are also working with mental health professionals to heal wounds and learn new coping skills.

That is why Thriveworks Knoxville offers therapy for self-harm. We have worked with many clients who self-harm, and our therapists have watched them learn new, healthier ways to handle life’s stress and trauma.

Self-Harm’s Various Forms

Cutting is likely the most recognizable form of self-harm, but it is by no means the only form. There is no limit to the ways people can pursue self-injury, and each individual’s method is unique and personal. Some people self-harm as a response to difficult seasons in life, and they go months or even years in between injuring themselves. Others self-harm as a ritual—possibly even on a daily basis.

While self-mutilation will be unique to each person, examples of the various forms of self-harm include:

    Undermining a wound’s healing process—Picking at scabs, pulling out stitches, aggravating injuries, and more.

  • Plucking out body hair—Painfully pulling significant portions of hair upon one’s body and/or head.
  • Branding or carving—Incorporating a word, picture, or symbol into the harm.
  • Pinching, biting, slapping, punching, or hitting oneself.
  • Burning—Using heat, cigarettes, matches, irons, ropes, or more to damage one’s skin.
  • Cutting—lacerating, stabbing, scratching, slashing, or piercing the skin with a knife or similar object.

Increasing the Risk for Self-Injury

The answers to when, why, and how people cope with self-harm will be unique to each person, but generally speaking, there are situations that people face that may increase their risk of turning to self-injury as a coping mechanism. The following as risk factors for cutting and other forms of self-harm:

  • A Mental Health Diagnosis: Certain mental health illnesses have self-harm as a symptom. Phobias, bipolar disorder, depression, autism spectrum disorder, borderline personality disorder, conduct disorders, and schizophrenia increase a person’s risk of self-injury.
  • Psychological Pain: A common thread woven through people who self-harm is the intense psychological pain they experience. Child abuse, poverty, domestic violence, poverty, bereavement may have caused the pain, and people are often tormented by the emotional turmoil these traumas can trigger.
  • Drug or Alcohol Use: Alcohol or drugs are often factors in people’s decision to self-harm. One study tracked patients who presented to a Northern Ireland hospital for self-harm. Over 60 percent of patients used alcohol while they injured themselves.

Other Coping Mechanisms

When people utilize self-harm, they are often doing the best they know to survive. The old cliché, however, is often true, “when we know better, we do better.” When people who self-harm learn different ways of coping, they have different ways to cope when they feel that psychological pain. Thus, learning other coping mechanisms is an important part of healing. Examples of different coping methods include…

Prioritizing one’s physical and emotional safety. Give yourself permission to avoid unsafe people and situations where you will feel triggered. Think about when and where you feel safe, and pursue those situations.

Practice mindfulness. After numbing emotions for so long, allow yourself to feel anything. Anger. Sadness. Regret. Happiness. Guilt. Allow those feeling to arise and notice them.

Connect with a friend. Is there someone in your life who could encourage you? Support you? Consider reaching out and asking that loved one for what you need.

Thriveworks Knoxville’s Therapy for Self-Injury

Learning how to cope without harming oneself can be a difficult process, and many people turn to mental health professionals to guide their way. Skilled therapists may be able to lead people toward long-term healing instead of momentary relief.

If you are ready to see a therapist about your self-injuries, know that Thriveworks Knoxville has appointments available. When you call our office, you may have your first appointment within 24 hours. We offer weekend and evening appointments, and we work with most insurance companies.

Let’s get started. Call Thriveworks Knoxville today.

Pricing & insurance

Our therapists accept most major insurances. We accept 585+ insurance plans, and offer self-pay options, too.
Learn more about pricing for therapy and counseling services at Thriveworks.

Our Knoxville therapists and counselors accept 22 insurance plans

  • Aetna

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card)

  • BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee | BCBS

  • BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Medicare Advantage

  • Caresource

  • Cigna | Evernorth

  • Cigna | Evernorth EAP

  • Cigna | Evernorth Medicare Advantage

  • Compsych

  • First Health Network

  • Humana Exchange

  • Humana HMO/POS

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Self-pay costs at Knoxville
Talk therapy

Talk therapy

Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Talk therapy

Psychiatry

Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Hear from our clients

4.6 Thriveworks Knoxville reviews are collected through Thriveworks.com.
★★★★★
I saw Justin for assistance with OCD. He showed me how to look at things in a way that did not allow my OCD to take over. I will would highly recommend him.
Read more I saw Justin for assistance with OCD. He showed me how to look at things in a way that did not allow my OCD to take over. I will would highly recommend him.
Knoxville Feb 2020
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
I have been taking my 7 year old grandson to see Justin. He had horrible anxiety. It saddened us to see how bad it was. He had developed tics. Justin was absolutely wonderful with him. He has overcome most of his fears and tics have went away. I would highly recommend Justin.
Read more I have been taking my 7 year old grandson to see Justin. He had horrible anxiety. It saddened us to see how bad it was. He had developed tics. Justin was absolutely wonderful with him. He has overcome most of his fears and tics have went away. I would highly recommend Justin.
Knoxville Sep 2019
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Going to Thriveworks for the past year and a half has been the most rewarding counseling experience I’ve had. Seeing Lindsey has had the single biggest impact on my emotional and mental health, especially in healing from past childhood abuse and trauma, and ongoing PTSD. Out of multiple counselors in two states, Lindsey Chandler is by far the one with whom I’ve felt the most accepted, supported, and encouraged by. I am grateful for the Thriveworks space, as it is not at all clinical nor intimidating, but entirely warn and welcoming. It is nearly a scent-free environment, which is vital for the comfort of any highly sensitive persons. I choose to drive an hour from home each visit specifically to stay loyal to a place where I finally feel safe and valued—where in the past commuting five minutes from home to work with a therapist felt like a chore and an ordeal—and I will continue to do so as I work further toward a healthier me.
Read more Going to Thriveworks for the past year and a half has been the most rewarding counseling experience I’ve had. Seeing Lindsey has had the single biggest impact on my emotional and mental health, especially in healing from past childhood abuse and trauma, and ongoing PTSD. Out of multiple counselors in two states, Lindsey Chandler is by far the one with whom I’ve felt the most accepted, supported, and encouraged by. I am grateful for the Thriveworks space, as it is not at all clinical nor intimidating, but entirely warn and welcoming. It is nearly a scent-free environment, which is vital for the comfort of any highly sensitive persons. I choose to drive an hour from home each visit specifically to stay loyal to a place where I finally feel safe and valued—where in the past commuting five minutes from home to work with a therapist felt like a chore and an ordeal—and I will continue to do so as I work further toward a healthier me.
Knoxville Jan 2019
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Dr Neal has helped me more in the last 2 months than any other therapist in the last 5 years. Therapy has become a joy instead of a chore. :)
Read more Dr Neal has helped me more in the last 2 months than any other therapist in the last 5 years. Therapy has become a joy instead of a chore. :)
Knoxville Dec 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Justin Hall is an excellent therapist. Very easy to talk to and genuinely concerned with the patient.
Read more Justin Hall is an excellent therapist. Very easy to talk to and genuinely concerned with the patient.
Knoxville Nov 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
Amanda Gilliam has been such a blessing in helping my daughter deal with her anxiety issues. My daughter is much stronger and confident now thanks to Amanda's expertise,dedication, and just willing to talk about whatever my daughter wants to talk about! Great person to call if you in know someone dealing with anxiety!
Read more Amanda Gilliam has been such a blessing in helping my daughter deal with her anxiety issues. My daughter is much stronger and confident now thanks to Amanda's expertise,dedication, and just willing to talk about whatever my daughter wants to talk about! Great person to call if you in know someone dealing with anxiety!
Knoxville Oct 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
My son saw “Mrs. Amanda” as he affectionately called her shortly after my marriage ended in a high conflict divorce. My son was 6 years old at the time, so it was difficult for him to process his feelings without knowing how to communicate with us. Amanda Gilliam was always there to listen and provide outlets for him to speak openly about his feelings in a way that could be understood. She is top knotch in my book and I would highly recommend her as a professional!
Read more My son saw “Mrs. Amanda” as he affectionately called her shortly after my marriage ended in a high conflict divorce. My son was 6 years old at the time, so it was difficult for him to process his feelings without knowing how to communicate with us. Amanda Gilliam was always there to listen and provide outlets for him to speak openly about his feelings in a way that could be understood. She is top knotch in my book and I would highly recommend her as a professional!
Knoxville Oct 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com
★★★★★
I was in sessions with Justin for about a year and highly recommend him. He has a deep grasp of psychology that he is constantly refreshing and renewing, and he was able to help me a lot in understanding what was driving the emotions and feelings of myself and close family members. He was a great help.
Read more I was in sessions with Justin for about a year and highly recommend him. He has a deep grasp of psychology that he is constantly refreshing and renewing, and he was able to help me a lot in understanding what was driving the emotions and feelings of myself and close family members. He was a great help.
Knoxville Sep 2018
Review left on Thriveworks.com

Where to find us

Getting here

Thriveworks Counseling Knoxville is located off of N Peters Rd and Market Pl Blvd, across the street from Market Place Shopping Center. Our other neighbors include Block Advisors, Geosyntec Consultants, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Red Roof PLUS+ & Suites Knoxville West - Cedar Bluff. The closest bus stop to our building is N Peters Rd EB @ Market Place Blvd.

Phone number

(865) 290-2278

Languages spoken by TN providers

  • English
Tuesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Wednesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Thursday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Friday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Monday 8:00am - 9:00pm

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Tuesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Wednesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Thursday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Friday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Saturday 7:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Monday 7:00am - 9:30pm

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