Our Story
Hi! I’m Dr. Janis Whitlock, creator of the Self Injury and Recovery Resources website. This site houses resources developed to support individuals with lived NSSI experience, professionals, and anyone affected by self-injury – directly or indirectly.
In 2004, I established the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery to investigate what was then widely perceived as a new and emerging behavior among youth and adults. My interest was sparked when self-injury entered my personal life through friends with youth who were cutting themselves to emotionally feel better. What began as a small study on college campus prevalence grew into something much larger than I could have imagined, primarily because the need for reliable information was so pressing.
Over the years, we’ve conducted numerous studies on a wide range of self-injury topics. While we always prioritized making sure that our findings could be effectively applied to real life situations and needs, the Self-Injury and Recovery and Resources (SIRR) website was developed early on to assure that the public had access to accurate, high quality resources. In addition, I retired from academia in 2022 so I could devote all of my professional time to assuring that everyone affected by self-injury – individuals with lived experience, families, and professionals – had the information and skills they need to support the healing and growth process.
This endeavor has been made possible through the invaluable assistance of many individuals, including key staff members, affiliated researchers, educators, clinicians, and numerous students. While some contributors are recognized through authorship, others have left their mark through behind-the-scenes efforts. I am deeply grateful for all these contributions, which have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of self-injury and supporting those affected by it.
Work With Me
Looking for help developing protocols, training your staff or community, identifying strategies of best supporting healing and growth, or creating measures or studies for tracking NSSI or other mental health challenges? I am available to work with you in a variety of ways:
- Training needs related to NSSI and other topics related to youth mental health and wellbeing, including examination of the link between social media and mental health
- Development of NSSI-specific protocols for schools and other institutional settings
- Identifying or creating evidence and strength-based intervention and prevention approaches, with a focus on building resilience and connectedness
- Development or identification of research tools and approaches for maximizing organization to detect and respond to NSSI and related conditions
- Development of specific resources for your population and settings
- One-on-one coaching for families or others affected by NSSI
- Provision of customized technical assistance to meet your specific needs
For more information about consultation services, contact her at jlw43@cornell.edu
Join Our Listserv
Send an email to crpsib-l-request@cornell.edu. The body of the message should simply be “join”. Be sure to send your “join” message from the email address where you want to receive CRPSIR (previously CRPSIB) updates.
Have a Question? Contact Us!
We welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and stories. Please feel free to email us at self-injury@cornell.edu or fill out the following contact form.
