Although she was shocked to discover her daughter's self-harming, at the age of 13, Roisin was able to understand her daughter's feelings and to find effective help for her. She is 17 at the time of interview and hasn't self-harmed for a year.

Jo-Ann's daughter began cutting herself at the age of 11 but, looking back, Jo-Ann thinks some of her behaviour as a very young child was a form of self-harming. Jo-Ann has learned to understand the way her daughter sees the world and the fear that makes her self-harm.

Jackie sees herself as a strong person and she stresses the importance of self-reliance in finding a way to cope with her teenage daughter's self-harming.