Issue link: http://ncumarketing.uberflip.com/i/1114783
5 young employees, and she was about to become just that for Brynn. I left for the day, leaving Joi with the cats and the customers. We have quite a few "regulars", but I was surprised to see Brynn back in the cat room, a week later, during Joi's shift. This time, Brynn was by herself, sitting on a couch with her knees pulled up into her chest, her head resting on her arm talking to Joi, who was sitting, relaxed, next to her. They were alone in the cat room at first, but even after other customers started to enter, Joi would still circle back to Brynn often and they would continue the conversation. When Joi saw me on the other side of the café, she came out of the cat lounge and asked if I would have any objections to Brynn staying in the cat lounge a bit longer, as long as we were not going to be completely full. I didn't have any objection but took the opportunity to mention to Joi what I had noticed the week before, and that she needed to encourage Brynn to talk to a counselor, or someone that could direct her to the resources she may need, if the conversation gave her an opportunity. Joi agreed, but said Brynn was fine today, and they were just having a fun conversation about the cats. Over the next few months, Brynn became one of our "regulars", and her friendship with Joi had grown to the point where they would meet at the café even when Joi was not working, so that Brynn could practice a speech for a class or get some help with math homework. At this point, I need to state that self-harm can be symptomatic of a serious mental health issue that requires professional intervention. However, as one can imagine, those most likely to first become aware of a loved ones self-harm, such as parents, siblings, intimate partners and close friends, struggle greatly with this awareness and what to do about it. There is a tendency to view self-harm as a juvenile call for attention, or something that he or she will "grow out of". Young people who self-harm can become the focus for punishment, mental and in some cases even physical abuse by frustrated family, as well as enduring terminated friendships or a banishment from social circles due to the stigma that can surround self- harm. This can especially be the case if a negative, abusive home or social environment is already causing or acting as a catalyst for self-harm. Fear of suicide is arguably one of the primary reasons why friends and family tend to avoid becoming involved, until it can be too late. There are a broad range of disorders that encompass self-harm; although not all of these disorders are inclusive of suicide, there are direct correlations between the presence of self- harm and increased suicide attempts (Skegg, 2005). Suicide rates in the United States have increased nearly 28% just between 2000 and 2015, and in response to this dramatic increase, there is a new call for psychologists to shift from relying on medical risk factor based tools to embrace newer holistic methods for conducting suicide risk assessments and