you mean if I have never had therapy so they had no files to read but I wanted help for this..

Thats a hard one - trying to ignore what I know from over 20 years of therapy. That would take me back to age 18 fresh out of highschool and I entered therapy for panic attacks and nightmares. I was cutting back then but I never disclosed it to the therapist.

Ok I want help for just this one thing huh. I think first I would take time to get to know the therapist and the therapsit get to know me. Im cutting so I already know some situations that make me want to cut say I cut when I get in a fight with my parents.

I would call up a therapist and say something like I did the first time I entered therapy - hello Im so and so. I'm 18, no job yet and my parents are driving me so nuts I have trouble thinking straight can you help me.

That right there is enough to get my feet in their door at least once so that I can get a feel for the therapist, and his/her therapy style so that I can decide if I want to see that person again.

The first session is always basic name address phone number type of family basic background stuff and of course the question why are you here..I can either say I got in a fight and took it out on my arm with a razor and I want to stop that but I don't want to do it in hospitals is that something you can help me with, if not who do you recommend? or I can keep my mouth shut about the cutting for a few visits and say simply how frustrated I get when fighting with my parents. Then when I am comfortable with the therapist and the question of how do I cope with it comes up then say right out I cut. or show the person the scars.

If therapy had already started and I asked their help on it and got hospitalized that means I had cut within the past 24 hours so therapists see that as still being in the danger zone. in that case theres nothing I can do but not fight the commitment order that will only get me restrained.

The way I ask or tell my therapists now is I know they have access to my files so I let them see it there and then answer their questions honestly after. Just a few weeks ago my therapist knew I was not sleeping and knew the holidays would be a bit hard without my son so she asked right out if I was engaging in cutting. I told her no - not yet and the late date I had cut. She asked if I had needed stitches and I told her right out no I use super glue and she asked right out to see where I had cut last so I flat out pulled up my sleave and showed her. The first time we discussed my cutting I told her right out why I don't do hospitals and the things I do to help myself with this cutting problem. She knows I am working on it and I am not trying to kill myself and why I don't do hosptials so she has all the answers she needs to make her decision and that decision is no hospital unless it is something we cannot find other options for.

the key here that keeps me out of the hospital is that I am actively working on it, being completely honest with answering her questions and I am open to trying anything and everything that she may feel we should try in the event that I cant handle things with what I am doing now to help myself.

Course I didn't start therapy to work on my cutting only so I am just taking a stab in the dark on this one. Good luck and take care.