Professional Testimonials
I am a group therapist at Oasis, a program serving teenage girls who have been affected by sexual abuse. We showed CUT to our group of teens and their mothers, who are in a group for parents. The film was powerful in that it was able to move our group into an even deeper place of safety, trust and insight with each other and most significantly, with their parents. As the girls watched the film, they saw themselves reflected on the screen. They resonated with the pain, the isolation, the confusion and the shame described by the youth in the film, and felt understood by us, the adults who watched the film with them. The courageous young people in the film spoke their truth, giving our audience an opportunity to share with the people who care about them some of the underlying feelings that feed their cutting. It was an excellent reminder to all adults who care about young people to truly, deeply listen to them, not to get hung up in the symptoms, but to be there, willing to explore the feelings that drive the desire to harm one’s self. The film was beautifully made, utilizing music, art and interviews that were engaging to everyone who watched it. Though it was not graphic, the film was intense, bringing up many emotions for our audience. I would recommend it to young people who use self harm to cope, their parents, mental health practitioners and teachers. Be sure to allow time to process though, as the film elicits strong feelings and opens doors to discussion, ultimately leading to deeper understanding.
Kimberly Wasserman, MSW, MS
Therapist, Oasis Program, Parental Stress Center Madison, WI 53704
YOUTH OUTREACH WORKER:
I watched your documentary “Cut” at Youth Services of Southern Wisconsin, Inc. Briarpatch on Thursday February 15th. I am a Street Outreach Specialist with the agency and also an LTE (part time employee) for the Dane County Juvenile Shelter.
On Saturday February 17th, I was scheduled to work the overnight (11pm-7am) shift at the Shelter home. When I arrived at Shelter the staff informed me that one of our residents had been caught shop lifting while at the mall. The individual who had been arrested was one I had known and talked with in the past. During an earlier meeting with him, he had confided the he has had a history of cutting. Although he had told me this I had never really understood self-harm or been exposed to it at a personal level. On this particular night the individual had been released back to the Shelter staff and was sent to his room. When I arrived and was told about the incident I asked if anyone had talked with him or checked on him, the staff said “no,” he had only been up in his room for about 45 minutes to an hour. I told them that he had a history of self-harm and that I would check on him.
When I went up to his room I knocked on his door and asked if I could come in. He was hesitant but said “yes”. When I opened his door he was crying, and had covered his arms with his coat. I asked how he was doing and if he had been cutting. He shook his head, yes, and bowed his head, in obvious shame. I asked him if I could see his cuts, which he was reluctant to do, in part because he seemed to be surprised. As he pulled back the coat I saw that he had four cuts total, three small cuts across his wrists and one large cut across his forearm, which he later said was the worst cut he had ever inflicted on himself. The cut across his forearm was bleeding heavily. His pants and coat were pretty well soaked with blood. I calmly asked him if he would like to talk about how he was feeling, and if I could get him some paper towel to wipe off the blood. He agreed, while still crying I could tell he wanted to talk. I wanted to give him space but also offer my support, so I told him that I was going to go down to the staff office, and if he liked he could come down and talk and get his cuts bandaged. I asked him to clean up so that the other residents wouldn’t overreact.
Before leaving the individual asked me to take away the items that he had used to cut himself, which was a plastic pencil sharpener that he had broken, using the blade from the sharpener as well as the shards of plastic. I did and gave him the choice of coming down or staying and having me come back up in a few minutes. When I went down and reported what had happened to the other staff, the reaction was one of panic. They asked if we should take him to the hospital or call a crisis line, etc.
Long story short he came down to the office, where we dressed his cuts and talked for about 20 – 30 minutes. As we talked I sensed that he was relaxing. He expressed that he was disappointed with himself and missed his family, which had caused him to relapse and cut again. After talking I reassured him that at any time during the night he shouldn’t hesitate to come down and talk. I walked him back up to his room, where he began to cry; he then thanked me for listening and not overreacting or punishing him which is what most people have done in the past when they catch him cutting. Even though he was crying it was different he was calm and relaxed, he was smiling. I checked on him 20 minutes later and he was sound asleep.
I would not have been prepared or known what to do had I not watched the movie, “Cut” it honestly guided me through the experience. I have since been in contact with the individual, getting him involved in an art group, and openly talking about self-harm and family. He still has a long way to go, but that event will never leave me. Thanks in large part to you and the movie. For what ever it is worth, all the hard work and challenges you faced in making this film, know that it has already had an immense impact on me and hopefully this young man. He is talking more about his self-harm, and according to Shelter staff, smiling more. Like I said I don’t know if this would have been possible with out watching the film. So again thank you and please continue to expose people to the reality of self-harm. If I can be of any help at any time please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Tyler Schueffner
Briarpatch Street Outreach Specialist
"CUT" is going to be an invaluable tool for parents, families and anyone who works with kids. We have known about self-injury for a long time, but known less about how to identify and respond to the young people who engage in this type of destructive behavior. These kids are not able to communicate the loneliness, confusion and sometimes despair that often accompanies adolescence, and turn these volatile emotions on themselves. Despite whatever conflicts we experience with our children, students, friends, we need to always be ready to let go long enough to check in and listen.
This documentary teaches us a great deal about the phenomena of cutting, and a little bit about our selves.
Bucky Pope, Public High School Teacher, Madison, WI
