Calm Harm is an award-winning app developed for teenage mental health charity stem4 by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Nihara Krause, in collaboration with young people, to help manage the urge to self-harm. It uses principles from an evidence-based psychological treatment called Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
The Calm Harm app is such a brilliant resource for anyone struggling with the urge to self-harm. Based on Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), it provides practical “distraction” tasks to help users ride out those intense, short-term urges until they pass.
It’s great to see Mates4Life highlighting this tool, especially since it was developed with clinical psychologists and young people. It’s private, password-protected, and gives users a sense of control in moments that feel overwhelming.
Living in Auckland, it’s heartening to see these digital support tools being promoted alongside our local crisis lines like 1737 or Youthline. Having something right on your phone that offers immediate, evidence-based coping strategies can make a massive difference when someone is in that “red zone.”