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Hi there,

I think that it is really awesome that you are considering telling a teacher, and I think you should go ahead and do it! A teacher can be a great person to talk to about these things because they can really give you a lot of support and advice, or I think at the very worst they'd probably refer you to the school guidance counselor (who is still a good person to get support on). But, more than likely, they will be willing to give you support.

Under normal circumstances, teachers are mandatory reporters, meaning that if you mention that you self harm they have to tell, so be sure you explain to them that your parents already know you self harm. If you have any fresh cuts they may or may not send you to the nurse, just to make sure they're healthy. When I was sent to the nurse for some fresh ones, she basically asked me what I used to do it and put Bacitracin and a Band-AID over it.

There are different ways you can tell a teacher. Of course, the first way would be face to face. You can approach them before or after school or that individual class, or during a study hall or period that you know the teacher has free. Then, be open and honest with what you feel they should know. It may help if you plan out what you are going to say before you go in there so you know the key points you want to cover, such as you self harm and your parents do know but you felt as if you should get additional support, so you came to them.

Another option is writing a letter or email (if you are sure the teacher checks their email, some teachers are better at this than others, but if you don't think they check it often a letter would be better). This option allows you to get everything out that you want to say without nerves and interruptions getting in the way. Again, tell them everything you would want them to know in this letter. Then, deliver it. If it's an email it's as easy as pressing send, but if it's a physical letter you can hand it to them, drop it on their desk if you're sure they'll see it and nobody else will, or put it in their mailbox if they have one in the office. They'll still want to speak to you face to face at some point but at least everything will be out already.

I kind of combined the letter option with the face-to-face option when I told my guidance counselor about self harm. I wrote a letter and handed it to her personally. I then sat there when she read it and then we discussed at the same time. So this is an option too.

So, either face to face or a letter is fine really, do whichever makes it easier for you to get everything out and get the best support! Either way I bet the teacher will try to help you to the best of their ability.

They'll probably ask you questions to get a better understanding, and give support and advice based off of that.

Brilliant idea to tell your teacher, you definitely should get the support from a trusted teacher.

-Dez