[Awakening]

Hey there,

I think it's great that you've decided to confide in somebody about your self harm and depression. Feeling comfortable speaking to someone about your problems is a big step to overcoming them. It's a lot easier to deal with things when you don't have to go through them alone.

It's hard to say for sure whether or not your teacher could keep this between the two of you. I think it depends a lot on school policy and possibly laws in your area. I've heard of teachers keeping these things confidential, but I've also heard that it's a requirement for the teacher to inform either your parents or a guidance counselor at the school. My suggestion would be to approach your teacher and find out what your school's policy is. Ask him what information he would be required to report to your parents or another school official. It will be a lot easier to talk to him about what's going on if you know for sure beforehand that he's not going to share the information with anyone else.

If you do find out that he would be obligated to report your self harm then maybe you should still consider talking to him, but leave the self harm out of it. You could talk about your depression and anxiety and the problems that cause you to harm yourself without discussing the self harm itself. That way you'll still be able to receive support from him while not having to worry about him informing anybody else. If you're unable to talk to him, however, I'd encourage you to find someone else to confide in. You could talk to a friend or another adult who you feel might not find it necessary to inform your parents. Having somebody to talk to about your problems can definitely make them a lot less difficult to deal with, and you don't deserve to go through this alone.

Good luck with everything, and I hope things start to improve for you soon. Feel free to message me if you ever need to talk. Take care