Self-injury & Recovery Resources (SIRR)

About us

About Us
Collaborators
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  • We are advancing understanding of
    self-injury among youth and adults.

    Click here to go to our homepage

    The Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery was launched in 2003 to understand what was then widely believed to be a new and emerging behavior among youth and adults. Since that time we have conducted multiple studies on a wide variety of topics and have begun the process of translating what we and others have learned into user friendly materials for individuals who injure as well as those who live with, care about, and work with them. The resulting Self-Injury and Recovery Research and Resources (SIRRR) website was developed to house all of the materials we have produced so far. We have been graced with the assistance and support of many people along the way – key staff, affiliated researchers, educators, and clinicians, and many students. In some cases, their contributions remain visible through their names on publications and other materials. In other cases, their signatures remain evident only to those of us who have had the good fortune to work with them on building the infrastructure of our project, on conducting our studies, or on translating these into user friendly materials.

    Bio Picture

    Janis Whitlock, Ph.D., MPHFounder and Director

    Janis Whitlock, Ph.D., MPH is the Director of the Self-Injury & Recovery Resources Project, a program of the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery. Dr. Whitlock started her professional life as an educator in the areas of sexuality and women’s health, adolescent social and emotional development, and HIV prevention. She started studying self-injury in 2004 and spent the next two decades contributing to understanding of self-injury epidemiology, recovery processes, and opportunities for intervention and prevention. Dr. Whitlock has also conducted research on the relationship of social media and mental health, suicide prevention, and resilience and connectedness. She also directed the Cornell Translational Research Institute from 2017-2020, aimed at assisting scholars to effectively bridge research with practice and policy in their areas of interest. In 2022, Dr. Whitlock returned to the field as a consultant and coach to bring all that she has learned about adolescent and young adult well-being to parents, schools, and communities.


  • Collaborators

    Bio Picture

    Carrie Ernhout, MA, LMFT, LMHC

    Carrie Ernhout, MA, LMFT, LMHC, is the former Study Coordinator for the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery. Carrie is a licensed mental-health clinician, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Psychology. Carrie continues to collaborate with Dr. Whitlock on a web-based training intervention for self-injury. Carrie is particularly interested in the role of evidence-based therapy in the treatment of child and adolescent mental health disorders; the role of parents and other family members in recovery; risk and resilience across the lifespan; and the integration of Eastern philosophic practices into Western therapeutic interventions.


    Bio Picture

    Elizabeth E. Lloyd-Richardson, Ph.D.

    Elizabeth E. Lloyd-Richardson, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with specialized training in Health Psychology and adolescent health risk behaviors. She has extensive experience in developing and conducting treatments that promote healthful behaviors in adolescents and young adults, particularly in the areas of weight loss, physical activity, smoking cessation, and non-suicidal self-injury. She has authored over 50 papers and book chapters on these topics. She maintains an active clinical research lab with graduate and undergraduate students, with a particular interest in involving students in meaningful community-based research projects.


  • Other Contributors

  • Consultation Services

    Dr. Whitlock provides a range of consulting services for youth-serving professionals, school personnel, and clinical/medical professionals. She can assist schools, families and communities with:

    • Training needs in the area of non-suicidal self-injury and other topics related to youth mental health and wellbeing, including social media and mental health
    • Protocol development aimed at differentiating NSSI and suicide
    • Strength-based intervention and prevention
    • Working with families in schools and through independent coaching

    For more information about Dr. Whitlock’s consultation services, contact her at jlw43@cornell.edu

  • Would you like to join our listserv?

    Send an email to crpsib-l-request@cornell.edu. The body of the message should simply be “join”. Be sure to send your “join” message from the email address where you want to receive CRPSIR (previously CRPSIB) updates.

  • Contact CRPSIR

    We welcome your thoughts, suggestions, and stories. Please feel free to email us at self-injury@cornell.edu or fill out the following contact form.

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Contact Information

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions, would like additional information about our education and consulting services, or want to participate in our study activities.

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Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research