Teenage Misadventure (Short film, 2017)

The real life stories have been amalgamated into one central narrative in the film around a character called Dan, who is grappling with a difficult and violent home life and using self-harm as a coping mechanism. In the often harrowing film we see Dan coming into contact with a number of health professionals who could help him but time and again they judge him and fail to reach out to him in a helpful or caring way. The film depicts the potentially catastrophic consequences of this treatment to Dan and his wider family.

The film was co-produced with young people and will form part of comprehensive training programme for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Nurses in the challenging area of preventing and managing self-harm. The training will be made available more widely to audiences that might be involved in referrals including teachers, learning mentors, family workers and the police.