Self-injury and self-destructive behaviors are of increasing concern to parents, clinicians, and school professionals.  This session discusses issues related to self-regulation, developmental, and maturational contexts which are important foundations for conceptualizing intervention for self-injury and self-destructive behaviors.  Having a solid understanding of the behavior and its purpose is important as a basis for managing or for intervention with an individual is who engaging in self-destructive behaviors.  Understanding how it overlaps with, but is different from suicide is also addressed.