My name is Lexie, I'm 19 and I live in Alabama. I graduated high school when I was 17 and I've lived with my boyfriend ever since. I'm originally from Kansas though and that's where my stepsister is. Her name is Dakota and she's 10 years old. She and I are very close and we write letters to each other frequently. Dakota has gone through a lot in her life, especially lately. She see's her birth mother every other weekend and every other week during the summer time. Today my mom called me crying and told me Dakota was self harming at school today. Apparently it was so bad and bloody that she was sent to the nurses office. I have attached a picture that my mom sent me, hours after it happened. Since it happened at school, they had to make a report about it and marked her as self harming and suicide risk. She hasn't said one word to anymore since it happened, but they think she just used her nails and was scratching herself. It breaks my heart to see this and hear about how much pain she is in.

A couple write an entire book of reasons about how awful her birth mother is, but I'm just going to say what's been going on lately... Dakota has very thick hair so she had the back of her head shaved to help with the heat. The rest of her hair covers it up so you can't even tell unless she has her hair pulled up. Everytime she goes to her birth mother's house, she calls her a lesbian because of her hair and makes fun of it. Her birth mother is CONSTANTLY talking bad about her father and Dakota has asked her several times to not say anything. She also keeps telling Dakota that when she turns 12 she'll be able to decide who she gets to live with and keeps pressuring her about that. Another thing, is that her birth mother wants Dakota to call her every day after school to talk. Dakota doesn't want to do that so she gets in trouble for not calling her when she's at her birth mothers house. She gets so stressed out and upset when she has to go to her birth mom's house. Like I said, I could go on and on..

I won't be back in Kansas until May because that's when my brother graduates highschool. I just don't know what to do. I feel so bad for her and she's obviously begging for help. When I get back to Kansas I plan on taking her out and having a sister day but what can I do until then? Any help or advice would be awesome. Thank you.

Update: I forgot to add that she goes to a therapist already to help with everything. I don't think it's working though if she's still acting out like this. This is the first time she's ever self harmed but she can be very violent to her classmates sometimes. Literally every year she's been in school since PRESCHOOL she has been suspended at least once a year.. it's just getting worse as she gets older.