STANDING UP TO

BULLYING
A collaborative approach
How is Bullying Defined
Intentional aggressive behavior involving
an imbalance of power or strength that
is often repeated over time
Seeks to cause harm and unhappiness
to others through harassment, physical
assult, cyber assault, or other more
subtle methods of coercion such as
manipulation.
Types of Bullying
Physical Bullying
Any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim
(punching, shoving, kicking, tickling, headlocks, teasing, fighting, etc.)
Emotional Bullying
Any form of bullying that causes damage to the victims psyche and/or
emotional well-being (spreading rumors, exclusion, ganging up,
ignoring on purpose, harassment)
Verbal Bullying
Any slanderous statements or accusations that cause the victim undue
emotional distress (directing foul language at the target, negative
comments about someones looks, tormenting, harassment, being
laughed at)
Cyber-bullying
Any bullying done through use of technology (abuse using email,
messaging, websites, social networking sites, etc.)
Why Are There Bullies?
Social Factors
Peer Pressure
Victim of Bullying
School Factors
Learning disability
Frustration
Parental/Family Relationships
Abusive situations
Neglect
Individual Psychological Factors
Anger management issues
Low self-esteem
Conduct Disorder
Characteristics of Bullies
Low Self-Esteem
Lacks Compassion/Empathy
Underdeveloped Problem Solving Skills
Seeks Power and Control
Difficulty Maintaining Relationships
Signs of Being Bullied
Withdrawn from normal activities
Drop in school performance
Few Friends
Avoiding conflict
Acute anxiety
Upset stomach, headaches, unexplained body
pains, nausea and vomiting.
Not wanting to go to school
Cries/Gets upset easily
Displaying bullying behavior
How To Stand Up to
Bullies
Assertiveness Skills
Confront, Face the bully, Keep Away From
Me or Stop That, Report Incident
Conflict Management Skills
I dont like it when, When you do, I
feel.
Self-Esteem Building
How do you see yourself? What do you
like/dislike?
Counselors Role
Work with parents, teachers and administration to eliminate
bullying with a proactive approach.
Have open door policy where students are comfortable to
Say Something.
Provide large/small group and individual interventions to
promote school wide anti-bullying culture
Work with student to build a healthy self-esteem
Help students develop an assertive communication styles that
promote standing up for oneself without violating others
Teach effective conflict resolution skills that focus on solving the
problem and not those involved
Work with the bully to determine why they are displaying such
behavior and provide behavioral techniques that fosters effective
social skills. (i.e. anger management and empathy skills)
Teachers Role
Be knowledgeable about the Anti-Bullying
policy of the school.
Be aware of signs of someone being bullied
as well as someone being the bully.
Incorporate coping strategies and conflict
management skills into classroom lessons.
Create and maintain an inclusive classroom
environment.
Promote effective bystander behavior: See
Something? Say Something!
Parents Role
Be responsive to your childs needs
Employ an authoritative (not authoritarian)
approach to parenting
Have open communication
Be involved in the childs education
Teach/Display good interpersonal and social
skills
Role model non-aggressive behaviors
Be prepared to share the problem and work
collaboratively with the school to solve it
Additional Strategies to Reduce
the Effects of Bullying
Encourage student to make adults aware of the
situation.
Teach the child that bullying is never acceptable or
deserved.
Emphasize caring, respect, safety and the
consequences of being hurt/hurting others.
Be consistent in process when bullying behavior is
seen/reported.
Encourage positive peer relations.
Support, encourage and praise your children when
they open up to you.
Resources
Jones, C. School Bullying. Mental
Health Academy
Wake County Public Schools. Bullying
Prevention.
http://www.wcpss.net/domain/46