Bullying has a lasting and horrible impact on kids on families for years beyond the academic, friend, or camp settings. From my prior work with the non-profit Not-the-Target, I have learned how to systematically help children and teens and their families move out of the bullying cycle. My main goal in working with the targets of bullying is to provide them with the strategies and confidence to be able to succeed in their school and social lives.
My first priority in my work with targets of bullying is to help them understand that they did not do anything wrong. When we are able to come from a space of being empowered, kids are much more ready to take on the challenges of each day. We then follow this by working on strategies to handle bullies, including role playing, identifying good friends vs. “frenemies”, and how to identify good adults to turn to for help. All of these strategies are done with a lot of role plays in my office to help reinforce good coping strategies.
Sometimes we do need parents to get involved if these strategies aren’t enough. I help parents to identify the proper way to address school teachers and administration in getting their children into positions of success.
If you are concerned that your child might be a target of bullying, some of the signs to look for:
-Anxiety around attending school, activities, or social events
-Changes in eating or sleeping habits
-Avoiding previous preferred activities
-Escalating aggressive responses to kids at school
Schedule today if you are concerned that your child is being bullied.