There are so many children that are faced with bullying each day. Bullying can be physical, verbal, via the internet, etc. I’ve learned that children who are bullied sometimes find it difficult to speak with an adult about what is going on. When discussing bullying with my youth more than 75% of the children have faced bullying of some sort. Of those 75% more than 50% of the children shared they do not have a parent/guardian they feel comfortable discussing this with. When asked why they don’t discuss it with an adult, one boy shared because he was taught if someone hits him he should hit them back. He shared he is not comfortable fighting and didn’t want to get in trouble when he got home for not fighting back. Another child shared she doesn’t tell her mom she is being bullied because she knows her mom will go to the school or to the other child’s parents and it will make the bullying worse, so she just keeps it to herself. During the discussion a child shared that she used to be bullied and now she is not because she “will just beat them up”. So in turn she became a bully.
APA Code of Ethics General Principle B: Fidelity & Responsibility (Fisher, p. 26). It is important for me to build trust with the child; this helps them to confide in me. At the same time a leader I believe it is my responsibility to inform a parent when their child is being bullied or is bullying someone. When meeting with the child I encourage them to speak with their parents and make myself available to be there as support.
It’s important to be careful when addressing an issue as serious as bullying. Principle A: Beneficence & Nonmaleficence reflects an obligation to do good and avoid harm (Fisher, p. 25). Bullying is a sensitive issue. When handling accusations about a child being bullied or being the bully the parents should not engage in negative behavior or become a bully themselves. Ethics Standard Code 3.01 Unfair Discrimination, 3.03 Other Harassment, 3.04 Avoiding Harm (Fisher, p. 94-96) must all be practiced when working with a bully. This person should not be discriminated against, or harassed based on information known about them, the goal should remain to do no harm. If it becomes difficult to work with them then they should be referred to a different provider, 3.06 Conflict of Interest (Fisher, p. 115).
This is Bullying Prevention Month and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is providing resources and information to teens, families, educators, law enforcement, and mental health professionals on how to recognize, deal with, and prevent bullying (NCTSN, 2013). There are some many forms of bullying. It is important to be educated on bullying and prevention so we can do our part in putting it to an end!
References: Fisher, C. B., (2013). Decoding the ethics code: A practical guide for psychologists. Third Edition. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
This is a tough situation, my daughter will come to me and let me know when she's being bullied and it's really tough as a parent to not want to get involved. She says the same thing --- "Don't say anything mom, it'll just make it worse!" Unfortunately my daughter took matters into her own hands and punched her bully in the face...it was during school, and the safety officer had it all on video..they called the police, who showed up at my door and charged her with simple assault. She learned her lesson about fighting back. Thankfully it's not something that will stick with her, but i can see how children can turn into the bully easily, and it's sad.
ReplyDeleteBullying is just about the WORST thing to ever go through. I remember in middle school what it felt like to get into an argument with your group of friends and be the outcast. Awful...and I agree with Daria, it's very tough to approach because if a child tells, it may become worse if the bully becomes aware.
ReplyDeleteThis is a sad fact of life, and we do need to give kids the tools to deal with it. I do not teach my kids to fight back, but once when my daughter was in 3rd, two boys were holding her arms down and recess and not letting her up, she was screaming for them to leave her alone (where the hell were the aides?) Anyway, a THIRD kids came up and tried to hold her down too, and she scratched his face and left a mark. SHE had to eat lunch in the principal's office for scratching, but the other three did not even get into trouble, although they were ganging up and breaking every rule about "hands feet and objects" to yourself. When push came to shove, she did what she had to do, but was so upset that she got punished for defending herself and trying to get away. NOT EASY.
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