Bullying can happen between children of all ages, races, backgrounds, and genders. Bullying can involve harassment, physical abuse, mean comments, manipulation, or other negative and hurtful behaviors. If you are a parent, sibling, counselor, teacher, or other trusted person to a child who is being bullied, then you may be in search of tips to aid you in helping that child. Here are three tips that may be useful when trying to help a child who suffers from bullying.
- Utilize Professional Counseling Services
Children are physically resilient but mentally pliable in many ways. Negative and hurtful comments that are made to a child by a bully can impact their thinking for a lifetime if not addressed correctly. This is why it is important to connect bullied children with adequate counseling services. Professional counselors can help children to re-frame their mindsets, cope with traumatic interactions, and build confidence. Family members, teachers, and other people can help to support a child in need but professional support has additional benefits. Find a reputable counseling service that is comfortable and experienced when it comes to working with bullied children.
- Hold Bullies Accountable for Their Actions
It is impossible to go back in time and eliminate the past, so bullying that has already occurred must be addressed. Bullies should be held accountable for their actions and connected to resources to help with anger management as soon as possible. The parents of the bully should be fully informed about the situation and they should be proactive in solving the problem. It is important that bullies take responsibility for their actions and make amends wherever possible. This may mean apologizing, returning stolen property or lunch money, or cleaning up vandalism and messes.
- Communicate with the School Early and Often
If bullying is occurring between classmates, even outside of school hours, the school needs to be made aware of the issue. Communicate any and all instances of bullying to the school and make sure that reports are made and taken seriously. Follow up on these reports and make sure that school staff is held accountable. Bullying can occur during class, between classes, during after-school activities, on the bus, before school, after school, at recess, and at lunch. In any of these instances, the school is responsible for keeping all children safe and capable of learning. Bullying interferes severely with socialization and education and it should not be tolerated by school staff members in any capacity. If bullying is not taken seriously on the school level, communicate with the school board or any other higher-ups who can make sure that the reports are taken seriously.
Bullying is no laughing matter. By following these three tips, you can help to support and assist any child who is currently suffering from the abuse of a bully. By connecting the child with professional therapy resources, holding bullies accountable, and holding schools accountable as well, you can help solve the problem and protect the child in danger.
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