I am seeing a teenager who is being bullied in her school system and has been for the past 4 years. Now that the school is opened for certain positions including counselors I contacted the school to speak to the school counselor. I am looking for the school counselor, the family and me to establish a plan to stop the bullying that is occurring to this child. It seemed that the position was vacant and there was no one for me to talk with so I was transferred to the registrar where I had to leave a message. I know families get this runaround when they have to address the issue of bullying with their child's school. As the parent know what strategies are open to you.
- Don't give up – be persistent but not hostile.
- Request a meeting
- Come prepared with a list of grievances
- Have suggestions for change
- Have specifics about the bullying that has occurred.
- If your school has a handbook which includes their policies on bullying make sure you have that information and have read it.
If your child is having this issue they need you to be their advocate. Just telling them to ignore the bully does not work. It has such a huge impact on that child's sense of self -worth they you need to get the school involved. Schools tend to try to ignore the issue of bullying. I always find it interesting that I frequently have the victims of bullying in my office but I have never had a teenager brought into therapy because they are the bully. I think this says it all. Sherri
Comments