Bullying is a type of abuse imposed by a peer or group of peers against another individual. It can happen to anyone, regardless of gender or age, and may take place in various settings such as school, work or through electronic communication such as internet social media sites, emails or text messaging. Bullying can occur frequently and repeatedly and may include physical violence, or verbal, emotional and psychological intimidation. Some statistics have shown that a minimum of 1 in 3 Canadian adolescent students indicated that they had recently experienced bullying. The effects of bullying can lead to depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, increased stress, self-harm, eating disorders, lowered self-esteem, or suicidal ideation.
Treatment for Bullying
Counselling will help victims of bullying to deal with the negative effects related to bullying through the use of therapeutic approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, or Client-centered therapy.
Individuals who have been the perpetrators of bullying may also benefit from counselling, as the therapeutic process might explore the reasons for why they have bullying behaviours, and to help the individual understand how their actions impact others, while introducing ways to develop and maintain healthy relationships.
Additional Resources for Bullying:
Canada Bullying program:
Anti Bullying Campaigns – Kindness Changes Everything
Bullying Canada | What is Bullying?
PREVNet:
