Bullying is when an individual or a group of people with more power, repeatedly and intentionally cause hurt or harm to another person or group of people who feel helpless to respond, and often forcing them to do something that they do not want to do.

A bullying culture can develop in any context in which humans interact with each other. This may include school, family, the workplace, the home, and neighborhoods. The main platform for bullying in contemporary culture is on social media websites. Bullying can continue over time, is often hidden from adults, and will probably continue if no action is taken. Individual bullying is usually characterized by a person behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person.

Types of Bullying

Verbal bullying  is saying or writing mean things and includes:

• Teasing
• Name-calling
• Inappropriate sexual comments
• Taunting
• Threatening to cause harm

Social bullying involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships and includes:

• Leaving someone out on purpose
• Telling other children not to be friends with someone
• Spreading rumors about someone
• Embarrassing someone in public

Bullying in school and the workplace is also referred to as “peer abuse”.

Physical bullying involves hurting a person’s body or possessions and includes: 

• Hitting/kicking/pinching
• Spitting
• Tripping/pushing
• Taking or breaking someone’s things
• Making mean or rude hand gestures

Influences of bullying

Bullying is a behavior that is often learned in response to stresses in the bully’s world. These stresses could include strained parental relationships, poor academic performance, unsupportive peer networks or anxiety regarding physical appearance. While bullies give off the appearance of confidence, it is often the case that their actions are driven by insecurities. The anger that they feel as a result of being hurt is directed toward other individuals.

Issues

Bullying can occur during or after school hours, in places like on the playground or the bus. It can also happen while travelling, on the Internet and workplace.

Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. Children are unlikely to confide in their parents that they being victimized by another student at school.Some warning signs include:

Unexplainable injuries: Comes home with unexplained injuries such as fresh bruises, scratches, bite marks, scrapes, or defensive wounds.

Stolen or destroyed property: Reports that books electronics or other belongings are lost or destroyed or damaged belongings.

· Absenteeism: Reluctant to go to school or outright refuses to go by faking an illness, such as a stomach ache or headache, to avoid harassment.

· Declining academic performance: Grades are declining, student seems uninterested in school, distractibility, or an abrupt lack of interest in academics.

· Social isolation: Regular exclusion by peers from social activities; willful avoidance that is the student shows little interest in hanging out with friends and avoids social situations, appears to have low self-esteem, shuts herself in her room, seems irritable.

· Mood Disturbances: Frequently reports headaches, stomach aches or feeling sick, but there appears to be no underlying medical reason.

· Hopelessness: Self-harm, showing feelings of worthlessness, helplessness, emptiness, loneliness, futility, powerlessness, or vulnerability; uncontrollable sobbing.

· Rage: Torments, taunts, or tortures younger and weaker siblings or children/

· Sleep Disturbances: Trouble sleeping, frequent nightmares,Insomnia, , fatigue, bed-wetting

· Eating Disturbances: Disordered eating habits, loss of appetite, eats less, sometimes skips breakfast or dinner, or binge eats.

Our Specialties

Bullying may have affected you at an earlier time in your life, but it may have been a factor in developing other issues such as anxiety, depression or low self-esteem.Whether you are currently being bullied, have been bullied in the past or are affected by it in another way, many people find counselling helpful. It  help you explore what is happening and your options and responses,

Benefits

Unconditional Love: Counselor will help the child to recognize the people who provide unconditional love, how much these individuals support him or her. This can help children focus on the positive friendships  and encourage them to build more safe friendships.

Accomplishments that you are Proud Of: We help the child to find activities that they find pleasure in ,and accomplishments that they can be proud of  making the child feel relaxed, reduce feelings of hopelessness, build self-confidence and increase their self-worth.

Improving self-esteem: The counselor can help the child to see that he or she has power over his or her emotions.  We help child understand it’s not their fault and that they should not respond to the bully with aggression, thereby, enhance self-esteem, instill healthy coping mechanisms, assertive and pro-active communication.

Replacing Negative thoughts with Positivity: The counselor helps the child how to express feeling in a healthy manner and think positive thoughts about oneself.

Break the victimization cycle of helplessness and Reframing your worries: Counselor will help the child to understand about what he or she did well and what needs to be changed. When a child deals with a situation successfully it increases their confidence, manage complex emotions of anger, guilt, anxiety,  or shame, thus, break the cycle of feeling helpless.