I am looking forward to my speech at the OSCA (Oregon School Counselors Association) conference in Portland, OR, in Oct 2016. I will be speaking about “Long term psychological impact of bullying”. School counselors typically have a lot of contact with students on a regular basis, and therefore, can have a significant impact in maintaining a safe environment for all students.
My proposed presentation focuses on the fact that a strong emotional health and a positive self-image are key ingredients for academic success. It is not a difficult concept – if on a regular basis a child is concerned about having to deal with negative issues/events/incidents, it is simply not possible for the child to focus on the academic aspects of school life. Interestingly, ALL school staff and parents have a role in this.
In my presentations I often emphasize the fact that “understanding the bully” is one of the key factors that can help immensely in prevention of bullying. I discuss a confrontation I had in my adult years with my worst bully from the past. This very interesting encounter reveals a significant understanding of why bullies do what they do. If we can somehow get to the point of addressing these associated issues, we will make enormous progress in prevention of (and maybe even elimination of) bullying altogether. And ALL school staff (and specifically school counselors) and parents have a role in this – they can all impact the emotional environment for a student.