High School Bullying

Ashley Lopez
Outline of Delivery
● Grade Level: High School
● Counseling group would consist of classroom or assembly broken up into
groups of 2-3 or 8-10.
● 2-tiered approach: group -> individual
● 1st Tier: Bullying Awareness Activity
● 2nd Tier: Individual Interventions
● Goal: use Bullying Awareness Activity to reduce discomfort and stigma around
being bullied.
○ In activity, offer opportunity for students to meet later privately if there is more to discuss.
Crisis - Bullying
Bullying is aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person harm or discomfort.
Bullying often happens more than once.

Situation: Anonymous reports of bullying are coming to the counselors. As the reports are widespread and no one is coming
forward, we decided to start off with groups in classrooms or assemblies to address the bullying on campus.

Bullying in High School:

● Verbal
● Cyberbullying
● Physical
● Relational
Bullying and School Safety
● 160,000 students report staying home from school every day because
of bullying.
● 2017, 20% age 12-18 reported bullying in last 12 months (Oudekerk et
al., 2019)
○ Trend is downward from prior years
● 15% of 9-12th graders reported being cyberbullied on the last 12
months
● Females report being bullied more than males: 24% to 17%
○ Also report higher frequency of bullying.
● Occurs most in classrooms and hallways
○ 42.1% and 43.4%, respectively
It Only Takes 1!
Basic Interventions as a School Counselor
● Contact parents.
● Reassure victim that the bullying is not their fault.

● Let the bully know what the problem

behavior is.
● Find reason as to why the bully is
bullying.
● Create anti-bullying programs.
● Model prosocial behavior.
○ Hold student workshops that
focus on modelling respect.
Bullying Awareness Activity
● Open up with an Ice Breakers
● Bullying Thermometer - This activity allows students to learn:
○ The different types of bullying
○ Impact of bullying
○ Equal levels of bullying - ex. Are all types of bullying equal?

Each group will After each group has gone over the cards,
Each team will go over each card they must place the cards in order on the
Groups of receive bullying and discuss that thermometer from “coolest” to “hottest.”
2-3. 8-10 thermometer cards method of Coolest being the least harmful and hottest
bullying means being most harmful
Individual Interventions
● Use the Bullying Awareness Activity as an opportunity to make students
comfortable about opening up about bullying in individual sessions.
● Allow student to explain what happened and how they feel.
● Offer to hold a conference with bully and/or parents.
○ Understand victim may not want this.
○ If events are serious, further intervention is necessary to protect student(s).
● Look into ways student is coping with bullying.
● Ask student if they have peer support and other support systems.
Coping with Bullying
● Talk about it - Reassure a victim of bullying they are not alone

● Offer active coping methods

● Research - Advocate and provide alternative routes to help students release tension/anxiety/distress
○ Ex. Yoga, Weight training, Martial arts, Sports, Clubs

● Community Research - Organizations offer additional assistance.

○ Ex. StompOutBullying, StopBullying
Future Ways to Reduce Bullying in High School - Students
● Peer support is important
○ If you know someone who is being bullied offer to listen to them. Show empathy. Be there when/if
they decide to speak to an adult.
● Respond with intentional acts of kindness
○ If you see someone being bullied, offer them support.
○ Build a connection with them.
● Redirect the situation
○ Help them get away from the bully.
○ If comfortable, confront the bully.
○ Get an adult.
Future Ways to Reduce Bullying in High School - Team of
Educators
● Enforce a bullying prevention policy.

Focus on a Positive School Climate Social Emotional Learning

● Leadership ● Teach student skills: self-awareness,

self-management, responsible decision
● Equip all Educators with skills and making and relationship management
knowledge of how to address
bullying ● Support students

● Classroom management Workshops ● Assist students by helping them to

develop emotional competence
● Show Empathy

● Promoting positive behavior vs.

Punishing misbehavior.
Handout
Josh’s Story getting bullied in High School
https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/combatting-bullying-or-is-this-just-the-new-no
rmal/
Effects of bullying later in life
https://www.businessinsider.com/effects-high-school-bullying-2018-11
Q&A
Questions? Comments?
References
Oudekerk, B.A., Musu, L., Zhang, A., Wang, K., Zhang, J. (2019). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2018. Retrieved
from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/iscs18.pdf

Pacer Center’s Teens Against Bullying (n.d.). Advocacy for others. Retrieved from
https://pacerteensagainstbullying.org/advocacy-for-others/