Bullying

Bullying can be physical, verbal or emotional. We often think of bullying happening at school but it can also happen in the workplace or the home. It can include pushing, hitting, slapping or punching, put-downs, gossiping, teasing, or excluding. It may start off in a mild form and rapidly escalate. The earlier it can be tackled, the better the outcome.

A person who is being bullied may well:

• Be passive, insecure or withdrawn
• Have low self-esteem and little confidence
• Find it difficult to tell anyone about the problem
• Not want to attend school or work where the bullying happens
• Feel powerless in the face of the attacks
• Be having nightmares or panic attacks
• Have bruises mysteriously appear or have money going missing

Counselling can help you tackle the fear of the bullying which has led to many of these factors. Building your self-esteem may make you less of a target. Counselling can help by supporting you while you take action to address the bullying. Learning more assertive behaviours or gaining a different understanding of what is happening can let you move forward into a more healthy way of relating to others.