How Mental Health Treatment Can Help Those Affected by Bullying

How Therapy Can Help Those Who Are Bullied

A person who is bullied might end up feeling anxious, isolated, embarrassed or afraid. Although the bullying ceases, these emotions may still have an impact on their everyday life, and some children may have difficulty in attending school, making friends or feeling at ease in social situations. (Schoeler et al., 2018, pp. 1229-1246)

Mental health treatment offers children and teenagers a safe environment in which to discuss the things they are going through without worrying about being judged. By working with a therapist they can come to better understand their emotions and start to recover their confidence.

Children are able to understand through one-to-one counseling that they are not to blame for being bullied and can at the same time deal with feelings such as sadness, anger, anxiety, or low self-esteem which may arise as a result of bullying. (Consequences of Bullying, 2016)

Therapy can also teach practical coping skills, including:

How to manage stress and anxiety: learning breathing exercises, mindfulness, and other methods of calming yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed.
How to build up self-confidence by questioning negative thoughts and forming a better self-image.
Setting boundaries involves learning how to respond to hurtful behaviour and expressing one’s needs.
How to develop healthy relationships: learning to identify supportive friendships and building up trust with others.

These skills can help children feel more ready to cope with difficult situations and ask for help when needed.

Dealing With Bullying in Real Time

Although therapy can assist children in dealing with their experiences, it can also enable them to find ways of reacting to bullying as it occurs. (Song & Kim, 2022)

A therapist is able to assist a child in learning what to say if someone makes an unkind remark, in learning how to leave an unsafe situation, and in knowing when to get a reliable adult involved. Practicing these situations during counselling can make it easier to react when they (Kovač & Kostøl, 2020, pp. 295-309)occur in real life.

It is necessary to remember that children shouldn’t be expected to stop bullying by themselves; parents, teachers, and members of the school staff all have a role to play (Niejenhuis et al., 2020, pp. 117-131) in ensuring that children are safe. Therapy can assist children in learning when and how to ask for help and at the same time provide parents with the means to support them.

How Mental Health Treatment Can Help Those Who Bully Others

Preventing bullying also involves understanding the needs of children who bully others. Even though their behavior can cause real harm, it is important to realize that bullying may be linked to the difficulties (Rettew & Pawlowski, 2022, pp. 1-9) they themselves are going through.

Children might bully others in order to get attention, to fit in with a group, or to feel a sense of control. In other instances, they may have difficulty in controlling their anger, coping with rejection, or expressing their difficult emotions. There are also cases in which children copy the behavior that they see at home, among their peers, or online. (Why Some Youth Bully, 2018)

It doesn’t justify bullying, but if families understand the reasons, they may be able to deal with the behavior.

Mental health counseling enables children to investigate the reasons behind their actions. Having a therapist to support them, they can start to identify their triggers, understand the effect of their behavior on others, and learn better ways of reacting to frustration or insecurity. (Lee et al., 2020, pp. 503-523)

Treatment can also assist children in developing empathy, enhancing their communication skills, and learning how to manage strong emotions without causing harm to others. (Garandeau et al., 2022, pp. 515-529)

For instance, a child who bullies people because they feel excluded might learn to express those feelings, cope with rejection, and develop friendships in a more healthy manner. As time goes on, these skills can contribute to a decrease in bullying and promote more positive relationships. (Beelmann & Lösel, 2021)

Creating Healthier Relationships Through Therapy

Mental health treatment can help a child whether he or she is being bullied or is himself or herself engaging in bullying.

Family therapy can also enable parents to understand what their children are going through and teach them how to give them support at home. By working together, both families and therapists can promote a sense of accountability, facilitate open communication, and encourage more healthy methods of dealing with conflict. (Niejenhuis et al., 2020, pp. 117-131)

We at Evolve Counseling Services realize that all children have different experiences. By providing individually tailored mental health treatment, children and teenagers can aim to improve their emotional well-being, build up stronger relationships, and gain more confidence.

Bullying prevention starts with understanding, support, and action. By addressing the emotional needs of everyone involved, families can help children move forward and build a healthier future.

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Looking for treatment for an eating disorder, anxiety, depression, trauma, or postpartum mood disorder?

Evolve Counseling Services is a specialized team of Licensed Therapists providing treatment in Paoli.