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The ideal school scenario should be a school hallway with a bustling ecosystem full of cheerful and full-of-life students. An environment where friendship blooms, the culture of helping each other and looking out for each other which makes students excited to attend the school every day.

However, the reality is quite the opposite for some students.

Did you know that one out of four students’ reports being bullied in their school year? According to mspy.com, 160,000 kids are even scared and refuse to go to their school because of being bullied.

Bullying, in any of it’s various forms, can poison the very essence of a school's positive atmosphere. This is where the vital role of school counsellors comes into play.

By understanding the four distinct types of bullying – physical, verbal, social, and cyber – counsellors become the first responders in this often-unseen battleground, equipped to empower students and create a safe, inclusive space for all.

If as a school counsellor you are also witnessing a similar situation in your school and want to change this scenario, then we have got you covered.

In this blog post, we will be sharing different types of bullying that you can identify and how you can prevent it as well as create a positive and inclusive environment for every student in your school.

Before moving to the topic, can we ask you a question? Do you follow us on Social Media? We regularly share upgraded educational content, tips, feedback, and more. Check us out by clicking the profiles here - Facebook / Twitter /  LinkedIn / Pinterest / Instagram / YouTube

So, without any further delay, let’s get started.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is a situation or incident where one individual exerts their authority or power onto another individual. They may use physical appearance, intimidation through words, physical strength, or any other vicious actions to gain power over other individuals.

Some examples of bullying are- 

• Intimidation
• Humiliation
• Embarrassment
• Teasing
• Verbal Threats

Bullying always involves a situation of power imbalance where one individual has more power or has an advantage like being physically bigger, stronger, more liked, and having more authority compared to another individual.

4 Types of Bullying

Let’s get to know some of the common types of bullying that you can identify in school and how you can prevent it in detail:

Verbal Bullying

Verbal bullying is a type of bullying where an individual says hurtful or ill words and makes disrespectful comments about someone’s ethnicity, color, race, gender, belief, or disability.

Example-

• One child may call another child, “You are poor, you don’t belong here”.
• You are an idiot.
• You look ugly.

How To Identify Signs of Verbal Bullying?

As a school counsellor, you cannot be present everywhere at a single time when some children might get verbally bullied by someone. However, if any student is moody or losing their appetite then it’s a sign that someone has said something hurtful with which they get overwhelmed.

What You Can Do?

You can consider teaching students to be respectful and always treat everyone the way you want to be treated.

However, teach children also to be confident and independent. Teach them they can respond to their bullies respectfully by saying- “Back off” or “Leave me alone”. One more effective way to deal with verbal bullies is to give no reaction or response at all, which they are looking for in the first place.

Physical Bullying

Physical bullying is a type of bullying where an individual or group of individuals tries to intimidate another individual by exerting physical strength and force. It involves physical actions like- pushing, kicking, blocking, and touching in harmful ways.

Examples-

• Some group of children tries to block a child’s way
• A child who’s bigger in size pushes other children down on the floor.
• A child might try to intimate another child if they don’t complete assignments for him, he will beat him.

How To Identify Signs of Physical Bullying?

As a school counsellor, you cannot be present everywhere at a single time when some children might get physically bullied by someone. However, you can observe if a child has some bruise marks, cut marks, or scratches on their body. All of these are signs of getting physically bullied.

What You Can Do?

If you see any signs of physical bullying in any children then consider having one-on-one conversation with them during lunch break or at the end of the school. You can consider creating a non-judgemental and positive environment for them to open their heart out.

Ask them-

• Has someone been mean to you?
• Is someone trying to intimidate you?

Once you get the full idea about the incident, consider having a conversation with the children who try to bully you and make them understand to treat everyone with respect. If they still do not listen then consider calling their parents and with them try to come up to deal with this situation.

Additionally, in extreme cases, you can take the route of law enforcement.

Relational Bullying

Relational Bullying also known as Social or Emotional bullying is a form of bullying where an individual tries to sabotage another individual social reputation and standing in society. While relational bullying involves preventing someone from becoming a part of a group, it also involves spreading rumours, sharing personal information, or manipulating situations.

Example-

• A group of students makes a plan for a bonfire intentionally in front of those students who are not invited.
• Spreading false rumours to disrupt a particular student’s social standing.

How To Identify Signs of Relational Bullying?

If a student's mood shifts drastically, has no friends, or gets treated disrespectfully in their friend circle then it’s a sign that children are suffering from relational bullying.

What You Can Do?

As a school counsellor, you can encourage those students who are a victim of relational bullying to first love themselves and make them realize that there are people who care for them and love them.

You can also encourage them to develop different skills and interests like learning musical instruments, involving in sports or arts or any particular activities which intrigue them more. This will give them the opportunity to expand their friend circle and make new friends.

Cyber-Bullying

Cyberbullying is a form of bullying that involves disturbing someone’s peace of mind by spreading false information through digital platforms like- Facebook, Instagram, Email, or even through text messages. This not only children’s peace of mind but of their parents as well.

Example-

• Posting someone’s private photos online
• Spreading false information like- John is a bad guy, he teases everyone around him in school.

How To Identify Signs of Cyberbullying?

If a student is constantly trying to spend their time online and trying to defend themselves in school that whatever information is there online is wrong and they feel anxious and sad then it’s a sign that student is being a victim of cyberbullying.

What You Can Do?

As a school counsellor, you can only observe students during school hours so it’s best to involve their parents if you see any sign of cyber-bullying. Instruct parents to limit the social media usage of their children and not interact with any threats or misleading posts or messages and they should ask for help from either parents or any adult with whom they share a good bond.

If it’s a case involves threatening or explicit content or messages then you must take the route of law enforcement.

Strive To Create a Bullying-Free Environment In Your School

For any children to come out and pour their hearts out that they are being a victim of getting bullied is very rare and tough for them. However, as a school counsellor it’s your responsibility to figure out which of your students are facing bullying and help them to overcome it. Tyr to get more informed on how to identify different forms of bullying and how you can help your students overcome it to create a positive and inclusive school environment for all students.

If you seek to help your student’s better by understanding them and by forming a deep connection. You can consider pursuing courses like the Certificate in Counselling Course for Teachers, where you will get guidance from a top expert trainer who will also help you to become a top school counsellor.

Find the right course for you and try out the course. Contact us at 1-213-233-9490. You can also mail us at teacherstraining@asiancollegeofteachers.com.