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Project PROTECH Mental Health Webinar Series on September 21, 2020 Speaker: Li Tang, Clinic Director in Ling Yu International Psychology Centre, Toronto
This week, Tang Li discussed how to navigate issues of bullying with children, and shared the following tips:
- Identification of Bullying: is the use of attack, threat, or coercion etc. to aggressively make others fearful, and finally dominate the others. It can be defined verbally, physically, and/or online bullying (cyberbullying). Bullying is not uncommon. 56% of Canadian have experienced bullying in school systems. Bullying happens to students and adults. During COVID 19 pandemic, students spend more time online, cyberbullying happens more frequently.
- The reason that bullying happens. Many victims of bullying are the people that are not self-confident and are afraid of speaking up. Bullying has negative impacts on victims. They fight back and eventually start bullying others if they are not listened and helped. Victims may mentally become sensitive and negative. They become low self-confidence as well.
- How to find that somebody is bullied: the person suddenly becomes afraid of going to school, work place, and/or having nightmares.
- How to help a person if he/she is bullied: active listen to the person with empathy; recognize that bullying happened to he/she; discuss how to deal with it; provide access to professional mental health support.
- Stop bullying: anyone who witnesses a bullying should stop or report it.
Three steps to stop bullying: recognize it, stop it and report it.
What students can do to protect themselves from being bullied: report to teachers, principles, and call 911 if it is necessary.
What parents can do to stop bullying happen to their children: talk to school; call 911 if the bullying becomes criminal. At the same time, they must plan to collect and retain evidence to protect our rights.
