Building Confidence in Bullying Victims
It is a known fact that we as humans are all different. Some people are short, tall, strong, athletic, artistic, and so forth. With the multitude of qualities that distinguishes everyone from the person or persons around them, some qualities are praised while others not so much. Everyone’s differences distinguishes them from others, but those same differences could also be a factor leading them to becoming victims of bullying. Furthermore, there is not one identified form of bullying but a number of different forms of bullying as highlighted in the About Bullying and Cyberbullying (n.d.) website. Bullying has been an ongoing phenomenon, but it did not receive much recognition until acts of suicide or murder of others began to occur in the 1980s and 1990 (Atik & Guneri, 2013).
Background
Due to the prevalence and different modes of bullying and problems in victims associated with bullying, a counseling group will be developed in an attempt to aid bullying victims in the following areas: building a social support system, building self-awareness, building self-acceptance, and building self-esteem. The group will target adolescents and will aid members in understanding what bullying is, the different modes of bullying, and help members discuss their bullying situation and what they can do to overcome their bullying experience. The target areas for this group are based on previous research conducted on bullying and victims and related mental problems associated with bullying victims. Victims of bullying are likely to exhibit the following: low self-esteem (Seals & Young, 2003; Salmivalli, 2001), loneliness and depression (Atik & Guneri, 2013; Salmivalli, 2001), shyness, fearfulness, and a lack of confidence (Salmivalli, 2001).
H. J. Ortiz 