Recovery from Bullying

Over the past semester in my EdD program, I began to research the longer term impact of childhood bullying. Specifically, how our adult clients may present with a variety of symptoms like anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship issues or low self esteem but may also have been bullied (or have been bullies themselves). Looking further into our practice at Riverwalk Counseling Center, our assessment instrument didn't specifically ask about bullying, but rather asked more general questions about physical, emotional, sexual trauma/abuse. As part of this exploration, we learned that four out of six (n=6) of those clients responding to a poll, had been bullied in their childhood/adolescence by a peer.

Although my inquiry has barely scratched the surface, my hope is to develop a targeted therapy method for those impacted by bullying so their experiences can be honored and healed. If you have suggestions or comments, please reply here or email me at [email protected]