Abstract
This case illustrates the emotional and behavioral problems faced by a male student named John, who currently attends the ninth grade. This person is 15 years old. At first, the counselor should consider such issues as the victimization resulting from bullying. Apart from that, one cannot disregard such risks as absenteeism and unwillingness, to share his problems with other people, especially his mother.
This adolescent tries to emphasize his self-sufficiency and ability to cope with difficulties independently. Nevertheless, in many cases, this conduct only intensifies his difficulties. In particular, he cannot rely on the assistance that can be offered by adults such as parents or teachers. Furthermore, his academic performance is adversely affected. The school counselor should consider several interventions. In particular, it is necessary to develop the social skills of this student because, in this way, this learner can acquire peer support.
It can shield John from the risks of bullying. Furthermore, one should lay stress on the importance of communication with adults. Much attention should be paid to the support that can be offered by John’s mother. However, in the beginning, the counselor should change the teenager’s perception and beliefs. In particular, he should not perceive adults as enemies. He should keep in mind that his mother is willing to assist him. Moreover, she does not intend to blame him for every possible misdeed.
So, one should consider individualized interventions. Nevertheless, it is necessary to develop preventive measures that require the cooperation of teachers, counselors, and parents. The counselor should develop school-wide interventions that are helpful for preventing bullying. This form of aggression can affect students representing different age groups and genders.
Case Study
Case description
John is 15 years old, and he currently attends the ninth grade. This student transferred from a different school for two years. During this period, he became one of the top performers in the class. Admittedly, teachers report that in the beginning, he had some problems with several disciplines such as mathematics and physics. However, with time passing, he was able to improve his grades considerably. In turn, significant problems have recently emerged.
In particular, John has often missed classes during the last month. Additionally, teachers note that he often finds it difficult to concentrate on his learning activities. As a result, John‘s academic performance has deteriorated during the last three weeks.
It is important to mention that in the past, John often faced various forms of bullying, such as teasing and harassment. As a rule, his overweight is used as a pretext for bullying. He openly admits that his recent absenteeism is mostly explained by the unwillingness to encounter those students who victimize him. Moreover, John is extremely reluctant to tell his mother about his problems. In his opinion, this knowledge will profoundly frustrate her.
This student emphasizes the idea that he can cope with his problems without involving his mother, school counselors, or teachers. To a large degree, he wants to look like a self-sufficient individual. One should keep in mind that he has been raised by a single parent. It is not clear if his mother is a very strict person. However, other teachers say that she is a very sensitive individual who does not try to impose her opinions on others. Furthermore, John admits that she does not tend to criticize people for every possible error. These details are important for designing interventions that can support this student.
Interventions
Overall, a school counselor needs to adopt various strategies that can help this student overcome many of the current challenges. At first, it is necessary to change John’s perceptions of the problems that he now faces. By achieving this goal, the counselor can strengthen his confidence and self-esteem. In the beginning, one should improve John’s communicative and social skills. He should be able to establish friendships with his classmates.
It is necessary to keep in mind that in many cases, the victims of bullies are alienated and reticent individuals. They are often perceived as very vulnerable and defenseless individuals who cannot rely on the assistance of other people (Hong, Lee, Lee, Lee, & Garbarino, 2014, p. 443). So, they are more likely to be intimidated. This detail should not be overlooked. In this case, researchers emphasize the importance of peer support that can empower a person who is intimidated by bullies (Hong et al., 2014, p. 443).
In part, this goal can be achieved by participating in various extra-curricular activities. As a result, John will be able to communicate with those learners who share his interests (Hong et al., 2014, p. 443). Moreover, he will feel more confident and secure (Wölfer & Scheithauer, 2014). It is one of the benefits that should not be overlooked.
Secondly, it is necessary to change John’s perception of bullying. This aggressive behavior indicates that a person feels very weak or unhappy. Furthermore, there is no way for this individual to stand out among other people. Thus, bullying should not be associated with prestige. In turn, by changing his views, John can become more resilient to teasing or aggression (Wölfer & Scheithauer, 2014). So, John will see that a bully is in no way superior to other people.
It is also important to remember that the victims of bullies often recollect such incidents. Sometimes, they even blame themselves for these events. As a result, the effects of this intimidation or teasing only intensify. Therefore, a counselor should teach John that these cases should not be viewed as tragedies. One should remember that bullies are more likely to continue teasing or intimidating if they see that this behavior profoundly affects the victim. So, they will be more willing to do it if they see that John is very upset. Thus, the counselor should stress this issue during the discussion.
Furthermore, scholars mention that parental involvement can also be a useful solution to the problem of bullying. In particular, the counselor should communicate with the parents of students who act aggressively due to some reasons (Davis & Lambie, 2005). One should note that this aggressive behavior can indicate some internal problems within the families of these students (Kolbert, Schultz, & Crothers, 2014). Therefore, the counselor must not disregard this danger (Kolbert et al., 2014).
Moreover, John should be encouraged to do physical exercises. In this way, he can eliminate the pretext for bullying. Indeed, school counselors can also make group-level interventions (Lund, Blake, Ewing, & Banks, 2012). Nevertheless, under the circumstances, the individualized approach is more appropriate because it may be difficult for the student to adjust to group sessions (Jacobsen & Bauman, 2007). It should be mentioned that sometimes teachers lay stress on the need to discipline the bully (Power-Elliott & Harris, 2012).
For instance, they can focus on the suspension of such students. Nevertheless, scholars argue that one should concentrate on the mechanisms supporting the victim of this abuse (Power-Elliott & Harris, 2012). These activities enable educators to improve the experiences of the learners who may also struggle with various emotional problems such as anxiety or even depression that can be very damaging.
Nevertheless, this goal can be achieved, provided that the counselor can communicate with John’s mother. In particular, this student should be able to share his experiences with other people. Currently, he cannot do it, and this weakness prevents him from becoming more successful. However, in the beginning, it is necessary to allay John’s apprehensions. He must not perceive his mother as an enemy or a threat. This problem is faced by some children (Mayers, 2008, p. 68).
It is one of the reasons why they cannot overcome anxiety disorders (Mayers, 2008, p. 68). Therefore, the counselor should tell him that many of his fears and concerns are exaggerated. For example, there is no reason for him to think that she will be furious with him. So, it is necessary to provide examples showing that parents want to protect their children from various risks. Moreover, they do not wish to stigmatize their children in any way. The main problem is that John forgets about this issue, and he tends to become very reticent or even alienated.
It is important to remember that in some cases, the inability to share one’s problems with other people prevents students from coping with their difficulties. Moreover, they tend to feel very insecure (Mayers, 2008, p. 68). In the long term, their academic performance declines. In the future, this increased sense of anxiety can produce even more adverse effects on the personality of the learner (Thompson, Robertson, Curtis, & Frick, 2013). Therefore, the counselor should tell John’s mother that his recent absenteeism can be explained primarily by the effects of bullying. To a large degree, this situation is not his fault. More likely, it can be explained by the lack of coping skills.
These strategies are based on the premise that teenagers often tend to exaggerate the significance of the problems that they encounter. In some cases, they can believe that their difficulties are insurmountable. Therefore, one should highlight that their attitudes are not always justified. Nevertheless, a school counselor should remember that the problems faced by such students require school-wide interventions (Sercombe & Donnelly, 2013).
School administrators should foster a culture of respect in educational organizations. For instance, one can consider the adoption of zero-tolerance policies on bullying. Moreover, teachers can achieve this goal by showing why bullying is not acceptable. These precautions should be taken by various stakeholders, such as educators and school administrators.
Overall, this discussion indicates that a school counselor should perform several roles. In particular, these professionals should act as mediators who can help parents and children re-establish their relations. Additionally, they enable students to take a different look at their emotional problems. At the same time, they need to understand how various factors can affect the occurrence of bullying behavior in schools. Thus, these professionals should have various competencies to cope with different tasks efficiently.
Reference List
Davis, K., & Lambie, G. (2005). Family Engagement: A Collaborative, Systemic Approach for Middle School Counselors. Professional School Counseling, 9(2), 144-151.
Hong, J., Lee, C., Lee, J., Lee, N., & Garbarino, J. (2014). A Review of Bullying Prevention and Intervention in South Korean Schools: An Application of the Social-Ecological Framework. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 45(4), 433-442.
Jacobsen, K., & Bauman, S. (2007). Bullying in Schools: School Counselors’ Responses to Three Types of Bullying Incidents. Professional School Counseling, 11(1), 1-9.
Kolbert, J., Schultz, D., & Crothers, L. (2014). Bullying Prevention and the Parent Involvement Model. Journal Of School Counseling, 12(7), 3-20.
Lund, E., Blake, J., Ewing, H., & Banks, C. (2012). School Counselors’ and School Psychologists’ Bullying Prevention and Intervention Strategies: A Look Into Real-World Practices. Journal Of School Violence, 11(3), 246-265.
Mayers, D. (2008). Overcoming School Anxiety: How to Help Your Child Deal With Separation, Tests, Homework, Bullies, Math Phobia, and Other Worries. New York, NY: AMACOM.
Power-Elliott, M., & Harris, G. (2012). Guidance Counsellor Strategies for Handling Bullying. British Journal Of Guidance & Counselling, 40(1), 83-98.
Sercombe, H., & Donnelly, B. (2013). Bullying and Agency: Definition, Intervention and Ethics. Journal Of Youth Studies, 16(4), 491-502.
Thompson, E., Robertson, P., Curtis, R., & Frick, M. (2013). Students with Anxiety: Implications for Professional School Counselors. Professional School Counseling, 16(4), 222-234.
Wölfer, R., & Scheithauer, H. (2014). Social influence and bullying behavior: Intervention-based network dynamics of the fairplayer.manual bullying prevention program. Aggressive Behavior, 40(4), 309-319.