Age Group School Bullying --

¶ … Age Group

School bullying -- session one

IV Cyber-bullying -- session two

Random Acts of Kindness -- session three

Volunteering -- session four

VII Piaget and Cognitive Theory

Counseling as a Preventive Measure

School counseling in the past has been considered an ancillary part of education; nice to have, but not really necessary (Scarborough & Luke, 2008). It has been one of the first things cut in a school budget if trimming was needed. Today, school counselors are expected to promote the academic, career, and personal/social development of the children (Van Velsor, 2009). Although many do see the connection between academic/career and personal/social change, school counselors are left to promote the basis of academic achievement due to the improvement of personal and social growth (Van Velsor, 2009).

School counselors have many demands on their time that are not relevant to counseling: testing coordinator, special education team leader, and administrator of retests (Bostick & Anderson, 2009). Because of many of these demands, counselors use group counseling as a means to reach more students in the time allowed. Group counseling can provide the framework needed to address issues such as prevention, problem-focused support groups, and psychoeducational groups (Steen & Bauman, 2007). Research finds that small group counseling in schools help change student's attitudes, perspectives, values, and behaviors in an efficient way. By working together in a group, students learn they are not the only one experiencing a particular problem. They also learn positive peer interaction and role models. By participating in school counseling groups, the youth are improving in self-esteem issues at the same time they are learning about the topic of study (Steen & Bauman, 2007).

II. Issue chosen with age group

This writer will choose the topic of bullying in the late elementary level as a social development issue. Jana Hendricks (2010) speaks as children being mean today. They are not conscious of how their behavior makes other children feel. Ms. Hendricks works in group sessions each day of the week on some grade level. For the grades 3rd-5th grade, she works with issues dealing with social development.

For the preferred method of counseling, Cognitive Theory appeals to a larger range of counselors. Based on Piaget's theory of development, children in their elementary years are logical and able to reason about issues dealing with situations and events (Meyers, et al., 2002). Ms. Hendricks said that she preferred working with the younger age set on social issues as it acted mainly as a preventive technique instead of rehabilitative as with the older age groups (Hendricks, 2010).

Time is of the essence during the school day. Teachers do not want to give up any time for group counseling if it does not work toward the goal of academic advancement. (Steen & Kaffenberger, 2007). Steen & Kaffenberger's study (2007) shows that 80% of students need academic help. They also warrant the assistance of social and emotional development. With a counselor working on the social/emotional growth, the students increased in their academic skills by learning to attend to tasks, raising hand to talk, and completing assignments (Steen & Kaffenberger, 2007). This demonstrated that working on social/emotional skills had a payback in the academic area also. Group time at school normally happens during lunch or recess times (Steen & Kaffenberger, 2007).

III. School bullying, session one

As academic success is the bottom line for teachers and administrators, school counselors look at issues that may inhibit academic success (Young, et al., 2009). Every school wants to empower their students to take on new challenges as they grow (Young, et al., 2009). School personnel want each student to feel safe so they can function at their top capacity.

For the first session on bullying, the counselor begins by talking of the need of confidentiality in sessions. No one wants what is said to be leaked all over the school. Things are kept quiet except of someone is going to hurt himself or another person, or if the child is in danger at home. Any other disclosure comes with the full consent of the child (Huss, Bryant, & Mulet, 2008).

The counselor leads a discussion on what bullying means. Bullying is any hurtful or aggressive act toward an individual or group that is purposeful and repeated (Quiroz, et al., 2006). Using a white board, she lists the different instances where the children have experienced or seen some type of bullying. Tell the students that there are types of indirect bullying also (Quiroz,, et al., 2006). Talk of the fact that the school allows no bullying at all. The counselor discusses zero tolerance and what it means.

The counselor leads out on a discussion on what reasons do bullies bully. Write these down on board. Bullies act for reasons of control, revenge, envy, and emotional distress Turkel, 2006). What happens to bullies as they grow up? They are more likely to be involved with violent acts, illegal activity, harassment of others, and carrying of guns (Turkel, 2006). Trigger factors are issues dealing with races, ethnic diversity, language and religion (Turkel, 2006).

Counselors use this unit on bullying to help build social and emotional intelligence in the youth. Social intelligence is the ability of the child to get understand and get along with others equally (Van Velsor, 2009). Emotional intelligence includes the awareness and proper expression of one's feelings/thoughts, the ability to understand others in a satisfying relationship, the ability to adapt to change, and being able to demonstrate positive emotions (Van Velsor, 2009). Counselors can use each session as an example on how to create positive relationship with the more diverse populations. Each year the schools become a microcosm of the world's ethnic and cultural diversity (Roaten & Schmidt, 2009). Bullying often occurs because of someone being different.

In this session, after allowing the students to contribute to the definition and causes of bullying, the counselor can lead by example to demonstrate a variety of students who may be bullied. The children can act out in games how it feels to be of a different race and be mistreated, how it feels to be handicapped and made fun of, and how it feels to be small and picked on for physical size. The counselor needs to debrief the students after the games to allow them to process how it felt to be different.

The session can close by discussing what to do if you see bullying taking place. The school needs to offer a safe environment in which the youth can report bullying without negative repercussions. Steps need to be taken with the bully so it will stop. The children learn that bullying is wrong (Quiroz, et al., 2006).

IV. Cyber-bullying -- session two

For session two, the counselor reminds the students of the confidentiality issue. She reviews about the last session of bullying. Have any students witnessed bullying since the last time? What did they do? How did they feel after taking action?

What is cyber-bullying? Write on the board the youth's definition of cyber-bullying. Have the counselor ask questions such as: Have you ever taken an ugly picture of someone and sent it out on your phone? Have you ever texted someone that they were ugly? Or fat? Have you used online technologies to spread information about someone else? These are samples of cyber-bullying.

The last session we discussed bullying. Today's world has a new form of bullying. That is cyber-bullying (Wired Safety Group, 2010). Has someone sent you a hateful message? How did it make you feel? Write responses on board. The counselor can discuss how once a message is sent out into the cyber-world, it is impossible to stop and retract it or to tell how far it will go.

The discussion can now include methods to stop cyber-bullying. What do you do if someone sends you a negative picture of another person? Teach the children about "stop, block, and tell" (Wired Safety Group, 2010) so they can be part of the solution instead of the problem. Close with the final issue of what are the laws concerning cyber-bullying? Have the children make a pledge to stop cyber-bullying (Wired Safety Group, 2010).

V. Random Acts of Kindness -- session three

At the start of this session, the counselor will remind about confidentiality issues. She will spend a short time reviewing bullying and cyber-bullying. Did the students run into any cases of either type of bullying this week? What did they do? How did it make them feel?

Today's session will be about doing something positive rather than degrading to people. The counselor discusses what "Random Acts of Kindness" (RAK) are. Write on the board some of the acts of kindness that the children had experienced. Discuss how it made them feel. If people were committing acts of kindness instead of being mean and bullying, how would the atmosphere at school change? Hendricks (2010) discusses how teaching children to do acts of kindness helps change their thinking about other people. The children want to do things to make people happy instead of hurting them. The counselor reminds the children that some of the bullying is done because of ethnic and cultural differences. This week the session will be about helping those who are different by race, ability, gender, religion, etc. To feel accepted by doing something kind for them (Singh, et al., 2010).

The counselor can work with school personnel to develop a RAK week. During this week, the students are able to write on a large banner the kindness deeds they do (RAK Foundation, 2010). The students can help read books for library hour, recording at the same time, so the younger children can listen at any time. Food drives can be organized to help needy families in the school (RAK Foundation, 2010). During these activities, discussion about how the act makes the student feels help reinforce the positive actions.

Follow-up includes comparing how bullying and cyber-bullying makes one feel vs. how the RAK makes the student feel. The list can be written on the board. Which one is better: bullying or RAK? Do you like feeling good about yourself? Or feeling mean and ugly?

This session can conclude with discussion of the "Golden Rule." What does it mean? If you insult someone else, do they talk nice to you or ugly? What happens if you smile at people as you walk along the halls? Do people respond with a smile? Do you want others to pull pranks on you? Or to help you if you have problems?

VI. Volunteering -- session four

This session begins with review of confidentiality. The counselor takes the first part of the session to review the topics of bullying, cyber-bullying, and RAK sessions. Write on the board what is a volunteer. List the examples the children give of volunteers. Talk about the benefits of volunteering, how it can change lives, including your own. Volunteering is an extended form of RAK. One can choose the particular organization they want to help at, according to their interests (Kids Health, 2010).

Does any of the children parents volunteer? Discuss what types of volunteering their family does? How does it make their parents feel? Are any of the students in Scouts or other organizations that require community service? Talk about the different options available for young people. Some options may include: walking animals at shelter, shoveling snow for the elderly, participating in food drives, or cleaning up a graveyard. Discuss how being young does not keep one from volunteering.

To create a long-term effect, the counselor can divide the children into groups. These groups can decide on a volunteer project they will work on for a period of one month. A banner can be hung in which volunteer stories can be posted on. At the end of the month, a celebration party can be done with ice cream sandwiches or another type of prize. The purpose is to promote a volunteer lifestyle.

VII. Piaget and Cognitive Learning

Each of the above sessions based its format on the premise that children 3rd to 5th grade have the ability to reason logically. Children have schemas which they organize their environment (Crandell, Crandell, & Zanden, 2009). Using these sessions on bullying, the counselor challenged the schemas on what was right and wrong in how we treat people. Children, after learning bullying is wrong, make an accommodation in their schemas to be able to process the new information (Crandell, Crandell, & Zanden, 2009).