Order ID 53563633773 Type Essay Writer Level Masters Style APA Sources/References 4 Perfect Number of Pages To Order 5-10 Pages Description/Paper Instructions
Cyberbullying: New Approaches for School Counselors
By Jesse E. Florang
Abstract
Cyberbullying has become a well-documented problem plaguing the mental health and
safety of teenagers in schools. An examination of the literature that includes other
complex social/emotional issues provides a framework for more effective cyberbullying
prevention and intervention strategies. This article examines current research, highlights
existing misconceptions, and re-frames misguided intervention efforts that have
prevented school counselors from effectively addressing cyberbullying. Considering
these past mistakes and current misconceptions, this article provides a new philosophy
with fresh approaches to cyberbullying for school counselors to accurately and
appropriately intervene in schools
Cyberbullying: New Approaches for School Counselors
Cyberbullying has become a well-documented problem plaguing teenagers in
schools across America. For example, one study has shown that cyberbullying impacts
as many as one in four students (Romera, Cano, García-Fernández, & Ortega-Ruiz,
2016). In another study of 20,406 adolescents, researchers found that only one-fifth of
cyberbullied victims report incidents to school officials (Schneider, O’Donnell, Stueve, &
Coulter, 2012). Kessel Schneider, O’Donnell, and Smith (2015) analyzed data from four
surveys completed from 2006 to 2012 and reported that although many youth never
report being a victim of cyberbullying to an adult, only one-third (n = 16,000) of youth
who experience cyberbullying seek help from an adult at school.
Cyberbullying can be defined as “peer victimization that occurs via the Internet or
other forms of electronic media” (Landoll, La Greca, Lai, Chan & Herge, 2015, p. 78).
Cyberbullying can be perpetrated through a variety of electronic methods. For example,
Barlińska, Szuster, and Winiewski (2013) identified different forms of cyberbullying to
include online harassment, intimidation, and blackmail. Olenik-Shemesh, Heiman, and
Eden (2012) added deliberate threats and attempts to hurt or humiliate another person
as additional forms of cyberbullying.
For students who already have social and emotional deficits, cyberbullying can
be devastating. Cyberbullying affects adolescents during a time of social and emotional
development where there is a limited ability to self-regulate (Hamm et al., 2015).
New Approaches for Schools
Teen tragedies have been highly publicized in the media related to cyberbullying.
Unfortunately, many of these heartbreaking stories have ended in suicide. Instead of
relying on Internet usage contracts, which place accountability on students and parents,
schools must become actively involved in identifying and intervening in cyberbullying,
whether it is at school or outside of school (Ford, 2009). Morrow and Downey (2013)
suggested that school personnel should reevaluate current cyberbullying policies to
address and clarify the definition and consequences of cyberbullying from a school
perspective and highlighted the importance of establishing consequences at school, for
a behavior that was once seen as a problem that happened primarily outside of school.
According to Smith et al. (2008), schools must adopt specific cyberbullying policies,
provide direct cyberbullying training to teachers, and provide education to students.
Crepeau-Hobson (2013) emphasized that all school staff members are required
by laws and ethics to not only recognize the mental health needs of their students, but
also appropriately respond to ensure student safety. Cyberbullying can clearly be
categorized as both a potential mental health issue and a student safety concern, thus
requiring immediate attention from school personnel. With this new understanding,
school counselors have a responsibility to advocate for a new approach, where all
school staff are encouraged to take an all-inclusive approach to change the culture,
update policies, and teach proper online social and coping skills.
Practical Strategies for School Counselors
As mentioned previously, the first step is to acknowledge that cyberbullying is
happening. Due to the potential health risks that cyberbullying may pose to the student
population, school counselors need to update risk assessments and safety screening
tools to include direct questions about cyberbullying, and to accurately and
appropriately identify the students who are impacted by cyberbullying (Sourander et al.,
2010). Updating current prevention and intervention strategies will increase early
identification of adolescents who are at risk, thus helping to minimize negative
consequences (Hyunjoo, Dancy, & Chang, 2015). Furthermore, incorporating new
strategies will ensure school counselors and professionals appropriately identify and
intervene during cyberbullying incidents, which may include contacting parents and
administering consequences, regardless of whether the incident happened at school
(Patchin & Hinduja, 2012).
New Message, New Skills, New Hope
School counselors may directly teach students the skills necessary to cope with
cyberbullying and advocate for updated school policy, improved school culture, and
provide education to teachers, administrators, and parents. Improving communication
and educating adolescents about cyberbullying will also help reduce the negative effect
of cyberbullying. Ramos and Bennett (2016) recommended continued education,
assessment of past-experiences, screening tools, and social skills training to improve
current cyberbullying prevention and intervention strategies.
At times, educators have falsely assumed that students already have the ability
to understand empathy, fairness, and the ability to aid victims, when in reality these
skills need to be taught to reduce bullying in schools (Jones & Augustine, 2015). Sahin
(2012) stressed the importance of supporting the mental health of adolescents through
emotional and social skill development. Landoll, La Greca, and Lai (2013) suggested
interventions designed to help adolescents cope with negative experiences with
thoughtful, nonaggressive, and assertive responses to reduce the likelihood of
experiencing adjustment difficulties. School counselors already work with students to
develop appropriate coping and social skills, so incorporating the skills necessary to
successfully respond to cyberbullying should not be problematic.
“Programs for adolescents should focus on strengthening social networks, social
skills, and peer support in order to prevent a sense of loneliness and depressive mood,
and to help build a ‘social protection layer’ against becoming cyberbullying victims”
(Olenik-Shemesh et al., p. 372, 2012).
Summary
Current research highlights the negative impact that cyberbullying has on the
mental health and safety of the adolescent student population. Previous attempts to
classify cyberbullying as a “home issue,” have only fueled the negative consequences
and hopeless feelings that teenagers face daily in the school setting. School counselors
must be prepared to support policy changes, advocate for proactive approaches to
prevention and intervention, model changes in philosophy, provide education to
students, teachers, and parents, and most importantly help directly instill the positive
coping and social skills necessary to help adolescents appropriately respond to
cyberbullying. Until adolescents and educators have the awareness, education, and
skills necessary to combat cyberbullying, school counselors must provide a safe
environment where students receive some form of relief from the multifaceted
consequences associated with being cyberbullied.
If school counselors continue to ignore or minimize the negative impact that
cyberbullying has on the student population, schools may experience harmful
consequences, resulting in an overall increase in cyberbullying occurrences and an
overall decrease in student mental health. If school counselors do not spend
considerable time investing in focused direct proactive approaches to decrease the
incidents of cyberbullying, there is a likelihood that school counselors will be forced to
react to more and more teen tragedies related to cyberbullying. School counselors
cannot afford to repeat history and wait for someone else to address this intricate issue
or hope that adolescents will navigate this complicated segment of social development
on their own. Like drugs, alcohol, and sex, cyberbullying has been shown to potentially
become a life and death situation, where even one more suicide is too many.
RUBRIC
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