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Safety & Success
Articles
Residential Programs Help Students Overcome Scourge of Bullying
By Hugh McBride
Bullying isn’t a “boys only” problem – unfortunately, more and more girls are bullying and being bullied – but bullying among boys remains a topic of particular concern among teachers, parents and other caregivers.
Regardless of whether they are bullying other students, being bullied, or both, boys who are involved with bullying may be at risk for experiencing a range of problems related to their continued healthy development.
The good news is that the therapeutic residential program at Stone Mountain School is uniquely prepared to offer life-affirming intervention services to students whose healthy futures are imperiled by bullying.
Help for Victims of Bullying
Depending upon the nature and severity of the bullying, victims of bullies can experience long-term emotional and behavioral issues, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts and eating disorders.
Enrolling a child who has been bullied into a therapeutic residential program offers the following benefits:
- Removing the bullying victim from physical and emotional danger
- Placing the bullying victim in a positive peer environment
- Integrating professional guidance and supervision in all aspects of the student’s life
- Identifying and addressing emotional and behavioral challenges
- Providing necessary support for depression, anxiety and related struggles
- Developing positive self-esteem and learn healthy coping skills
Productive Interventions for Teen Bullies
Victims of bullies aren’t the only students whose lives are disrupted by bullying. In many instances, the students who are harassing their peers (via physical abuse, intimidation, ostracizing, cyber-bullying and other forms of bullying) are actually in crisis themselves.
From problems at home to undiagnosed emotional or behavioral disorders, a wide range of underlying issues may manifest through unsocial behaviors such as bullying. Dismissing bullies as criminals or “bad kids” denies these boys the opportunity to overcome the challenges that are holding them back
Taking a bully out of their familiar local school and enrolling them in a therapeutic residential program can accomplishes a number of goals, including the following:
- Professional assessment
- Highly structured and supervised daily routines
- Academic assistance
- Behavioral interventions
- Social/emotional support
- Healthy coping, communication and relationship skills
- Anger-management education
For adolescent and teen boys whose lives have been disrupted by bullying, Stone Mountain School can give them the structure and support that they need to get back on the path toward a healthier and more productive future.