Chat with a Young Person about their bullying experience

[Ngaio-RO]

Great advice @rubymay so important for parents to remember that simply listening rather than fixing can be huge for a young person.

[Dani_]

Did you find school counsellors/welfare teachers etc helpful @rubymay? Did you get any extra support like a helpline or online counselling etc?

[rubymay]

@Murgatroyd

dedicate some time to your child. Take them out somewhere. Treat them and make them feel special. This will make the more likely to for them to open up to you. 
Just be honest. Your child is going to see your love and concern. Tell them you want to help. Tell them it's not their fault. Ask them how you can help. 

[rubymay]

@Greencheckers

I changed schools in between year 3 and 4 and between 8 and 9. 

I found moving in primary school particuarly difficult and stressful. The bullying actually increased when I moved. However, when i moved to a different high school, i found it to be very effective. I moved to a bigger school with more people who i could be friends with and avoid those who hurt me

[Ngaio-RO]

Just while we're on that.

Here is the info about ways to communicate with your teenager.

For some parents that is easy and for some, not so much. So getting practical tips on how to do it canmake a huge difference for everyone.

[rubymay]

@Dani_

In primary school i was forced to see this old lady councellor who i found quite scary and I didn't talk much to her. 

However, in high school, there were councellors whom were younger and a little more in tune with how i felt. I found they were quite helpful. This was especially prominant when i could take time out of class when i was overwhelmed with anxiety and talk about what was going on with someone who seemed to care. 

I felt like they helped a little bit, but they weren't effective in helping me identify that some of the things I was experiencing were actually symptoms of depression. 

[Greencheckers]

Thanks for that @rubymay
I'm glad it helped in high school

[rubymay]

I found online support sites, such as ReachOut to be very helpful in high school. 
I could look for solutions and validation to how i was feeling in the comfort and privacy of my own home. 

[Dani_]

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@Ngaio-RO wrote:

Just while we're on that.

Here is the info about ways to communicate with your teenager.

For some parents that is easy and for some, not so much. So getting practical tips on how to do it canmake a huge difference for everyone.

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That's great, thanks for posting these practical strategies

[Murgatroyd]

@rubymay Have you seen the anti-bullying initiative You can sit with me? And if yes, what you think of it?