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There are three people involved in bullying situations – Targets, Bulliers, and the Witnesses. Three roles, three words which are very important when we communicate about bullying. TARGET rather than victim. The term “victim” implies helplessness. Terminology can be empowering. Many years ago, females who were abused by their husbands were known as “battered women.” That label gave way to the …

Following a statewide training session I conducted for school counselors many years ago, a counselor approached me at the end of the day and suggested that I stop using the term bullying and speak about peer abuse. She told me that at the beginning of the session when I referred to bullying as a form of child abuse, she thought …

In early 2011, I attended an invitational White House Conference on Bullying Prevention in Washington, DC. President and Mrs. Obama addressed the group in the East Room and the president spoke of being bullied about his ears and his name when he was in school. He urged us to return to our communities with a determination to reduce the cruelty …