Summary and Response Paper (4-5 pages)

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.