Guidance counsellor strategies for handling bullying

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory-descriptive study was to examine how guidance counsellors in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador would handle a specific verbal-relational bullying incident. Also of interest was guidance counsellor involvement and training in bullying programmes and Positive Behaviour Supports. Data for this study was collected using the Handling Bullying Questionnaire (Bauman, Rigby, & Hoppa, 2008). Results suggested that guidance counsellors tended to take on various responsibilities in addressing verbal-relational bullying (e.g. work with victims and bullies, disciplinary) and tended to enlist the support of other adults. It is argued that guidance counsellors assume important roles in addressing school bullying and that training in this area is critical for guidance counsellors. Study implications and future research directions are discussed.