Can We Change Bullies to Buddies?

Bullying impacts millions of children, parents, and individuals in our schools and communities. Given that bullying and being bullied can leave life long scars, we need to address the fear, intimidation shame and abuse of power that fuels bullying. In this episode, Connie Palmer LCSW, teacher, counselor and therapist brings us the Bullies To Buddies Program. Drawing upon this model created by school psychologist, Izzy Kalman, Connie Palmer discusses the rationale and a curriculum for empowering victims with tools to verbally respond to bullies. She discusses the role she has played in coaching children from kindergarten on in a way that changes the bullying dynamic and the negativity and victimization in a school culture. She will demonstrate the technique of defusing the bully in role playing exercises with host, Suzanne Phillips and will address questions like: What about physical threats? What can teachers and parents do? How can we help bullies? Can they ever really be buddies?