Adapted from bullying prevention expert Stan Davis.

Support for Targets

We support targets of bullying when we:

• Protect them from future bullying;
• Help them develop an answer to the question: "Why did he/she do that?" They need to find alternatives to feeling guilty for being victimized;
• Offer positive feedback and positive feeling tone;
• Help them get support from others with similar histories;
• And, most importantly, help them connect with a network of peer support and friendship.

Helping Bullies Change

We help bullies change their behavior by:

• Holding them accountable for their behavior with consequences that are inevitable, predictable, and escalating;
• Encouraging and creating time for them to reflect on their behavior so that they learn to…
• Acknowledge their own actions;
• Acknowledge the results of their behavior on themselves;
• Develop anxiety; ("I broke a rule and got in trouble. I don’t want to go through that again!")
• Change their actions to stay out of trouble;
• Find other ways to get their needs met;
• Acknowledge the results of their behavior on others;
• Develop guilt; ("I hurt someone.")
• Learn to trust others and delay gratification;
• Form relationships with helping adults;

Empowering Bystanders

We empower bystanders to action when we:

• Help them see that their silence makes the bully more powerful and contributes to the harm done to the target;
• Show them what to do by consistent adult interventions to stop bullying;
• Protect them from retaliation;
• Discourage them from confronting bullies directly about their behavior in most situations, and instead, teach them to use distraction techniques to intervene in bullying situations they observe;
• Encourage them to tell adults about the bullying they see;
• Teach them to reach out in friendship to targets of bullying and isolated peers;
• Spend time with students, especially students at risk.