Preventing Bullying and School Violence

Twemlow and Sacco clearly and brilliantly address the crucial educational and social problems in schools today. Their truly interdisciplinary theoretical amalgam of psychiatric, psychological, sociological and philosophical data comes with practical case examples. This invaluable book shows how mental health professionals and schools can collaborate so as to systematically take the school climate beyond the illusory perpetrator-victim divide through understanding the crucial role of bystanders in what is in reality a triangular system. It further proposes the cultivation of mental attitudes and qualities that include mentalization and altruism, which will help promote a safe and secure school environment without bullying. Douglas Kirsner, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy and Psychoanalytic Studies, Deakin University, Melbourne Twemlow and Sacco's engaging and easy to read book deals with the alarming problem of violence in our schools. Casting their net wide, the authors discuss not only school bullying but the role of compliciy bystanders and the potential amelioration of the attendant crises via a system based approach. Deftly blending psychoanalytivc insights on mentalization and altruism with informed social activism, Twemlow and Sacco offer us a treatise of solid theoretical foundations, great practical value, and deeply felt humanitarian values! Salman Akhtar, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. This brilliant, socially responsible book is a prescription for saving our youth -- and their families. Twemlow and Sacco, dedicated pioneers in experience-based applications of a sound psychodynamic understanding of the triadic social scourge: "bully victim passive bystander(s)", address communal constructive strategies for rational, readily applicable solutions to prevent the misery it creates. This book is a must for all of us, all those responsible for the family, the school, the neighborhood -- a must for government, for society. One of the most important books for today! Henri Parens, M.D., Professor Psychiatry, Thomas Jefferson Univ; Training & Supervising Analyst, Psychoanalytic Ctr Philadelphia; Former Director Early Child Develop Program, EPPI/MCP

Preventing Bullying and School Violence is a practical handbook for designing and sustaining effective interventions to address problem behaviors in schools. The book is designed to help clinicians, school counselors, and administrators create a safe climate for their students and to respond thoughtfully, but swiftly, when threats arise.

Results from numerous surveys indicate that many students do not feel safe in school. This condition exacts an academic as well as a psychological toll because, as the authors remind us, children must feel safe in order to learn. The authors of Preventing Bullying and School Violence contend that inadequate attention has been given to the role of mental health professionals in preventing bullying and school violence. They propose a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, one that draws upon the skills of the educational, health care, and mental health communities in identifying risk, choosing appropriate interventions, and implementing targeted wellness programs. The authors see bullying as a process, not a problem originating with a single troubled person. Accordingly, they believe that bullying behaviors can be effectively addressed only by targeting the broader social context—the coercive power and group dynamics that breed and maintain bullying and violent behavior in the school setting.

The book is designed to help clinicians, school counselors, and administrators create a safe climate for their students and to respond thoughtfully, but swiftly, when threats arise. The authors offer many practical guidelines for achieving these goals, addressing

• The critical importance of establishing a strong connection between the family, the school, and the community in creating a healthy academic environment
• Strategies for working effectively with the complex social bureaucracies that often characterize the entities (such as school boards and governmental agencies) that intervene in cases involving violent children, with an emphasis on developing skills in managing both small and large groups
• Ways to define and recognize at-risk children who require special attention as a result of having mental illness and/or learning disability
• Innovative community interventions, such as therapeutic mentoring and home-based therapy, in addition to information on local, state, and federal programs designed to support antiviolence programs in the schools
• Techniques for promoting wellness among the student population—not just physical wellness, but also the positive attitudes and coping skills that...read more...