Social Skills/Bullying

Do you suspect that your child is being bullied at school?
Is your child withdrawing from or not being invited to social situations?

Bullying is a big issue and many schools and institutions have responded with anti-bullying policies. Despite this, there are still some children who experience bullying or feel isolated in social settings and unable to make friendships successfully.

Some children feel unable to make friendships successfully.

Why do they feel this way? Many factors can be involved including social anxiety, poor social skills or unfounded fears about inadequate friendship skills. Sometimes all it takes is to build their confidence a little, but sometimes more formal assistance is needed. A clinical psychologist can assist your child feel more comfortable and confident socially, by assessing your child and developing a treatment program that will help them feel good about themselves again. In some cases it may be beneficial to primarily work with the parents and give them the tools to help their child cope better with social situations.

Often it is best to first talk to parents about their child’s issues to determine if it is better to give strategies to the parents help their child or talk to the whole family. Contact me to discuss.