Guidelines

As in other areas of everyday life - and particularly during adolescence - the need to ask for help is perceived as a sign of weakness. “I have to do it myself”.This seems to be what everybody repeats to himself when facing a problem. In the case of bullying, then, this attitude is interwoven with the general difficulty of identifying the person – or the people- to whom turn to. Asking for help in this case means not only getting out of a bad personal situation, but, at the same time, it can provide help to the bullies themselves. Asking for help means helping the bully, deflating him in his actions. Students should be aware of their need not to face bullying situations alone. Moreover, it is better to warn students that just ignoring bullying will not solve the situation, but, rather, it could lead to more serious and long-term consequences. It's important that the school and the family do everything they can in order to assist the student in his requests for help, making him aware that this request does not mean to be weak, but it represents a growth and a positive response. Different strategies should be looked for and applied in order to increase and enhance the communication between students and helping adults – parents, teachers and other people involved in the educational process. The Listening and Counseling Help Desk provides a first real reply to all those who suffer such acts or behaviors, or to those who want some information on how to intervene in the management of such cases.