Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention

Presentation to UB's Professional Staff Senate on November 17, 2011.

1. Amanda Nickerson, PhD
Associate Professor and Director
Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention
University at Buffalo
[email protected]
gse.buffalo.edu/alberticenter
Professional Staff Senate Meeting
November 17, 2011

2. Alberti Center Slideshow
About the Alberti Center
Brief Overview of Bullying
Resources for Students

4. Our mission is to research,
identify, and disseminate
resources to practitioners on the
topics of bullying abuse
prevention and intervention.

5. Jean M. Alberti,
Ph.D.
Benefactor
Amanda B. Nickerson, Ph.D.
Director
Rebecca E. Ligman, M.S.Ed.
Assistant to the Director
Michelle Serwacki
Graduate Assistant
Heather Cosgrove
Graduate Assistant

6. Identification of high quality
resources and links for
website
Needs assessment
•Resource availability and
utilization
Select presentations to
educators, parents, and
community organizations

7. Gender, empathy, group
norms, and prosocial
affiliations on bullying roles
(middle school)
Bullying, anxiety, and self-care
(middle school)
Group intervention for
students at-risk for depression
(middle and high school)
Evaluation of the PREPaRE
School Crisis Prevention and
Intervention Training
Curriculum

8. Protective factors (focus on family) for
bullying, victimization and sexual
harassment
Assessment and ongoing monitoring of
school climate and bullying/victimization
(in conjunction with examination of
strategies implemented)
Spring 2012 bullying prevention conference

9. Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Youth Depression: A Parent Perspective
A presentation by John Halligan
November 21, 2011  7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Wesleyan Church of Hamburg
www.frontier.wnyric.org/frontier/lib/frontier/Dignity_for_All.pdf
Parents: Learn More About Bullying & Prevention Skills to Help Your Children
A UB Employee Assistance Program workshop led by Dr. Amanda Nickerson
December 13, 2011  10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
120 Clemens Hall, UB North Campus
hr.buffalo.edu/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_use_op=view_page&PAGE_id=747

11. Intentional, usually
repeated acts of verbal,
physical, or written
aggression by a peer (or
group of peers) operating
from a position of strength
or power with the goal of
hurting the victim physically
or damaging status and/or
social reputation
Olweus (1978); United States Department of Education (1998)

12. Physical bullying
•punching, shoving, acts that hurt people
Verbal bullying
•name calling, making offensive remarks
Indirect bullying
•spreading rumors, excluding, ganging up
Cyber bullying
•willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use
of computers, cell phones, and other electronic
devices
Hinduja & Patchin (2009)

13. Teasing: Fun, good-natured,
“give-and-take” between friends
to get both parties to laugh
Bullying: Based on a power
imbalance; intent to cause
psychological or physical
harm; usually repeated
Conflict: A struggle,
dispute, or
misunderstanding between
two equal forces

14. STRUCTURE and SUPPORT
•Clear, consistently enforced expectations and
policies for behavior, including prohibition of
bullying and harassment, and effective
classroom management – means of reporting
•Warmth, positive interest,
adult involvement and
supervision, and
appreciation of differences

15. Brief assemblies or one-day awareness
raising events
Zero-tolerance policies
•May result in under-reporting bullying
•Limited evidence in curbing bullying behavior
Peer mediation, peer-led conflict resolution
•Many programs that use this approach actually saw
increase in victimization
•Grouping students who bully together may actually
reinforce this behavior
Dodge, Dishion, & Lansford, (2006); Farrington & Ttofi, (2009); Nansel et al., (2001)

16. Listen
Empathize
•“That must have been very
scary for you”
Thank student for telling
Take is seriously
Partner with student and
school to problem-solve
Follow-up

17. Focus on behavior
(not student as person)
and why it is not OK
Apply logical, meaningful
consequences
Increase supervision and
monitoring
Work with student to develop plan for how to
prevent this behavior in the future
Consider professional help to increase empathy,
perspective taking, and problem-solving

18. Prohibits harassment of
students with respect to
race, weight, religion, sexual
preference, etc.
Unlawful to not remedy
harassment or bullying on
school grounds
Includes:
•Policies and guidelines
•Curriculum changes in civility,
citizenship, and character
education
•Training (for staff and point
person)
•Record keeping
www.p12.nysed.gov/dignityact/
Effective July 1, 2012

20. University Police – 716.645.2222
(if there is an imminent threat)
Office of Judicial Affairs – 716.645.6154
(if there is not an imminent threat)
Counseling Center – 716.645.2720
(for counseling services)
Office of Equality, Diversity & Affirmative
Action – 716.645.2266
(for sexual harassment concerns)

21. Suicide Lifeline
1.800.273.TALK
LGBTQ Youth Suicide Hotline
1.866.4.U.TREVOR
Crisis Services Hotline
716.834.3131
Crisis Chat
www.crisischat.org
(online emotional support)