Introduction

Welcome to my blog.

I am currently a graduate student working on a dissertation that will research the long term effects of bullying on the victims. Who do the victims become in adulthood and what impact did the victimization have on the choices made in adulthood. Most people can point to anecdotal examples, i.e. the skinny/obese child who became a bodybuilder/martial arts expert or the “ugly duckling” who underwent plastic surgery to become the beautiful swan, but is that the norm or outliers?

At this point in my search I haven’t found much research covering this topic or information about support for adults who were victimized as children.

It is my hope that out of my research I will be able to not only open doors to further research in this area, but also uncover replicateable interventions that can be used to help those children currently suffering from victimization and hopefully to launch support group and treatment methods for those adults who were victimized.

As I read through the different journal articles, Masters thesis’s, Doctoral dissertations, published books, and intervention programs I will post my thoughts, comments, and critiques. I welcome any constructive input from the readers, as well as any stories of your personal experiences that you don’t mind sharing. I do want to note, that while it is my hope that anyone reading this site will benefit from it, this site is in no way a replacement for therapy, is not a formal support group or therapy group, and I am in no way your therapist.

This forum offers NO CONFIDENTILITY.

If you would like further information on finding support in your area, I would be more than happy to help you look, though at this point my searches haven’t turned up a whole lot.

That all being said, it is now time for me to begin.

Thank you sincerely,

R. Brian Salinas, MA
Psy.D. (candidate)

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Update

Hello Everyone,

I know I have been away for a long while now, I would like to give my apologies; it's just that research, internship, and work have been keeping me very busy. I just wanted to stop by briefly to post a link to this blog that has been brought to my attention. The blog "50 Blog Posts On School Bullying That Every Teacher Should Read" (http://www.mastersineducation.com/50-blog-posts-on-school-bullying-that-every-teacher-should-read/)is a very interesting site that offers some great information about the topic of bullying. Please take the time to check it out.

On a similar but different note, one of the endeavors I have been engaged in is working with an organization, Victory Martial Arts, to promote their anti-bullying program.

Victory Martial Arts is an ATA school which offers different programs to help with child safety, Anti-Bullying being an example.

ATA Kidz ‘n Power partnered with the father of Anti-Bullying research Dr. Dan Olweus. This partnership enables the Kidz ‘n Power program to combines Olweus’s research with ATA’s well-known ability to empower kids at school and in life. This combination has allowed the ATA to be the first martial arts organization to utilize real data and information to guide their program.

The program can be taught in an hour long assembly or broken down into shorter assemblies, to meet the school’s scheduling needs. While it supports the schools efforts to stop bullying, it also focuses on bullying that happens away from the eyes of teachers and school supervisors (e.g. at an after school programs or on Saturday). By the end of the seminar, students will know how to prevent bullying, how to react when bullying does occur, as well as how to protect themselves and others from bullying behavior.

In addition to this program, I have created a presentation for high school students. In a nutshell, in the high school presentation I explain how bullying is another form of child abuse...and then I ask, "Do you want to be in the same category as a pedophile or child beater?" Most high school students do not want to see themselves as that kind of a monster. The feedback I have gotten about the presentation has been very positive and some students have admitted they have stopped bullying because of it.

Well, that is all for now. Thank you everyone for your patience and your hard work at putting an end to bullying!

R. Brian Salinas, MA
PsyD Candidate