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Bullying is an ongoing, systematic form of harassment that targets a person's weaknesses and distracts them from focusing on their academic, professional, and personal achievements. It can occur at school, in the workplace, or online in the form of cyber-bullying, affecting the victim’s social skills, school or work performance, and self-esteem. In Canada at least 25% of children in grades 4-6 are bullied regularly, and 1 in 3 Canadian adolescents have reported being bullied recently at school or online. 40% of Canadian workers also experience bullying on a weekly basis in the form of sexual harassment, social exclusion, gossip, and intimidation.

It´s true that anti-bullying themes have begun to proliferate in society through pop culture, community efforts, and anti-bullying legislation, but many people still face bullying and harassment every day. It is a serious issue that jeopardizes one’s ideas of self-worth and causes distress that can lead to serious depression and  thoughts of self-harm; several tragic and highly-publicized cases of bullying-related suicides have surfaced in the media in recent years. If you or someone you know are victims of bullying, do not hesitate to seek help and put them on a healthy path to self-empowerment.

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Victims of bullying should know that the harsh effects, including suicidal thoughts and depression, can be overcome and recovered from. Tamar’s approach of using psychoanalytic talk therapy is known as one of the most effective means of treating those suffering from bullying-related anxiety and depression.

Clients will learn to step out of the role of the victim by learning to acknowledge, share, and process painful feelings in a healthy manner. Left unattended, these internalized negative feelings can cause the individual to adopt the role of victim and hinder their unique sense of self.

The benefit of therapy is to empower clients with coping strategies and tools such as the use of assertive communication and the setting of boundaries in the moment of impact. These important coping skills can be life-changing, allowing you to transform your work, academic, and social environments from hostile to positive and enjoyable!