Upholding Confidentiality

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among people of all ages, but mostly school-age children. Society has been aware of bullying since around 1693, but it was not viewed as a real problem until the 1970s. “While overall incidents of school violence, such as assault and theft, have declined in the last decade, bullying is on the rise.” (qtd in Tyre) The percentage of middle and high school students that have been victimized by bullying went up from 14 percent in 2001 to 32 percent in 2009. (Tyre)

In accordance to the 2014 ACA Code of Ethics, section B addresses the confidentiality and privacy exchange between a counselor and a client. The code B.1.c. focuses on counselors protecting the confidential information of current clients and indicates that counselors should only disclose information if they are given the appropriate consent (ACA Code of Ethics, 2014). Hence, the counselor has to be given the consent to share the information reported by the client. Furthermore, because confidentiality encompasses multiple ethical factors, according to code B.1.d, it is the counselor’s obligation is to explain the limitations through both initiation and throughout the counseling process. By doing so, the counselor will be able to identify situation in which the confidentiality must be contravened (ACA Code of Ethics, 2014). Confidentiality is pivotal to psychiatric treatment because the patient discloses private information about their lives. For that reason, the welfare of the client must be a continuous

Bullying has engrained in American society since the country’s founding. Bred from a capitalistic economy and competitive social hierarchy, bullying has remained a relevant issue through the years. School age children are learning skills and lessons from their teachers as well as through peer interactions. Although schools are great tools that children benefit from, there are some bad experiences, such as bullying, that may negatively affect and remain with these children for the rest of their lives. Some

Bullying at school is a big problem that is found in all the schools in the United States and across the world. Since the late 1990s there have been several fatal school shootings committed by victims of bullying that have brought bullying major media attention. This has resulted in an increase of awareness about the harmful effects on the kids being bullied as well as the bullies themselves. This has brought a large amount of local, state, and nationwide programs designed to try to prevent bullying or to at least try to contain the problem. “In an effort to adequately address the problem, many schools are taking a proactive approach through prevention and intervention, but how do we know if and when such intervention is effective? First and foremost, we must have an accurate understanding of the dynamic and complex phenomenon of bullying across development and as it spans the multiple levels of the social ecology” (Casper, Meter, & Card, 2015, par 2). Many psychologists, sociologists, and school administrators have been publishing research on school bullying. Bullying is a significant threat to many children because it causes psychological problems not only for those who get bullied but also those who do the bullying. Even though bullying is a significant problem the are few solutions that can help prevent or significantly reducing bullying like reporting bullying, know the characteristics, and passing laws.

School bullying and bullying as a whole has become a growing concern. The need for more intervention is more recognized, as incidents of bullying and inappropriate acts towards others occur in places outside of the classroom. This literature takes a closer look at bullying in schools. Olwesus (2013) states “the field of bullying research is to some extent plagued by problems, disagreements, and unresolved issues” (p.752). Whether if anyone will agree on the root of bullying, the fact remains that bullying has to be examined at its very core to remedy the matter before it becomes a bigger concern. There is a dire need for intervention based programs to be set in place to address the fact the act of bullying has lasting effects on the bully and the victim. When intervention programs are put into place to address bullying, the act of bullying decreases due to the gained understanding of the effects.

Bullying in the K-12 system in America is a serious societal issue. Bullying is commonly discussed and argued in our society, and it can be seen on the news and in the media very frequently. The problem with bullying is that it has been around for a long time, yet it is still not being fixed. Schools cannot continue this way because it damages young children and causes issues throughout the life course. As scholars have found, bullying leads to lower academic performance and low self-esteem, which shows the need for change. In a survey of about 50 peers, 43% agree that bullying is an issue, and 35% strongly agree with the statement. This means that more than 75% of respondents agree that bullying is an issue in our country. All teachers,

Bullying among school-aged children is regarded as a widespread problem in the United States and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), over one third of students in elementary and middle schools are impacted by bullying (Klein, 2012). Bullying is defined as “unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time” (Klein,2012). Studies show that the consequences of bullying not only include students who are bullied, but the effects extend to those who bully and

School should be a place where students learn social and emotional skills as well as academics lessons but bullying has become a prominent issue in schools and it’s even occurring online. Bullying can be direct or indirect and it can affect every student in the school. Bullying undermine children’s safety, senses of belonging, feelings of value, and it also hamper their ability to learn. It can also create a climate of fear and disrespect that spreads throughout the school and even extends to the community. Bullying is different from conflict, fights, or disagreements. According to (Boston Public School), Bullying is a form of emotional or physical abuse that has three defining characteristics:

Moreover, behavioral and emotional differences intimidate many people. This study provided the many different definitions of bullying and is a great jumping point for teachers to understand the causes and effects of bullying, both in school and legally. However, the nine helpful recommendations fail to be truly applicable to a classroom and may even raise more questions than answers. Most would agree that policies that apply to schools are a state-level issue, as per our Constitution. However, if the available definitions of bullying are too broad and students do not report issues or teachers fail to advocate for victims or fail to be strong moral agents and correct issues as they see them then all the other recommendations in the article have substantial

Confidentiality is one of the most important, complicated and expected parts of counseling. Counselors and clients view confidentiality as an unspoken given, it is sometimes not discussed but expected. Counselors should always explain to a client reasons in which they may be required to break confidentiality. Confidentiality laws can vary from state to state so a counselor should always be aware and up to date on those laws depending on which state they are practicing in. Some states, like South Carolina, have adopted the ACA Code of Ethics as their own code. Counselors are deemed mandated reporters, which means they are required by law to report certain

Bullying is an issue that can have negative impacts on a student. Damaging impacts include mental health complications that can affect a student’s academic performance (Underwood, 2012). Students are losing their lives to bullying by committing suicide (Underwood, 2012). It is essential that educators, administrators, parents and policymakers work together to find appropriate measures that will stop the suffering that students are experiencing because of bullying. Throughout this essay, the historical aspects of bullying will be analyzed as well as the contemporary situation of bullying as it has manifested into cyberbullying. Recommendations will be made on how schools, administrators, educators and policymakers can approach and resolve the concerns of

It is only in the recent years that attention has turned toward the widespread problem of bullying, especially in schools, and that bullying is identified as a serious problem that merits intervention and research (Coy). Therefore, relatively little effort has been made to overcome or address the problem, which still remains a widespread social vice. This paper purports to illustrate how, despite efforts made to rectify the situation, bullying still remains rampant, and is getting worse.

Bullying is defined as “verbal, physical, or psychological abuse or teasing accompanied by real or perceived imbalance of power” and is usually targets what children perceive as different (Olweus, 1993). Bullying is prevalent across the nation. It has devastating effects on students each day. Bullying is a problem for all students, regardless of race, gender or class. The National Education Association reports that 160,000 children are absent intentionally from school each day because they fear being bullied whether it is an attack or just intimidation by other students. This accounts for 15% of all school absenteeism (Hunter, 2012). Dan Olweus (1993) from the National School Safety Center tells us that bullying includes three parts: (1)

According to Limber (2002), bullying and violence in schools has been a major social problem affecting Students, personal family and social well-being. In the educational system, the officials are disinclined in finding the etiology of bullying and its occurrences. From the physical actions of bullying; problems of low self- esteem, anxiety, rejection, loneliness, and paranoia are manifested as stated by Duncan (1999).

In light of retaliatory behavior exhibited in schools across the nation, society has a general understanding of what constitutes as bullying. We understand it to be an unwanted or aggressive behavior which usually involves a child in a more powerful position. The power may be physical or social and the behavior is usually repeated over time. However, one egregious act can land the child in the middle of a bully label. Just as any behavior, bullying can be physical, verbal or a combination of the two. The physical acts include kicking, pinching, tripping or