A few years ago, when psychologists and therapists at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital began hearing more of their teen clients talk about depression and suicide because they had been bullied, the mental health professionals knew they needed to investigate. It wasn't so much that bullying was a new problem, they surmised, but rather it had grown in scope, as an increasing number of special-needs students were being mainstreamed and issues around sexual orientation were surfacing earlier in teens.
"These kids are often the targets, not just of bullying but also of cyber bullying," on the Internet, explained Cliff Saper, a clinical psychologist and executive director of the outpatient program at Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital, which has mental health locations in the Chicago area northwest suburbs of Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village and Arlington Heights.
"As we began to look at what was happening, we noticed that few were paying attention to the passive bystanders, those who witnessed or know about the bullying but do nothing," Saper continued. "What's happening with them and why aren't they doing anything? Why aren't the adults in their lives doing anything? So we decided to concentrate on these passive bystanders to teach them the skills necessary to become 'upstanders,' or someone who is willing to take a stand and speak up for others."
Saper cites statistics from surveys that Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital conducted with local schools, noting that 88 percent of all children in the northwest Chicago suburbs say they have been bullied by the time they reach middle school. Saper says that percentage mirrors national statistics.
As a result, Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital began tweaking its own youth programs, and began hosting small group sessions to help youngsters better understand bullying and learn to take a stand when they see others being targeted. The behavioral health hospital also applied for grant money, and over the past three years received a total of $75,000 from the Alexian Brothers Foundation for anti-bullying programs.
Two years ago, Alexian Brothers Health System formed an organization called Coalition for a Psychologically Healthy Community, which partners with schools, caretakers, parents and students to educate about bullying in the hopes of heightening awareness and alleviating the problem. Some of the programs the collaboration has instituted include:
- "Culture of Compassion," a pilot program at several parochial, elementary and middle schools in the Chicago suburbs that provides an anti-bullying curriculum for students, teachers, parents and staff. The curriculum teaches youngsters not only what to do when they see someone being bullied but also how to be caring and compassionate with their peers.
- Public service announcements that eventually will be distributed in DVD format to area schools. The PSAs are sponsored by the Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health and focus on issues facing teens today such as anxiety and depression as well as bullying. "The PSAs also aim to 'destigmatize' the notion that it's OK to ask for help if they have problems," said Saper.
- Camp Confidence, for girls ages 11 to 14, to help them work on self-esteem, assertiveness and feeling good about themselves. The camp met four afternoons a week over two separate, three-week sessions, and a total of 10 girls participated this summer. "We see this as a vulnerable age for girls and also one when girls can be pretty mean to one another," Saper added.
Alexian Brothers Health System is also working with Illinois legislators to strengthen anti-bullying legislation in the state and improve reporting on the number and types of bullying incidents that occur in schools.
Saper said Alexian Brothers' efforts to combat bullying fit perfectly with its mission of compassion, partnership and care for the poor. "We know we are not going to be the solution to bullying in our society, but we can serve as the hub with schools, parents, law enforcement and other change agents in our community as we look at how we intervene and create upstanders," said Saper. "We want to create an atmosphere that mental health is good health."
Copyright © 2012 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
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