Bullystoppers.com!
Free Bully Reporting & Skills Training
Site Author: Tom Letson, NJ SAC LPC LCADC

Click Here for info about Tom's Private Counseling Practice in NJ

About Bullystoppers.com

New Jersey School Administrators:  Tom Letson has been implementing Bully
Prevention Programs in a Public School setting for over a decade as a
Student Assistance Coordinator. Contact him for consultation and/or staff
training at 732-547-2603 or bullystoppers@yahoo.com


Tom


Letson is the Student Assistance Coordinator at Middletown High
School South in New Jersey. He had recently been the Student
Assistance Coordinator for the Howell Township School District for over
a decade implementing an annual Bully Prevention Program in three
middle schools.  Tom developed Bullystoppers.com in 2001 in response
to the lack of available means for students to safely report bullying
anonymously to adults at their schools.  The reporting philosophy on
Bullystoppers.com was a direct result from Tom's professional
successes in implementing an anonymous bully reporting system in
Howell's three middle schools.

A participant in three international online school bullying and violence
conferences , Tom was also a consultant to the award winning
commercial "Collecting Rocks" which served to inform the Canadian
public of the seriousness of bullying in Canada's schools.  Collecting
Rocks depicts the tragic suicide of 14 year old Hamed Nastoh,  who
jumped to his death from a bridge committing suicide after years of
torment from peers in school.

Tom is an advocate of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which
emphasizes a school-wide approach to Bullying Prevention.  He is also
an advocate of teaching students, when appropriate, avoidance
strategies and psychological defense tactics and skills when confronted
with bullying.  The goal is to reduce the bully's emotional pay-off and
bolster the victim's self-esteem.  

It should be noted that some bullying professionals disagree with
teaching children such strategies because they feel it sends the
message that the victim is primarily responsible for ending the bullying.
 Depending on the developmental period of the child in question, this is
a sensible approach. For example, a third grader is not developmentally
capable of consciously controlling his non-verbal behavior to avoid
giving a bully the emotional payoff he desires.  This being the case,
teaching a 3rd grader avoidance and psychological defense tactics is not
appropriate.  A 7th grader on the the otherhand, is developmentally
capable to learn and implement these skills.  Tom's question to those
professionals who discourage such skills training:  why would we not
teach this child not to give a bully an emotional payoff?  One
professional who disagrees with teaching victims strategies and skills
even suggested that teaching children to be assertive, a life skill, is
contraindicated when it comes to bullying.  

Tom believes that teaching students who are determined to be good
candidates to learn and use skills to avoid and reduce the risk of
bullying is comparable to the rationale in teaching personal safety skills
and tactics. Click here.

Tom has also authored the self-help book, 4 Downs to Anger Control,
which uses football as a metaphor to teach anger control skills, was
recently purchased by Florida International University Football Team
following the nationally televised brawl with the University of Miami in
October 2006.   

Tom is available for trainings and speaking engagements on the topics
of bullying and anger management.  He also has a private counseling
practice in Millstone NJ, specializing in helping children with bullying,
anger management for children and adults, and substance abuse
evaluation and counseling for adolescents and adults.  Call Tom today
to schedule an appointment - (732) 547-2603.
CONTROL ANGER
with FOOTBALL!
by Tom Letson, MA LPC












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