Relational Aggression and Bullying

"It's just middle school drama." "Ignore them, and it'll stop." "You're gonna have to toughen up."Sound familiar? These are the kinds of dismissive responses students often hear when they report bullying or relational aggression—and they’re not helping. In fact, with 1 in 5 students reporting being bullied and 41% of those fearing it will happen again, we’ve got serious work to do.In this episode, we’re diving deep into relational aggression and cyberbullying, breaking down what makes these behaviors so damaging, why they often go unnoticed, and—most importantly—how school counselors can step in effectively.You’ll learn:✅ The subtle ways relational aggression shows up in schools (and how to spot it)✅ How cyberbullying is evolving and why it’s getting harder to combat✅ Practical, real-world strategies for supporting students and stopping these behaviors before they escalatePlus, I’m giving you a sneak peek at my upcoming Behavior Breakthrough Kit—a game-changing resource packed with evidence-based strategies, a behavior intervention flowchart, and more tools to help you handle tough behavior challenges with confidence. [Go here to join the waitlist]If handling concerns around relational aggression, cyberbullying, and behavior intervention are keeping you up at night, this episode is for you. 00:00 Introduction00:26 The Reality of Bullying Statistics01:37 Understanding Relational Aggression04:14 The Rise of Cyberbullying05:43 Emotional and Academic Impact06:58 Intervention Strategies07:58 Creating Safe Reporting Spaces09:32 Collaborating with Teachers10:33 Supporting Targeted Students15:33 Behavior Breakthrough Kit19:51 Conclusion**********************************Our goal at School for School Counselors is to help school counselors stay on fire, make huge impacts for students, and catalyze change for our roles through grassroots advocacy and collaboration. Listen to get to know more about us and our mission, feel empowered and inspired, and set yourself up for success in the wonderful world of school counseling.Hang out in our Facebook groupJump in, ask questions, share your ideas and become a part of the most empowering school counseling group on the planet! (Join us to see if we're right.)Join the School for School Counselors MastermindThe Mastermind is packed with all the things your grad program never taught you IN ADDITION TO unparalleled support and consultation. No more feeling alone, invisible, unappreciated, or like you just don't know what to do next. We've got you!Did someone share this podcast with you? Be sure to subscribe for all the new episodes!! This work is part of the School for School Counselors body of work developed by Steph Johnson, LPC, CSC, which centers role authority over role drift, consultative practice over fix-it culture, adult-designed systems and environments as primary drivers of student behavior, clinical judgment over compliance, and school counselor identity as leadership within complex systems.