Workshop focuses on ways to deal with bullying

The Behavioral Health Care Center — one of the centres of the Qatar Foundation for Social Work affiliated with the Ministry of Social Development and Family, represented by the Community Awareness Department, organised a training workshop for a group of parents on Monday on guiding parents on ways to deal with a bully child, in co-operation with the Department of Social Protection.
The workshop was presented by a specialist in psychological counselling and family counselor Dr Aisha al-Thani and senior social studies researcher Maha al-Muhannadi who represented the Department of Social Protection at the Ministry of Social Development and Family.
During the workshop, Dr al-Thani touched on the concept of bullying, its types, its evidence and the negative effects it leaves on the child's personality and behaviour. She also raised several questions related to the family framework and the relationship of the bullied child with their family members.
She highlighted the importance of healthy communication with children and proper parental education from a young age, as well as enhancing the child's confidence and their value towards themselves and those around them.
Dr al-Thani said bullying is one of the biggest problems facing the individual, the family, the school and society. The workshop sheds light on the bully, their impact on society, how to deal with the problem within the family and ways to reach solutions that bring families closer. The workshop additionally dealt with bringing about the psychological educational awareness required for children in a family atmosphere that is not stressful, but rather comfortable and safe.
On her part, al-Muhannadi presented methods of dealing with the bully, the stages of treatment and the importance of positive motivation. She also touched on the legal framework for bullying and presented a number of real-life stories.
The workshop included extensive discussions regarding providing parents with skills to deal with a bullying child. Participants expressed what they learned from the workshop that aimed to benefit children and their families, as well as in establishing a strong society with moral values and positive behaviours.
It was organised based on the principles that the Behavioral Health Support Center believes in; educating the community, especially the target groups, about the dangers of behavioral deviations of the individual and society, which aligns with the centre's efforts to support and raise the level of behavioral health and to establish positive behaviors in a way that complements the efforts of institutions specialised in the wellbeing and the development of society.
The workshop also aimed to present methods of dealing with bullying children to reduce their behavior and to reduce the severity of the wrong responses when handling them. It also aimed to provide the parents with skills that encourage positive behaviours and to stop the negative ones.