Client's name has been changed to protect privacy and maintain confidentiality.
Tom was bullied a lot in primary school. Most days, Tom would come home sad and angry and take it out on his siblings and parents. This started to affect his relationships at home.
Tom would have aggressive outbursts at home and experienced low self-esteem. Tom would get called names and other kids would avoid playing with him during break times. Tom and his caseworker did lots of work around resilience and forming identity as he approached the end of primary school/ and the beginning of high school.
Tom was happy that most of his bullies weren’t going to the same high school as him. Tom started year 7 and told his caseworker, “I made a New Year’s resolution to not let what other people think about me affect the way I feel about myself”.
Tom’s relationships at home have improved and he has started to make new friends in his new school. Tom and his family report his mental health has improved significantly since the bullying has stopped. Bullying has had a profound impact on Tom’s self-esteem and family relationships, but he has been able to work through this.