The Bullying Game

by Berthold Berg, Ph.D.

The Bullying Game is an effective intervention program because it focuses on all three roles in the bullying cycle: the victim, the bully, and the bystander. This game deals with the unique characteristics of every participant in the bullying cycle and focuses on different learning objectives for each. The game particularly emphasizes bullies' motivations (e.g., displaced aggression, status-seeking) and victims' coping strategies (e.g., assertion, distraction).

Therapists can easily tailor the game for use with individual children or homogeneous groups of victims, bullies, or bystanders. Yet it is also useful with mixed groups, particularly in classroom settings where most bullying occurs.