| Abstract: About 27% of students in secondary and post-secondary schools report being involved in some way with bullying (Craig et al., 2009) and about 16,000 children in the United States report missing school because of fear of being bullied (National Education Association, 2011). Children with special needs have an increased risk of being bullied (Banks et al., 2009). The prevalence of bullying has sparked a number of prevention and intervention strategies and programs. These strategies involve students, parents, and teachers working together to influence the behavior of bullies and victims. The main focus of this panel will be to discuss the use of empirically supported programs for bullying interventions and prevention. Programs that focus curriculum content on bullying appear to have little or no replicated protective impact, and may actually increase risk of being bullied. A better approach may involve altering context based on evolutionary theory and behavior analysis, which may have superior protective effects on multiple mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. The panel will suggest expanded use of Contextual Behavioral Science as a tool in intervention and prevention of bullying, with audience members able to contribute to the discussion of further testable solutions. |