Bullying is one of the most persistent and damaging challenges facing Australian children today.
The numbers are staggering, up to 1 in 5 Australian students report being bullied weekly (Green et al., 2013). While schools and government initiatives attempt to address bullying, the traditional medical model often falls short — focusing on labelling and diagnosing rather than transforming behaviour and empowering young people to thrive.
At Practice Makes Permanent, we take a different approach.
We don’t just treat symptoms.
We transform mindsets — helping both children who are bullied and those who bully to reach their full potential.
How Children Learn to Be Bullies — And Why We Must Act Fast
Bullying behaviours are learned.
Children aren’t born cruel — they learn dominance, manipulation, and aggression by:
- Observing adults
- Experiencing power struggles at home
- Internalizing media portrayals of dominance
- Feeling powerless in other areas of life (Espelage & Swearer, 2003)
Bullies often crave power and control because they feel insecure or unseen elsewhere.
If we don’t intervene early, these patterns can harden — leading to long-term issues like antisocial behaviour, mental health problems, and broken relationships (Olweus, 1994).
Urgent, compassionate intervention is critical.
At Practice Makes Permanent, we work to reshape the brain’s pathways — turning dominance-seeking behaviours into leadership, empathy, and self-respect.
The Cycle of Power, Dominance, and Reaction
One of the least discussed — but most important — aspects of bullying is how reactions feed bullies.
Children who are bullied often:
- React emotionally
- Fight back impulsively
- Internalize victimhood
While these reactions are completely natural, they can accidentally reward the bully by giving them the emotional power they crave (Craig et al., 2000).
In some cases, the repeated dynamic of reaction and dominance locks both children into destructive roles.
The key?
Teaching children to disrupt this cycle through emotional regulation, boundary setting, and resilience.
By removing the “fuel” bullies seek, we empower the child being bullied and dismantle the bully’s sense of control.
The Power of Kindness
Kindness is often underestimated in bullying interventions.
But neuroscience shows kindness isn’t weakness — it’s a high-order strength that:
- Boosts resilience (Davidson & McEwen, 2012)
- Enhances emotional intelligence
- Builds social bonds
- Disarms aggressors
Teaching children kindness toward themselves and others changes brain chemistry, increasing oxytocin and reducing stress hormones (Zak, 2011).
At Practice Makes Permanent, we embed kindness training into all our programs — because it’s not only morally right, it’s strategically powerful.
Resilience and Mindfulness: The Essential Skills Schools Are Missing
While many schools implement “anti-bullying” programs, most focus on awareness rather than transformation.
Schools often fail to:
- Equip children with emotional regulation tools
- Build resilient mindsets
- Teach mindfulness practices that empower children to control their reactions
- Foster authentic leadership skills in recovering bullies
Without these tools, children are left vulnerable — repeating the same cycles of hurt, retaliation, or power struggles.
Mindfulness practices have been shown to:
- Reduce aggressive behaviour (Schonert-Reichl & Lawlor, 2010)
- Increase emotional resilience
- Improve empathy and conflict resolution
Resilience training helps children understand that setbacks are part of growth — making them less reactive and more strategic in overcoming bullying experiences.
At Practice Makes Permanent, we equip children and families with real-world strategies that schools simply don’t teach.
Anyone Can Change — But First, They Must Choose
Whether a child has been bullied, is bullying others, or is stuck in between — change is absolutely possible.
The first step? Choice.
Transformation starts when a young person says:
- “I choose to be more than this experience.”
- “I choose to change how I react.”
- “I choose to become someone others can look up to.”
Our programs don’t just manage behaviour.
We help children and families create identity shifts — moving from:
- Victimhood to empowerment
- Bullying to leadership
- Conflict to compassion
We use evidence-based methods to rewire thought patterns, reshape emotional responses, and build lasting character strengths.
Why You Should Act Now — And Work With Us
Leaving bullying issues unaddressed wastes critical time — time during which painful patterns can entrench themselves for life.
Parents and children who partner with Practice Makes Permanent experience:
- Faster transformation
- Stronger emotional skills
- Higher resilience
- Genuine confidence
Don’t settle for surface-level solutions that diagnose but don’t heal.
Don’t wait for schools to fix what only deep transformation can.
Join us at www.practicemakespermanent.com.au or call 02 4605 0646.
Together, let’s turn bullying into a stepping stone toward leadership, resilience, and lasting success.
References:
- Craig, W. M., Pepler, D., & Atlas, R. (2000). Observations of bullying in the playground and in the classroom. School Psychology International, 21(1), 22-36.
- Davidson, R. J., & McEwen, B. S. (2012). Social influences on neuroplasticity: Stress and interventions to promote well-being. Nature Neuroscience, 15(5), 689–695.
- Espelage, D. L., & Swearer, S. M. (2003). Research on school bullying and victimization: What have we learned and where do we go from here? School Psychology Review, 32(3), 365–383.
- Green, J. G., Dunn, E. C., Johnson, R. M., & Molnar, B. E. (2013). A longitudinal study of bullying victimization and perpetration in Australian adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(5), 659–665.
- Olweus, D. (1994). Bullying at school: Basic facts and effects of a school-based intervention program. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35(7), 1171–1190.
- Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Lawlor, M. S. (2010). The effects of a mindfulness-based education program on pre- and early adolescents’ well-being and social and emotional competence. Mindfulness, 1(3), 137–151.
- Zak, P. J. (2011). The moral molecule: The source of love and prosperity. TEDx Talk.