Abstract

This study provides a survey of bullying research throughout childhood and adolescence, and analyzes 4 bullying prevention models developed by drama therapists: ActingOut (M. Cossa, S. Ember, L. Glass & J. Hazelwood, 1996), Kathryn Boyd's The Shape of a Girl (J. MacLeod, 2002), ENACT (D. Feldman & F. S. Jones, 2001), and STOP-GAP (D. Laffoon & S. Diamond, 2001). Each model follows a common format utilizing core drama therapy processes (P. Jones, 1996) designed to expand social-emotional competencies (A. Bandura, 1997) through "rehearsals for living" (D. Diamond, 2007). This investigation also highlights interviews with 5 drama therapists who share successes and challenges when working in the school setting. Although drama therapy is perceived as an intervention service, this author advocates for broader applications that would promote drama therapy as prevention. Recommendations for future anti-bullying programs include greater focus on empowering the bystander, assessing underlying causes of maladapted behaviors (including PTSD), and developing whole school approaches that offer ongoing workshops. This research underscores the need for early intervention to help children at-risk (S. Goldbaum, W. M. Craig, D. 1. Pepler & J. Connolly, 2003) develop language and communication skills, as deficits in these areas are linked to increased bullying behaviors (H. Ward, 2008) throughout the school-age years.