Working with At Risk Kids
Many young people in the world are at a crossroads.  They can go in many directions: toward a destructive or unpromising future, or toward a meaningful life. With appropriate intervention, almost any troubled child can be led onto a healthier path. Anyone who works with kids should learn ways to recognize emotional, environmental, or learning problems, and be able to refer them to the right help. It is also important to approach each child individually, to go beyond formulas and consider the needs of their particular nervous system, temperament, learning style, and brain pattern, as well as family, cultural and social influences. Below, we link to papers that describe the types of training that could be invaluable for people who want to work with at-risk youth.

Links to resources for helping At-Risk Kids

Papers about helping At-Risk Kids and offsetting bullying

Links to anti-bullying resources and articles
Those who are bullied need help.
So do the young bullies.
There is a strong connection between bullying and lack of nurturing, untreated mood disorders, and learning problems. Preventing bullying and violence requires meeting a child's social and emotional needs and wiring empathy and self-regulation in the brain. We have sections on Bullying and related issues under "How hate manifests" and "the roots of Hate" categories. We look at both bullies and the bullied.

Bullying has been well-studied and has many causes, but bullying is one of the many forms of aggression commonly expressed by young people who have felt rejected, unwanted and social outcasts.  

The bullying that arises in a group situation is part of the social psychology of power and conformity. (i.e. Abu Ghraib)

Adult bullies are another story altogether. And much harder to treat. Adult authoritarians often become bullies when they are in a position of power.