Parenting Seminar “Bullying” with Rikki Sudikoff, LCSW from JFCS

With school bullying consistently capturing media attention, most parents are aware that it's a serious problem. But we don’t often view it as an issue to contend with during the early elementary – or even preschool – years. We believe that these children are too young for the kind of tormenting that is characterized as “ bullying.” Unfortunately, this is not the case. Bullying behaviors have been observed in 2nd grade, 1st grade, even kindergarten and preschool!
In this workshop, we will review the characteristics of these painful social interactions and distinguish behaviors that would be characterized as bullying from the developmentally inevitable confrontational behavior -- the normal “spats” and “tussles” that so many young children encounter in their early peer interactions. We will discuss ways to intervene on young children’s behalf so that they will feel empowered to navigate their social worlds with confidence and success.

Rikki Sudikoff is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist for over 25 years. As senior clinician for the Parenting and Youth department at JFCS of the East Bay, Ms Sudikoff conducts individual psychotherapy with children and teens, runs parent support groups, and consults with parents and teachers in the Bay Area schools. In addition to raising 3 children, she has spent much of her “former” life as a teacher and as a school counselor.