New Guidelines for School Counselors in their Fight Against Cyberbullying Prevention in Schools

In recent decades, cyberbullying, also known as “online bullying” or “electronic violence”, has developed as a serious social problem for society, and more specifically for the school, as a microcosm of society. Amongst all school personnel, it is the school counselor who has the highest responsibility in helping students develop all the necessary skills to avoid this relatively new form of bullying, or at worst, to cope with it. However, finding the right way to do this is not always easy, which explains the inaction on the part of adults at school and the resulting reluctance of students to seek help. The purpose of the article is to fill this gap by highlighting the existing misconceptions and intervention efforts that prevent school counselors from effectively dealing with the problem and, accordingly, to propose a new philosophy with fresh approaches and guidelines that facilitate their fight against cyberbullying.