Free 'Bullies to Buddies' Seminar Held Sunday

Connie Palmer, LCSW, a Scotch Plains resident, will hold a seminar focused on turning bullies to buddies from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the

Palmer said she is offering the program for free because she feels "that it is such a needed and missing piece in the wake of the NJ's anti-bullying law, that I am 'paying it forward' and offering it this one time at no charge."

Palmer said this bullying seminar differs from others in that it focuses not on the problem of bullying, but on a solution. 

"It is based on a curriculum called Bullies to Buddies, which trains children and adults (because we know bullying doesn't end in childhood) how to respond to being bullied using the Golden Rule," she said. "This approach empowers children, allowing them to become more resilient as they solve the problem themselves rather than seeking out others to solve it for them."

Developed by Izzy Kalman, a school psychologist and psychotherapist, the program focuses on the principle of treating others as you wish to be treated.

The philosophy, according to the Bullies to Buddies website, states: "As long as we are alive, we are going to encounter people who are mean to us and we need to learn to deal with them. If we rely upon outside authorities to stop others from bullying us, we are going to stay victims for a long time. However, when we possess the wisdom to deal with bullying, the problem disappears almost immediately."

Palmer noted that the program is beneficial for "grandparents, parents, teachers, clinicians, children second grade and older and anyone who has ever been bullied."

The seminar includes the following:

• Learn how to bully-proof your child
• Learn how to get your own kids to stop fighting
• Learn ways of coping with adult bullying
• Learn what’s wrong with the new bullying law 

Parking is available on Ferris Place and refreshments will be served.