Bully Proof: Teaching Clients to Empower Themselves Without Overpowering Others

This book will aid the mental health professional to help their clients learn the skill set of unexpected responses to throw bullies (who use toxic verbiage) off balance in their attempt to establish dominance. The techniques are not appropriate for physical assault, serious verbal threats, sexual harassment, or other hateful techniques that require intervention from appropriate authorities. Instead, the program the author presents gives clinicians an arsenal of novel methods to help clients: (a) practice four categories of responses that change common attack-attack, attack-defend, and pursue-distance patterns; (b) contrasts commonly taught assertive language patterns with disarming responses; (c) apply neuroscience that validates the effectiveness of these methods to reduce clients’ resistance to making changes in verbal patterns; (d) recognize character types and situations that breed the need to dominate and control, and distinguish which responses work best with which circumstance; (e) analyze protocols and surprising technologies to teach clients new strategies; and (f) review handouts that can be used to teach new skills.