Psychologists from the Canary Islands ask to implement the figure of the "educational psychologist" in classrooms

The Official College of Psychology of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has demanded this Friday that new measures be implemented in classrooms to guarantee comprehensive protection for students who suffer, or could suffer, bullying. Psychologists highlight the need to implement the figure of the "educational psychologist" as a "necessary and effective tool to carry out an early detection of this type of cases, since this qualified personnel will know how to intervene in this type of situations."

The Official College has sent a statement after the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands reported that the reported and confirmed cases of bullying in the Canary Islands have been reduced by 31% so far this year, from 23 to 16 compared to the academic period of last year. However, psychologists believe that "there is still much work to be done."

The educational psychologist of the Official College of Psychology of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Mari Luz Tabraue, explains that bullying is an "intentional, repeated behavior that is maintained over time with the aim of intimidating the other person."

"When we talk about bullying, we are not only referring to physical aggression; the abuse of power can also be found at a psychological or verbal level," adds Tabraue, who indicates that many of the victims "usually end up with academic failure, physical and mental health problems, eating disorders, addictions, deficits in social skills, social anxiety, fear of rejection, low self-esteem or even risk of self-harm and, in certain cases, suicide," concludes the psychologist.