(REC Rejected 2025 – Dec 19) Beyond Bullying: A Phenomenological-Behavioral Lens on Prejudice, Power, and Psychological Flexibility in Schools

Bullying in schools is often addressed through surface-level interventions that target behavior without fully understanding the lived experiences, meaning-making, and identity processes underlying those behaviors. This webinar draws on emerging research, including a phenomenological-behavioral study of adolescent prejudicial bullying, to examine how relational frames (e.g., distinction, coordination, deictic) contribute to rigid patterns of exclusion and harm. Participants will be introduced to the Functional Self-Discrimination Measure and Interview (FSDM-I) as a tool for accessing adolescent perspective-taking and values, and how this approach can guide systemic interventions rooted in psychological flexibility and equity. We will also connect these insights to restorative practices and leadership frameworks that move beyond discipline toward belonging, repair, and sustainable systems change.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how a phenomenological-behavioral approach adds depth to traditional understandings of adolescent bullying.
• Discuss implications for behavior analysts and educators in supporting student voice, equity, and systems-level change.
• Provide examples of how psychological flexibility and restorative practices can be integrated into school-based interventions.
• Identify key relational frames that may influence prejudicial bullying interactions.
• Describe the purpose and structure of the Functional Self-Discrimination Measure and Interview (FSDM-I).

Holly is an aspiring leader, self-proclaimed maverick, and positive deviant in applied behavior analysis (ABA). Despite having over 20 years of experience in education, disability support, systems management, and applied behavior analysis, there is always more to learn and reflect upon to honestly ‘do better.’ As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst, certified special education teacher, and a doctoral candidate in educational leadership, Holly brings a unique perspective that extends ABA’s reach far beyond its traditional applications. Holly’s innovative approach integrates contextual behavioral science (CBS) with ABA principles, leveraging advancements in leadership theory, contextual psychology, and research to address complex societal challenges. Their work empowers those often forgotten, like educators and students, as a necessary voice of change. Holly is dedicated to creating more inclusive, effective, and accessible behavioral interventions that can truly change the world through the power of behavioral science. Thus, their application of behavioral science to areas such as multi-tiered support systems, bullying, leadership behavior, trauma-informed practices, restorative practice, and diversity initiatives has been shown to extend the reach of ABA. As a neurodivergent thinker, Holly’s dyslexia has become an asset in tackling complex organizational challenges, allowing Holly to develop novel solutions that push the boundaries of what is thought of as ‘traditional’ within ABA.