Judy S. Freedman, a licensed clinical social worker, has had therapeutic and educational experience with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of settings. As a social worker in elementary schools for more than 20 years, she has repeatedly witnessed that teasing is a universal and widespread stressor for most children, and it can have damaging and lasting effects.

She created Easing the Teasing, a groundbreaking program to proactively address the issue of teasing, which empowers children with essential life-long coping skills to manage and overcome these painful incidents. Easing the Teasing has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, and Ms. Freedman has had articles published in ERIC Digest and the Chicago Parent

Magazine. She has appeared on NBC and other national and local media to comment on school violence.

Judy's book, Easing the Teasing - Helping Your Child Cope with Name-calling, Ridicule, and Verbal Bullying, was published by Contemporary Books/McGraw-Hill, in September 2002. In 2003, the book was translated to Portuguese and published in Brazil. Most recently, Easing the Teasing was translated to Chinese in 2005.

Recently, Judy discovered the necessity to expand the direction and scope of her work due to the new social arena for kids to bully and harass ­ electronic technology. Her most recent endeavor is presenting workshops to raise the awareness about the magnitude and risks of electronic communication and online socializing.

Judy lectures and conducts workshops for parents, educators, mental health professionals, and kids throughout the country, while she continues to practice social work at Prairie Elementary School, District 96 in Buffalo Grove, Ill.

To contact Judy, please e-mail her at: info@easingtheteasing.com

You also can write to Judy at:
Judy S. Freedman, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
1888 Patriot Blvd.
Glenview, IL 60026