When Friendship Suddenly Falls Apart
For years, Chloe had the same close group of friends. They'd known each other since primary school, and she couldn't imagine her days without them. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, that all changed.
Her friends started leaving her out. Chloe wasn’t being invited to things, she was being ignored in group chats, quietly cut off from plans she used to be part of. There were unkind comments too, and a coldness she couldn't explain. She was told, in different ways, that she didn't belong anymore, both at school and outside of it.
Chloe didn't understand what she'd done wrong. One day she was part of the group, and the next, she wasn't. The confusion was almost as hard to carry as the hurt.
And underneath it all was a growing loneliness - the kind that comes from losing the people who'd always been there for her. School, which used to feel easy, started to feel like somewhere she had to survive. Some mornings, she didn't want to go at all.
When Chloe reached out to the Bullying Support Line, 13 DOLLY, she was given something she hadn't had in a while: a space where she could just talk, without being judged or having to explain herself. Her counsellor listened properly, and helped her see that her hurt, her confusion, and her sense of isolation all made complete sense - that none of what she was feeling was an overreaction.
Together, they worked through small, manageable ways Chloe could look after herself outside of school hours, to help her feel a little steadier day to day. And with her consent, her counsellor began working with her school, to build a plan that would help her feel safer and more connected during the school day.
By the end of it, Chloe felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt heard, and a little less alone.
This is what your support makes possible: a young person, at their most isolated, finding someone on the other end of the phone who believes them, and a plan to help them feel safe again.
Her friends started leaving her out. Chloe wasn’t being invited to things, she was being ignored in group chats, quietly cut off from plans she used to be part of. There were unkind comments too, and a coldness she couldn't explain. She was told, in different ways, that she didn't belong anymore, both at school and outside of it.
Chloe didn't understand what she'd done wrong. One day she was part of the group, and the next, she wasn't. The confusion was almost as hard to carry as the hurt.
And underneath it all was a growing loneliness - the kind that comes from losing the people who'd always been there for her. School, which used to feel easy, started to feel like somewhere she had to survive. Some mornings, she didn't want to go at all.
When Chloe reached out to the Bullying Support Line, 13 DOLLY, she was given something she hadn't had in a while: a space where she could just talk, without being judged or having to explain herself. Her counsellor listened properly, and helped her see that her hurt, her confusion, and her sense of isolation all made complete sense - that none of what she was feeling was an overreaction.
Together, they worked through small, manageable ways Chloe could look after herself outside of school hours, to help her feel a little steadier day to day. And with her consent, her counsellor began working with her school, to build a plan that would help her feel safer and more connected during the school day.
By the end of it, Chloe felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt heard, and a little less alone.
This is what your support makes possible: a young person, at their most isolated, finding someone on the other end of the phone who believes them, and a plan to help them feel safe again.
