CCSC Administrator speaks at MUW about mental health
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – “It’s ok to NOT be ok”, was part of the message John Jefferson, Jr. delivered at the MUW campus.
The other part was there is help available when you’re not OK.
Jefferson is the Community Counseling Services County administrator for Clay County.
Speaking on March 20 as part of the Miller-Burdeshaw Lecture Series at The W, he said even with new attention on taking care of your mental health, many people are still afraid to say they’re “not OK” mentally and emotionally.
Jefferson said that just like with your physical health when something is wrong with your mental health, you may need professional help.
he says often the people who need help are reluctant to get it, so he has learned to work with the people around them.
“And that’s one of the things I want to try to educate, because a lot of the time, the person that’s going through it, necessarily, may not be the one that’s able to get help for themselves. So, by me educating everybody around them, maybe a family member can reach out, or a loved one can reach out to say, ‘Hey, my family member is going through something’; or, ‘My loved one is going through something. What resources do I have out there that I can help them,” said Jefferson Jr.
Jefferson said another reason to consider professional help is that strategies that work for members of one generation don’t always translate to another generation.
