Counselor helps inform the public about bullying at Crosspoint Church in Gulfport

A certified counselor at Crosspoint Church in Gulfport has his heart set on educating the public on bullying.

There are different types of bullying, cyber-bullying seems to be the biggest problem which is why Richard Jones, pastoral counselor at Crosspoint Church created a workshop for parents. “Parents need to be more involved and be aware of what their kids are going through. Cyber bullying is kinda fairly new to our society and a lot of parents are not educated about it. So, they need to be here to be educated on cyber bullying, the effects of it and understand their kids can be bullied 24/7 now versus back in time when we were only bullied in school.”

With some kids afraid to talk to someone, it could cause death or severe trauma. “It also leads to suicide, it also effects their mental health, brings in depression, PTSD. Things like that, so they need a release point.”

With school starting back, it could possibly mean bullying can come back as well, which is why Crosspoint Church is reaching out and just trying to make it known that if you are going through a similar situation, you are not alone.

Dorah Moran, who is not a member of the church, heard about the workshop and came to educate herself on the topic. “I would like to learn more about the laws and what we as citizens, parents, and grandparents can do to help prevent the bullying. Those formative years are really hard and they think that life is terrible and that kind of thing and so I would like to just tell them, ya know, hang in there. It gets better. Find a friend that is not mean and just be kind. Be kind to people. That’s really the main message, just be kind.”

Peace of Mind Counseling is open to the public and their support group is found on Facebook if you would like to get involved.