Hair and beauty professionals on the Isle of Wight are being offered free mental health training to help support their customers.
Hairdressers, barbers and beauticians are often a trusted confidant and friendly ear to their clients.
This is why the Isle of Wight Council’s Public Health team has arranged for The Lions Barber Collective to deliver their BarberTalk and Hair and BeautyTalk course on the Island.
Love: It supports a listening and caring ear
Cllr Karl Love, Cabinet member for Public Health, said,
“Barbers, hairdressers and beauty professionals along with other personal care services can play an important part in supporting and improving our mental health and wellbeing.
“Close-up personal conversations often occur between customers and stylists allowing people to open up about feelings and personal matters in spontaneous and real-time conversations.
“The intimacy of personal services lifts the mood of people and the frequency of having hair cuts/beauty treatments helps to anonymise the relationship enabling open and frank conversations.
“This training opportunity helps to boost and support the professional skills, knowledge and confidence of stylists and beauty technicians.
“We recognise the important role of these professionals in allowing people to talk where perhaps they might not do so to others. It supports a listening and caring ear, already so well tuned, and enabling people to offload, discuss and exchange ideas for onward support.”
The Lions Barber Collective
Torquay-based barber Tom Chapman founded The Lions Barber Collective in 2015 following the death of a close friend.
Recognising that barbers and hair professionals are often a friendly ear to their customers, Tom collaborated with experts to develop a training programme for hair and beauty professionals to improve conversations around mental health and wellbeing.
The BarberTalk programme aims to arm barbers with the skills to:
- recognise signs of poor mental health in their clients;
- ask direct questions to facilitate conversation;
- listen with empathy and no judgement;
- help to signpost their clients to the support they need.
Lilley: I know this strategy works
Cllr Michael Lilley, the council’s mental health champion, said,
“Mental health affects us all and the pandemic has made that worse in many cases.
“Nationally, over two thirds of those who die by suicide have had no contact with mental health services in the 12 months before they die, yet they may have spoken with a hair or beauty professional.
“This is why I am so pleased we are able to offer this programme to help train hair and beauty professionals to have positive conversations around mental health and potentially save lives by reaching people who may not usually ask for help or access services.
“I have seen in Birmingham how barbers have reduced numbers of suicide in the community and know this strategy works.”
Book now
The free, four-hour training session takes place on Zoom, booking through Eventbrite, on 28th March, between 10am and 2pm.
The training is funded by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System.
For further information, contact [email protected]
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
Image: © Isle of Wight Council
