Greater Manchester barbers invited to free mental health training

Barbers from across Greater Manchester are being invited to join free training to help identify signs someone may be struggling and help support clients with their mental health.

NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Suicide Prevention Programme has invited Tom Chapman, of The Lions Barber Collective charity to lead the training on the afternoon of Monday 12^th September 2022- 1-5pm at Ducie Street Warehouse.

BarberTalk teaches the skills to recognise the signs that someone may be struggling with their mental health and how to help clients find the support they need.

It’s not about making barbers/hair professionals into counsellors, but bridging the gap between the communities they serve and the resources that are available. It’s about providing a safe non-judgemental safe space for men (and women) to open up.

Men spend more time with their barber than their GP: the unique, trusted barber-client relationship can be a safe space for someone to feel some support and kindness.

BarberTalk is a bespoke training course designed for hair professionals provided by The Lions Barber Collective. During this course you will learn new skills and tools to give you greater confidence to support the mental health of your clients. The session builds on the four pillars of our training to equip barbers and hair professions with the skills to help clients access better mental wellbeing:

• Gives you the tools to RECOGNISE mental health issues in your clients
• Equip you to be able to ASK direct questions about the emotional wellbeing of your clients
• Refine your LISTENING skills to be present at a critical moment for your clients
• Provide you with the resources to HELP your client find support

The BarberTalk training is a 4-hour course. Refreshments will be provided. On completion of the training, attendees will be added to The Lions Barber Collective ‘Locate a Lion’ map and join their discussion forum.