RALEIGH, N.C. — In a study, Harvard researchers found that African American barbers can play a powerful role in tackling mental health.

 

What You Need To Know

  • A new program called Barbershop Therapy, We Cut Through the Problems helps change the narrative about the way Black men view themselves
  • Harvard researchers found that African American barbers can play a powerful role in tackling mental health
  • According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 63% of African Americans believe a mental health condition is a sign of personal weakness

 

A new program called Barbershop Therapy, We Cut Through the Problems helps change the narrative about the way Black men view themselves.

“The young man that you saw leave earlier - he lost his mother just a week ago, but for him to come in here and to have a conversation with a young man, it energized him to get out of his mental health state based on the emotions that he was having,” said barbershop owner Jimmy Evans.

Evans uses his barbershop to change the perception of mental health among his African American clients.

“It’s almost embarrassing for Black people, no less Black men, to go to a therapist. We think it’s a stigma that’s attached to seeking help," Evans said.

That prompted Evans and Jamar Allen to start the program.

“We're looking at mental health, legal issues that we encounter in our community. We're looking at financial literacy and health issues that affect Black males more than any other culture,” Allen said.

The program goes beyond trimming hair and creating sharp looks.

The two created a podcast to give men an outlet and resources where they can get things off their chest, so that issues don’t fade into the background.

Harvard researchers found Black barbers are bridging the gap in communities of color to meet the needs of mental health care.

“We’re going to be talking a lot about relationships, what it looks like, the structure of the family,” Allen said.

Evans and Allen say the pandemic showed them why it’s important to have these conversations.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 63% of African Americans believe a mental health condition is a sign of personal weakness.

The podcast "Barbershop Therapy" can be viewed on Youtube, Facebook and other social media platforms.