Barber shop gets men talking about mental health

The group has been meeting for the past two years

A barber shop in West Bromwich is helping men open up about their mental health with the help of two NHS-trained psychotherapists.

Seven Stars Barbers offers customers the opportunity to talk about issues in a safe and private space.

The evening sessions are led by two mental health experts who run Melanin Moods, an organisation set up in 2020 "to provide specialist support to black and brown communities".

Rowan Farrell, from the barbers, said it helped people to "offload and vent" and discuss their feelings.

Dr Chanelle Dennis (l) and Talisa Mesquitta, both from Melanin Moods, jointly lead the sessions

"People start talking because it's a safe space, they feel like they can talk and engage with their barber," Mr Farrell said.

"They've got 30 minutes in the chair and it helps them to off load and vent, whatever issues they've got."

Dr Chanelle Dennis, from Melanin Moods, jointly leads the sessions and said it was a service that aimed to tackle the taboo and stigmas that existed within the black and brown communities.

Her colleague Talisa Mesquitta added: "We want to ensure that the barber shop, as it always has been for black men, remains that safe space.

"They know that they can come here and be open and talk about whatever it is they want to talk about and it's not going to leave here."

The evenings have been running for two years and participants said subjects that have been covered included fatherhood and learning more about anxiety and understanding the impact on themselves and others.

The men come up with action plans to hold one another to account to deal with issues while "checking in" on each other.