Health promotion worker Schana Serin and Pakenham Hairhouse Warehouse hairdressers Michelle and Shannon hope a pilot program will take the pressure off Pakenham hairdressers. 26390 Picture: Meagan Rogers.
HAIRDRESSERS are trained to cut hair but increasingly they are providing a shoulder to lean on for many of their clients – and some are finding it difficult to cope.
But a pilot program involving Pakenham hairdressers is aiming to lift the weight off their shoulders.
Schana Serin, health promotion worker for Women’s Health in the South-East (WHISE) and a former hairdresser, said those in the industry often had to do more than give their clients a new hairstyle.
“People do turn to you for advice that you’re just not trained to give,” she said.
“From my experience I found that the majority of people are out of the industry in 10 years because it’s just so hard.”
Hairdressers hear about the joys of life such as births and marriages, but also counsel clients dealing with death or experiencing relationship problems.
Ms Serin said WHISE had recently interviewed groups of hairdressers and found that an increasing number were also dealing with clients’ mental health issues.
She said the Talking Health program was designed to support local hairdressers to help keep them on the job.
“The burn-out rate in the industry is very high,” Ms Serin said.
The project is an initiative of WHISE in partnership with local community health services in the Cardinia Shire.
It will be launched with a free training session for hairdressers next Tuesday.
