Top Notch Barbershop offers a safe space for mental health
11 NEWS REPORTER BREANA ROSS TAKES US INSIDE THE STORE TO SEE HOW IT’S HELPING OUR NEIGHBORS HERE IN BALTIMORE. >> THIS IS MUCH MORE THAN A BARBERSHOP. FOR TEVIN HARPER, IT IS A PLACE AND A TIME TO LOOK FORWARD TO. TEVIN: NOT JUST TO CUT MY HAIR, TO TALK. BREANA: A TALK WITH BARBER DEREL OWENS ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM MENTAL HEALTH, TO PAST TRAUMA, TO WAYS TO CREATE A BETTER FUTURE. DEREL: AS A BARBER, WE ARE ALMOST LIKE CLINICAL THERAPISTS. THIS IS A THERAPY SESSION FOR ME AND THE PERSON IN THE CHAIR. BREANA: THAT IS EXACTLY THE PURPOSE. SHAREESE KESS WORKED WITH ROB’S BARBERSHOP COMMUNITY FOUNDATION AND T. ROWE PRICE FOUNDATION TO ORGANIZE THE SHOP IN TIME SO PEOPLE ALREADY RECEIVING MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT AND OTHER RESOURCES CAN HAVE ANOTHER SAFE SPACE. SHAREESE: MANY PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING WITH TRAUMA, WITH PAIN, WITH LOSS, AND SOME INDIVIDUALS WERE TAUGHT NOT TO EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS, AND GENERALLY BLACK AND BROWN MEN. SO HERE WE HAVE A STRONG BLACK AND BROWN MAN PROVIDING THE SERVICES WHO SAYS IT’S OKAY TO GET HELP. DEREL: I FEEL IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR BLACK MEN TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A SPACE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES, BE VULNERABLE, DEAL WITH TRAUMA, UNPACK WHATEVER PROBLEMS THEY ARE GOING THROUGH, BECAUSE LIKE SUICIDE, SUICIDAL IDEOLOGIES, THESE THINGS HAPPEN. BREANA: THE LATEST EXAMPLE, CELEBRITY DJ STEPHEN BOSS, AKA TWITCH. HE DIED BY SUICIDE ON TUESDAY. BUT THERE ARE MANY MORE CASES SO MANY MORE NAMES THAT WE DON’T KNOW. ACCORDING TO THE RESOURCE CENTER FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION, SUICIDE RATES WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY ARE REACHING OUT IN TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS. STATISTICS ALSO SHOW THAT THE RATE OF DEATH BY SUICIDE FOR BLACK MEN IS MORE THAN THREE TIMES THE RATE FOR BLACK WOMEN. THAT’S WHY ELLEN’S TAKES HIS JOB SERIOUSLY — OWENS TAKES HIS JOB SERIOUSLY, KNOWING HE CAN BE A LISTENING EAR OR LIFEGUARD. DEREL: HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE A SAFE SPACE, PROVIDE RESOURCES, DO OUTREACH SO THAT A PERSON HAS THE ABILITY TO UNPACK THE PROBLEMS THEY’RE DEALING WITH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE I CAN THINK OF. BREANA: SINCE OCTOBER. OVER 70 PEOPLE HAVE HAD THEIR HAIRSTYLE HERE FOR FREE. THEY NEED MORE BEAUTICIANS TO HELP. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW
Baltimore Barbershop Serves as a Safe Space to Discuss Mental Health
Top Notch Barbershop offers a place for conversations about mental health, specifically in black men
Updated: 5:31 pm EST Dec 16, 2022
A Southwest Baltimore barbershop and salon strives to create a safe space where people can discuss mental health. Top Notch Barbershop is within TIME Organization, an outpatient mental health shelter and clinic. It is much more than a barbershop. For Tevin Harper, it’s a place and a time he looks forward to. “Not even to cut my hair, to talk,” Harper said. create a better future. “As a barber, we’re almost like clinical therapists. This is a therapy session for me and the person in the chair,” Owens said. Shareese Kess worked with Rob’s Barbershop Community Foundation and the T. Rowe Price Foundation to bring the shop to TIME Organization so that people already receiving mental health treatment and other resources can have another safe space to express their feelings and generally, the black and brown men. So here we have a strong black and brown man providing the services and saying it’s okay to get help,” said Kess, director of outreach and engagement for the community program. development in the TIME Organization. “I feel like the most important thing for black men is to be able to have a space to express themselves, to be vulnerable, to deal with trauma, to unravel whatever issues they’re dealing with.” because, like suicide, suicidal ideologies, these things happen,” Owens said. The death of famed DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss is sparking conversations across the country about mental health, specifically among black men. But there are so many more. cases, many more names not known.According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, suicide rates within the black community peak in adolescents and young adults.Statistics also show that the rate of death from Suicide for black men is more than triple the rate for black women. That’s why Owens takes his job as a barber very seriously, knowing he can also be a listening ear or lifeline.” Unraveling the issues they’re dealing with is the biggest issue I can think of,” Owens said. Since October, more than 70 people have had their hair done at the store for free. The store needs more estheticians to help. For more information on how you can get involved, email skesslewis@timeorganization.org or call 443-872-2230 If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting message to 988, or you can chat online here.
A Southwest Baltimore barbershop and salon strives to create a safe space where people can talk about mental health.
Top Notch Barbershop is within TIME Organization, an outpatient mental health shelter and clinic. It is much more than a barbershop. For Tevin Harper, it’s a place and a time he longs for.
“Not even to cut my hair, to talk,” Harper said.
Harper has conversations with hairdresser Derel Owens about everything from mental health to past trauma to ways to create a better future.
“As a barber, we’re almost like clinical therapists. This is a therapy session for me and the person in the chair,” Owens said.
Shareese Kess worked with Rob’s Barbershop Community Foundation and the T. Rowe Price Foundation to bring the shop to TIME Organization so that people already receiving mental health treatment and other resources can have another safe space.
“Many people experience trauma, grief, loss, and some people have been taught not to express their feelings and black and brown men in general. So here we have a strong black and brown man providing the services he says that it’s okay to get help,” said Kess, director of community-based program development and engagement for the TIME Organization.
“I feel like the most important thing for black men is to be able to have a space to express themselves, to be vulnerable, to deal with trauma, to unpack whatever issues they’re going through, because, like suicide, suicidal ideologies, these things happen,” he said. owens.
the death of famous DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss is sparking conversations across the country about mental health, specifically in black men. But there are so many more cases, so many more names that are not known.
According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, suicide rates within the black community are peaking in teens and young adults. Statistics also show that the suicide death rate for black men is more than triple the rate for black women. That’s why Owens takes his job as a hairdresser very seriously, knowing that he too can be a listening ear or lifesaver.
“Having the opportunity to provide a safe space, to provide resources, to do outreach so that a person has the ability to unravel the issues that they’re dealing with is the biggest issue I can think of,” Owens said.
Since October, more than 70 people have gotten their hair done in the store for free. The store needs more beauticians to help. For more information on how you can get involved, email skesslewis@timeorganization.org or call 443-872-2230.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can talk to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or you can chat online here.