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November 27, 2023
Afiya Mbilishaka is a hairdresser who happens to also be a clinical psychologist, which is a role that many hairdressers (and barbers) have informally served.
Afiya Mbilishaka is a hairdresser who happens to also be a clinical psychologist, which is a role that many hairdressers (and barbers) have informally served in, particularly in the Black community. Mbilishaka told Well And Good that what sparked her interest in exploring the connection was a bout of indecisiveness before she left for college. Her aunt encouraged her to do both, referring to Mbilishaka’s conflict between studying hair and psychology, and the result was her own company, PsychoHairapy.
Mbilishaka says that Black women’s mental health can be assisted through conversations with hairdressers, telling Well And Good, “To engage Black women on a cultural level, mental health providers must acknowledge the significance of hair and make use of the existing social support of hairstylists, the natural helpers in the community.”
She earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and was a full-time therapist at Columbia University and then she was a professor at the University of the District of Columbia. Dr. Afiya is a natural hairstylist and partners with N Natural Hair Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Mbilishaka also explained the purpose of her company, saying, “The purpose (of) PsychoHairapy is to direct attention to treatment modalities that culturally and spiritually fit within the lives of Black women. To reach large numbers of this population, PsychoHairapy is centered on addressing the psychological needs of people who are often neglected, by offering accessible options in the safe space of the hair salon.”
Mbilishaka offers her students a 12-hour, skills-based training program that goes over the history of Black hair, how to see, understand, and empathize with mental illness signs, and how to respond to client concerns of the mental health variety. Mbilishaka says that the program is unique, often leading to breakthroughs once hairstylists realize how vital they are to their communities.
“Hairstylists who have taken the course have become emotional over realizing their work could have such a far-reaching impact,” Mbilishaka said. “There is no mental health training in cosmetology school, therefore, hairstylists appreciate getting the language to process the emotions that come up in their chair. Hairstylists [also] love learning about the history of our hair in particular, and enjoy practicing techniques of…reframing some of the concerns coming up in their clients’ lives.”
This type of mental health care is not only growing in the U.S., but in parts of Africa. Though not associated with Mbilishaka’s practice, Tele da Silveira is one of 150 women trained in mental health care in West and Central African cities. Hairdressers like da Silveira, who has a salon in Lomé, Togo’s capital, are being trained to ask open-ended questions to their clients during hairdressing sessions, identify signs of distress, and offer emotional support in areas where mental health counseling is scarce and expensive.
“People need attention in this world,” da Silveira told The New York Times. “They need to talk.”
This initiative aims to address the mental health gap in developing countries and has been particularly effective in West and Central Africa, where hair salons serve as community hubs.
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