{"id":18043,"date":"2018-09-18T16:00:22","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T21:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mentalhe180dev.wpenginepowered.com\/news\/cutting-the-stigma\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T09:17:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T14:17:03","slug":"cutting-the-stigma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.grafik.mentalhealthfirstaid.org\/es\/news\/cutting-the-stigma\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting the Stigma"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Damien Johnson owns and operates Charlotte, N.C.’s No Grease Barber School and knows firsthand how mental illness impacts\u00a0his clients. Johnson says he\u00a0hears stories day in and day out of men struggling \u2013 not with bills or\u00a0relationships \u2013 but with mental illness, depression and thoughts of suicide.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs men, they don\u2019t readily share these struggles, but when they sit down in a barber chair,\u00a0it\u2019s a safe place where they feel comfortable telling it all,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Johnson wanted to better support the common themes he was hearing from clients. He came across Atrium Health\u2019s\u00a0Mental Health First Aid\u00a0initiative and saw it as a great partnership opportunity to provide training to students who are preparing to become barbers and hairstylists. These men and women have a unique position in a community saturated in stigma\u00a0and in need of helpful mental health resources. The eight-hour Mental Health First Aid course helps the barbers recognize the signs of mental illness and get clients the support they need.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sheila Wright,\u00a0a Mental Health First Aid Instructor at Atrium Health, said barbers and hairstylists can be the gatekeepers for people who are going through a mental health crisis. \u201cThis course equips them with the ability to spot the signs \u2013 from depression to suicidal thoughts \u2013 and then direct people to get help,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n

Since its inception in 2013, more than 12,000 people have taken Mental Health First Aid courses through Atrium Health. The free course is available in Spanish and English to individuals and groups across the community, including employers, faith communities, public health and safety officials, veterans\u2019 organizations, youth\/adolescent groups and agencies, and Latino organizations.<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/a>\u00a0about Mental Health First Aid training at Atrium Health and how you can sign up. Or, if you\u2019re not in an area served by Atrium Health, find a class<\/a> cerca de ti.<\/p>\n

\n

Sheila Wright, MSN, RN is a Coordinator for York and Mecklenburg Counties, NC and a Mental Health First Aid Instructor at Atrium Health.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Damien Johnson owns and operates Charlotte, N.C.’s No Grease Barber School and knows firsthand how mental illness impacts\u00a0his clients. 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