Hairdressers suffer 'emotional toll' of becoming 'agony aunts' for clients

There are calls for hairdressers to be trained in mental health support and suicide prevention - after a study revealed stylists are often facing extreme social fatigue.

University scientists have said hairdressers suffer from the toll of actively listening to all of their clients woes.

UWS’s Dr Gillian Hendry, and Anna Gilius, from the University of Glasgow, conducted interviews with Scottish hairdressers to explore how becoming an unofficial counsellor can impact them.

'I become an agony aunt'

Claire Naismith runs Hair We Go - an award-winning salon in the city centre of Glasgow.

After two decades in the industry, becoming an "agony aunt" is second nature to her.

She said: "You don't realise how much of a toll it takes on you to be behind the chair.

"Clients tell you about when they're getting divorced, they have cancer... I become an agony aunt as well as a hairdresser.

"All of a sudden, someone could be breaking down in your chair and you're thinking 'what do I do?'

"All you can do is be there to comfort them and it is hard to take it away when you're going home - and I will think about it all the way home.

"Sometimes I go home and I do not speak, or I drive with no music on and just stare at the road.

"You're constantly trying to decompress after your day, and get it out of your head as well as getting on with everything involved with running a salon behind the scenes.

"There are loads of hairdressers who have breakdowns because it's too much for them when they've got their own things going on at home. They say they can't take it anymore."

However - Claire said this was part of the job and she is thankful for the close bond that she shares with clients.

'Emotional labour'

Dr Hendry said: “We know that hairdressers often adopt a ‘faux counsellor’ role whilst tending to clients and listening to their woes, but very little research has been done into how this affects them.

“Our findings suggest that the toll of this emotional labour is much greater than people might think and often leads to social fatigue where, as one participant said, they just want to come home and sit in silence and do absolutely nothing.

“Other participants discussed how some of the problems clients disclose could be quite triggering for them to listen to, depending on their own experiences.

“However, most also displayed a sense of authentic care and willingness to support clients through difficulties in their lives.

“We hope this research provides an evidence base to aid the development of initiatives to support the psychological impact of working in this industry.”

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