MOUNDS, Ill. (WSIL) -- One local high school is taking a unique approach to student well-being.
Meridian High School has partnered with GRO Community Counseling Agency to offer free haircuts to students throughout the school day. This initiative, called "Groom Therapy," aims to address students' mental health needs.
Dr. Ryan James Reed, a nationally recognized therapist and community advocate, developed the program. He recognized that seeking mental health resources can be stigmatized in certain communities.Â
"One thing I know for sure, people are going to get haircuts. I can't promise you their going to come to a counseling office," Dr. Reed says.
By combining his skills as a barber with his mental health expertise, Dr. Reed uses haircuts encourage young people, particularly young black and brown males, to challenge the stigma around seeking traditional mental health services.Â
"Once they see, I can trust you with my head. They then realize, I can probably trust you with my head and heart," says Dr. Reed.
"Groom Therapy" allows students to practice self-care physically and mentally, introducing them to therapy in an engaging and accessible way.
District Principal Maryanne Dillard emphasizes that this program complements existing social and emotional learning resources in the school district.
"We make sure that every one of our students has at least one adult in the building that they can talk to and that they are checked in with pretty much on a daily basis," says Dillard.
Dillard says the need for these resources in their student body has been seen and being addressed.Â
"Our kids are adults, on the outside. When they walk through these doors, sometimes it's hard for them to know, 'hey, I can be a kid.'"Â
The goal of this initiative is to provide a relaxed setting for facilitating deeper dialogue about mental health. Dr. Reed hopes to expand the program by certifying more service providers as "groom therapists," to further increase access to therapy services.
