Women have a tendency to tell all to their hair stylists. That’s precisely why the Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties is hosting educational seminars in partnership with the Cut It Out program.
The program is designed to instruct salon professionals how to recognize warning signs of domestic abuse and safely refer their clients to local resources.
“We work with women all day long and … they develop relationships with our hairdressers. And some of the things we hear here — they’re not going to just tell anybody,” explained Kristie Warner, co-owner of the Gavin Scott Salon and Spa in Stow. “We joke around about being a full-service salon — meaning we are here to help anybody with anything.”
Warner and co-owner Anne Davis have partnered with the Battered Women’s Shelter for several events, including the Cut It Out program.
“When Anne and I started our business five years ago we had a major love for the Battered Women’s Shelter and what they do. Being involved was just something we wanted to do,” Warner said.
Amy Francesconi, a volunteer at the shelter and a den mom at the place that houses abused women, came to work at the salon about a year ago. Her arrival intensified the owners’ respect and desire to help the agency.
During the four-hour sessions next month, stylists will be taught to spot physical signs of domestic abuse and verbal clues that may suggest victimization. Often women tell their stylists things they don’t even tell their families.
“We are touching them and that contact develops trust,” Davis said, adding that women are more apt to hint about mental abuse, rather than physical altercations.
“We are making them feel beautiful,” Francesconi added.
“And maybe at home they don’t feel beautiful because something is going on there,” Warner interjected.
Though they have not spotted bruises or missing hair, the stylists at Gavin Scott have suspected some women clients have been emotionally abused. (They have not had any similar situations involving male clients.)
“One out of three women who sit in our chair are probably physically or mentally abused,” said Francesconi, who learned the statistic from her work with the Battered Women’s Shelter.
Brittany Paliswat, outreach and volunteer coordinator for the Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties, said after last year’s training, a few salon professionals contacted her to say they were now more confident to start a conversation with their clients about domestic violence.
“Many of the salons that have participated in the past have taken the initiative to place posters and domestic violence cards throughout their salon to help spread our hot line numbers and lead their clients to additional support,” said Paliswat. “We also have multiple salons that partner with us by giving their time to cut our clients’ hair, donating products, or hosting donation drives that help raise awareness and support the shelter.”
Recently, a client at Gavin Scott confessed that she was a victim of abuse. The team went into action: calling the Battered Women’s Shelter, finding an advocate to go to court with the woman and helping her physically move out of her abusive home.
Still, the stylists are very cautious about jumping in to help because they don’t want to make the situation at home worse. Thanks to the program, they now know what to do — and when.
“It would be amazing if every salon in this county would take… time to make the Cut It Out program a priority,” Warner said.
In 2010, the Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties provided services to more than 10,000 individuals and families.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office will partner with the shelter to host two free events for those in the salon business: 9 a.m. Feb. 4 at the Medina Library, 210 S. Broadway St., and 9 a.m. Feb. 11 at the Akron/Summit County Main Library, 60 S. High St., Akron.
For more information on Cut It Out, call Paliswat at the Battered Women’s Shelter at 330-860-5635 or visit www.scmcbws.org.
Kim Hone-McMahan can be reached at 330-996-3742 or kmcmahan@thebeaconjournal.com.