Hairdressers have an ability to talk and talk and talk.
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And often get to know everything about their clients.
But they are sometimes the ones hearing about their client's struggles with domestic violence.
A free workshop on Monday night aims to give hairdressers and beauty professionals the skills to recognise, respond and refer their clients.
Sir & Duchess Salon owner Zoe Wilde is hosting the HaiR-3Rs workshop for salon professionals run by Eastern Domestic Violence Service in Victoria.
It teaches salon professionals how to recognise signs of family violence, how to respond appropriately to disclosures and how to refer clients on to a specialist family violence service where they can get help and support.
"I am a big advocate for this program because I believe we as hair and beauty professionals need to be better educated on how to recognise, respond, and refer our clients who are living in violence," Ms Wilde said.
"I also believe we need to learn how to best protect ourselves, staff and businesses against anything happening towards us because we may have said the wrong thing, or tried to help in a way which puts us in direct danger.
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"We as hairdressers are often thought of as 'therapists' and our clients often confined in us things that they cannot share with anyone else.
"I know over the past 15 years I have had a few clients which I have supported though DV, but at the time I felt useless and didn't know what to do.
"This workshop has been a long time coming for us to be better prepared and educated to actually being able to help but also knowing how to refer them onto the real specialists."
The three hour workshop is open to all hair and beauty professionals in the Albury-Wodonga area on Monday, May 6 from 6pm at Sir & Duchess Salon in North Albury.
There will also be a workshop at the Sydney Hair Expo on June 10.
To book contact Ms Wilde through the Sir & Duchess Salon on Facebook.
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