Parkland brings mental health conversations to barbershop chairs
In recognition of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Parkland Health is spotlighting a community collaboration that is bringing conversations about mental health into a trusted gathering place in the community: the neighborhood barbershop.
For Jenniffer Carranza, Community Development Specialist at Parkland, the initiative is rooted in listening to the community. Findings from the 2025 Dallas County Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) identified behavioral health as the county's most pressing health concern.
The assessment found that more Dallas County residents are reporting poor mental health, while Black and Hispanic communities continue to face disproportionate barriers to care, including stigma, language differences, transportation challenges, and limited access to culturally responsive services.
Those findings helped shape Carranza’s approach: meeting people where they are and creating spaces where conversations about mental health feel natural, trusted and free of judgment.
“Through the CHNA, we learned that the community wanted Parkland to meet them where they are,” Carranza said. “As a Community Development Specialist, I’m always thinking outside the box about how we can connect with people in meaningful ways and meet their needs.”
Collaboration aims to connect community to mental health resources
Rather than relying solely on traditional outreach, Carranza began looking for community spaces where conversations happened naturally. She reconnected with past health fair partners and reached out to DeShone Williams, co-owner of Kutinfed Barbershop in the Vickery Meadow area of Dallas.
“Too often, when you ask someone how they’re doing, they'll say, ‘I can’t complain,’ because they don’t think anyone really wants to hear what they’re going through. We’re trying to change that,” Williams said. “As a barber, you feel the pulse of the community. And as time has progressed, it was as if our customers were waiting for something like this.”
The collaboration led to the first “Shop Talk” event in March, transforming the neighborhood barbershop into a space for open dialogue about mental health. Customers talked while getting haircuts, while others gathered over food and drinks.
The discussion was led by Patrick LeBlanc, Senior Community Health Educator. No formal presentation was given. Instead, it was an open conversation about issues facing the community and the resources available for help.
“We took the approach that there is no subject off limits in the barbershop. And regardless of a person’s knowledge of the subject, there is no restriction on contributing to the conversation,” he explained. “The conversations have been transparent and raw with participants sharing intimate details about their mental health and several choosing to seek therapeutic help. We cannot change help-seeking behaviors until we change the way people think about mental health.”
The first Shop Talk drew about three dozen men who were predominantly Black and Hispanic. The second event saw nearly double the attendees, reinforcing the need for trusted spaces where conversations about mental health can happen openly.
“This is bigger than just cutting hair,” Williams said. “We’ve created a safe space here, and that’s what makes these conversations possible.”
Looking ahead, Carranza hopes this model can become a series of ongoing discussions with more small businesses and organizations that are in the heart of the community that Parkland serves.
“It’s exciting to see how things change little by little when you do these events,” Carranza said. “The main goal is helping people reach out for support without being afraid or held back by cultural stigma.”
To learn more about Parkland’s outreach efforts, visit www.parklandhealth.org/in-the-community.
For more information about Parkland services, visit www.parklandhealth.org.
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