Community Reinvestment Empowers Curl Garden to Foster Mental Health and Healing
Sabrina Gray started her business, The Curl Garden, seven years ago with the motto "It's deeper than hair." Her goal was to create a safe space where clients could not only leave with beautiful hair but also feel rejuvenated mentally and emotionally. Sabrina's approach to her work has always been about more than just hair; it's about connecting with her clients on a personal level and providing a space for healing and growth.
Sabrina's commitment to her community led her to participate in the Barber and Beauty Shop Behavioral Health Project, funded by the Washington State Commerce Community Reinvestment Program. The program provided her with invaluable training and resources to better support her clients' mental health. Through it, Sabrina learned about self-advocacy, boundary setting, and trauma healing, which she has been able to apply to her personal and professional life.
"I realized I actually wasn't good at [self-advocacy]," Sabrina admits. "So for me, it also helped me, like, in real-time."
The training also equipped her to have difficult conversations, ask open-ended questions, and connect clients with appropriate resources. "They're grounding us in actual information and helping us have tools in our toolbox to draw on," Sabrina explains.
Sabrina believes that the Barber and Beauty Shop Behavioral Health Project is essential because it addresses the growing mental health crisis in the community. "People are struggling with depression, people are struggling with anxiety. People are rattled with fear," she says. "To be able to have tools...to actually be able to help people and not just... 'Oh, you got to come here and dump it out,' but actually help you walk through healing. That's a different ball game."
The program's impact on Sabrina's work and her clients is already evident. She sees more unity and community among beauty professionals and a greater emphasis on humanizing clients. "I hope that we would start seeing the human person in front of us more than we are seeing the dollars behind us," Sabrina emphasizes.
She has also started new initiatives in her salon, such as a worship night, to create a safe space for women to gather and heal. "Part of my mission is to gather women for safe spaces and for healing," she says.
Sabrina Gray's story is a testament to the power of community investment and the transformative impact that beauty professionals can have when they are equipped with the right tools and resources. Through the Barber and Beauty Shop Behavioral Health Project, Sabrina has deepened her connection with her clients, expanded her impact on the community, and facilitated a space for healing and growth.
