The barbershop therapy sessions helping men open up

"The first step was the hardest. I didn't know what to expect."

Chimbuomemma Rayme-Nwokah is part of a growing community of black African men meeting in barber shops in Derby to talk about their mental health.

People attending the Fade Therapy Sessions are encouraged to have "deep, meaningful conversations", open up about their feelings and life's modern-day challenges.

Rayme-Nwokah, 27, said that after attending the therapy sessions, which launched last year, he is now "talking more openly about feelings, listening to people older and wiser, and listening more in general."

Growing up as a boy in Nigeria, he said the culture emphasised that "boys don't cry; the message was to be strong, a heroic male".

But since moving to Derby in 2023, Rayme-Nwokah said he now sees life differently.

"I want to be more open, to have deeper, more meaningful conversations with other African men about life's pressures," he added.

"We are building trust, friendships, and becoming more open about discussing emotions, feelings, and our mental health."

Almost 50 men have attended the first six sessions of the project, which was awarded £4,862 by Derbyshire's Police and Crime Commissioner's Safe and Stronger Communities Fund.

People who attend are welcome to have a free haircut, which some do accept, or they can simply sit, talk and listen.

Ndukwe Onuoha, a Derby city councillor, is a director of the Derby Nsibidi Project, which champions African arts, culture and heritage, which set up the sessions.

He said barber shops are a place men can go to "forget the world out there".

He added: "Our motto is simple - cuts, conversations, community.

"We want people to leave our group discussions looking sharp and feeling great."

Onuoha said no subject should be out of bounds. At one of the latest sessions, the theme of rejection was discussed.

"Rejection is something all of us face in our lives at some point.

"For black African men who you deal with, it can impact massively on your wellbeing, whether it be a failed job application or rejection in a relationship.

"Many of us need to get better at coping with it."

"We are seeing men who have clammed up about issues for the best part of their lives. It is not always going to be so easy to get them to be as vulnerable as we would like them to be but we are getting there."

Mental health professionals have attended the events to give talks and facilitate, and Onuoha said men can be referred to mental health services, although that has not happened so far".

One of the barbers involved, Salah Abdul Adulabi, said he always strives to make his shop a relaxed, safe space where men feel free to talk and support each other.

"We are having deep conversations. People are talking about what is happening to them in their community and sharing."

"My nickname is Fifty, because I'm 50 years old. Everyone calls me that. I have lived a lot, I love talking and supporting people and sharing my experience of life."

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