A partnership between Parkland Health and a neighborhood barbershop is doing something good to help people talk about mental health.
The collaboration led to Shop Talk, where Kutinfed Barbershop in the Vickery Meadow area of Dallas was transformed into a space for open dialogue about mental health.
Customers talked while getting haircuts, while others gathered over food and drinks.
“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,” barbershop owner DeShone Williams said in a news release. “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.”
Shop Talk happened in March and again in July for National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. 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.”
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.
