Monday October 27, 2025
Imagine being in a place where your mental health is at its lowest, and even something as simple as getting a haircut feels out of reach; an everyday act that many take for granted.
Tom East, Consumer Peer Support Worker at Eastern Health IPU, saw an opportunity to use his professional experience as a barber, to help.
“I found barbering when I left the inpatient unit and it spoke to me, so I started doing my work as a peer support worker in my barber chair.”
Peer Support Workers use their own lived experience of mental health challenges, to provide emotional and practical support.
“The minute you say, “I’ve been here,” you can see the defences go down. The culture of community comes to us, and it’s a huge positive. Add the barbering element to that and it brings us closer together, I’m giving them something.”
Mr East uses his talents to connect with all types of people, with his barbering skills creating moments of connection, at times during serious mental health challenges.
“I’ve noticed a shift in who engages with me. My style and presentation seem to draw in a different crowd. People who might not have connected with me before are now approaching me, asking for cuts, and starting conversations.”
“It was really important for me, to give part of myself as well, not just my voice, but my profession and my talent. It’s a nice complete circle for me, to be able to find something that saved my life and give it back to somebody else.”
Mr East would love to see the service spread to other Eastern Health campuses, making sure everyone gets the care they deserve while in some of the hardest time of their lives. Like it did and continues to do for him.
“It has played a huge part in my own recovery and still does to this day. Sometimes when I’m anxious on the ward, I’ll go find someone and offer them a haircut. Then we’ll talk and the communication just opens up. It keeps me grounded.”
