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Physiotherapist Kieran Rogers and barber Zephon Raine want to help men talk about their feelings more. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Movember 2020: Hong Kong physiotherapist and barber team up to tackle men’s mental health – ‘vulnerability is still a tough word for guys’

  • Physiotherapist Kieran Rogers and barber Zephon Raine find men feel comfortable talking about their feelings to them
  • Rogers has recently launched The Mo Fund, a long-term campaign to promote the importance of mental health services related to cancer care

Physiotherapist Kieran Rogers and barber Zephon Raine have found some commonalities in their professions.

Rogers, the founder and CEO of Momentum, a physiotherapy and health and wellness space, and Raine, the co-founder of Cut & Co, a bespoke barber shop, have found men, who are notoriously shy in talking about their feelings, are inclined to open up to them.

Raine said lots of men come into his barber shop and get candid about a wide range of issues they might not normally talk about.

“There’s that safety with a stranger and there is a detachment from the outside world,” said Raine, who is from England and has been in Hong Kong for six years. “So when you go to the barber shop you might be able to feel more open and vulnerable. And it’s usually a conversation you can relate to as well as being a guy, so the barber shop can be a great place where you build trust with a stranger.”

Zephon Raine and Kieran Rogers met four years ago after Rogers came to get his hair cut. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Rogers said he sees the same thing with guys who come into his clinic with injuries or physical ailments. He said the idea is to offer a calm, open atmosphere where people can talk about their feelings, but not feel any pressure.

“The big word right now is vulnerability,” said Rogers, who was born in Japan and studied in Australia. “But it is still a hard word for guys to commit to. They can talk about having aches and pains and even issues at work and say, ‘That’s life’ and carry on. But I think that’s where the delayed recognition of a lot of it is, if you’re raised in a traditional environment that’s where it stops. But now using words like vulnerability and openness, even if guys want to do it, it is still a very tough concept.”

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Studies have found that men are much more likely to commit suicide, but much less likely to report mental health symptoms such as depression and anxiety than women. Traditional masculine norms make it more difficult for men to talk about their feelings, something Rogers is hoping he can help remedy.

“It is still seen as a weakness or that there is something wrong with you,” said Rogers about the word “vulnerability”. “It’s not a normal thing you can talk about. But for us, as physios, we try to make it as normal as possible, and you can see how that has changed just by the language we use.”

Rogers and Raine have also teamed up for a Movember-inspired fundraiser called “Mo(ve) for Mo”, which looks to raise awareness for men’s mental health issues and funds for better access to early cancer screening. Feel Good Factory is also on board and a number of events have been planned for the month, including fitness classes geared towards health and wellness, and barber shop tutorials.
Physiotherapist Kieran Rogers said creating a relaxed and safe atmosphere helps guys open up about their feelings. Photo: Handout
Movember started in 2003 in Australia and features men growing moustaches to help raise awareness and funds for men’s issues, including early cancer screening and mental health. The movement has since gone global and Raine said he is hoping his barber shop, which he recently opened, can build on this mentality of inclusivity.

“For our job we tend to keep questions wide open,” he said about letting guys feel comfortable enough to share their feelings while getting their hair cut. “We don’t want to be too direct. If you do get a sense that someone is going through something you can just ask them open questions and let it be natural more than anything. As a barber, your job is to make them feel good about their hair and themselves.”

Rogers said he employs the same tactics and philosophy as a physiotherapist.

“We just listen and see what we can pick up on, especially this year because it is guaranteed every client is going to be dealing with Covid or the protests, or not being able to get away. You want them to be able to go into a space where they feel comfortable, but it’s not like a Q & A session, it’s a lot more relaxed.”

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Physiotherapist and barber tackle men’s mental health
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