Brits are turning to hairdressers, shopkeepers, and pets rather than professionals for mental health advice

Owen Norgrove with Barber Firat Davutoglu atTurkish Barber in Ludlow, Shropshire. Barber Firat saved customer’s Owen’s life after finding lump on his neck that turned out to be Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer. Owen is in remission now .

BRITS are turning to hairdressers, shopkeepers, personal trainers and even pets for emotional support.

A poll of 2,000 adults found 76 per cent turn to these ‘therapist surrogates’ for a mental health boost.

With 16 per cent confiding in someone from their workplace, such as a colleague or manager.

But while they offer comfort and familiarity, 49 per cent still struggle to cope, suggesting informal support systems may not be enough.

Even though 24 per cent don’t consider their problems ‘serious enough’ to actually require professional therapy.

The research was commissioned by BetterHelp , which earlier this year published the ‘ State of Stigma ’ report that found 49 per cent feel formal support is hard to find.

While more than a third (37 per cent) are deterred by stigma and 21 per cent report a lack of access to providers.

Joanne Saulter, a BACP-accredited therapist from the company, said: “Finding the right, qualified therapist can be daunting.

“Turning to trusted figures like hairdressers or colleagues can offer comfort in the moment – but they’re not always equipped to help us process deeper emotional challenges.”

The research also found 44 per cent of adults would be more likely to try therapy if they could switch therapists easily and confidentially, rising to almost two-thirds (63 per cent) for 18-24-year-olds.

And nearly six in 10 (59 per cent) would be more likely to go to a formal therapist if they were matched with someone who shares the same qualities, such as being non-judgmental, convenient and understanding, as their ‘therapist surrogate’.

The top motivations for turning to one of these stand-ins included trust (31 per cent), being ‘easy to talk to’ (16 per cent) and being understanding (16 per cent).

But 27 per cent of over 65s claimed they have never ‘needed’ to confide in anyone, according to the OnePoll.com data.

And men are 33 per cent more likely than women to believe therapy won’t help them.

To help bridge the gap between individuals and effective mental health support, BetterHelp has introduced its Therapist Match Commitment.

It uses member preferences, its data-driven matching algorithm, and the local therapists available to ensure users are lined up with the most effective therapist available.