The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) has trained hundreds of beauty professionals to recognize domestic violence warning signs and to safely refer clients, colleagues, friends, and family to local resources through its CUT IT OUT: Salons Against Domestic Abuse program (CIO). In support of October’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the PBA is encouraging beauty professionals — including schools, instructors, and students — to get involved and help rally against domestic violence in the United States.

“Salon professionals are in a unique position to recognize the signs and symptoms of abuse in their clients and co-workers,” says Rachel Molepske, manager of leadership operations and charitable programs for the Professional Beauty Association (PBA). “Because of the intimate and nurturing nature of the relationship between salon professionals and their clients and co-workers, salon professionals can often spot signs of physical abuse that others may never see.”

CIO focuses on providing proper training on how to recognize the signs of abuse and safely refer victims to help. The training focuses on the three R’s: Recognize, Respond, and Refer. The training is geared specifically for the beauty industry and situations that can be found in the salon. “We do not want those who go through the training to become counselors — we want them to know to refer victims to professional help,” says Molepske “Salon professionals can become invaluable and influential community partners in the fight against domestic abuse.”

You can order CIO material for your salon or school, including posters and safety cards that contain domestic abuse information and phone number to the National Domestic Violence Hotline to help safely refer someone to local and national resources for help.

To learn more about becoming a trainer, sponsor, or fundraiser, or to make a donation (your donation helps provide salon professionals with resources such as posters and safety cards free of charge), visit www.probeauty.org/cutitout.

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