As a cosmetologist in a rural area, you more than likely have clients who are both victims and abusers. This can present a very difficult situation for you, especially if they have appointments at the same time, and you are not allowed any privacy with the victim. If you have a small salon, you make wish to make a friendly suggestion that the abusers go have coffee while you cut the victim’s hair. If you r salon is larger with room for privacy, ask the abuser to wait in the waiting area. Be sure and do the same with the victim, when it is the abuser’s appointment, so it doesn’t appear you are trying to get the victim alone.
If you can’t speak to the victim alone, perhaps you could ask her to call you after a few days to tell you how her style, perm, color, etc. is working out. You could say that you are seeking feedback from clients. If she does call you back, you can then attempt to speak with her about domestic violence.
As a cosmetologist, you may be in a very good position to notice bruising on the neck and throat that may have happened as a result of strangling. Strangling is an especially dangerous assault. Less than eight pounds of pressure over a very short time span can kill a person.
When you know that a client is an abuser of a partner or children, it becomes very difficult to work with that person. While it may be tempting to intervene and try to stop the abuse, an appearance of neutrality is the best policy. If you say anything that might indicate that you know what is going on in the home, the victim may be in greater danger.
