More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults live with a mental illness, and most of them—approximately 55%—are not receiving treatment, according to Mental Health America.

In an effort to meet people where they are, a national nonprofit is equipping barbers and hairstylists with peer support tools to help clients in need. The Confess Project of America is the first barbershop mental health advocacy program in the U.S.

More than 4,000 barbers and other beauty professionals across America have been trained as mental health advocates using curriculum backed by Harvard University. Entrepreneur and Confess Project founder Lorenzo Lewis said the program, which launched in 2016, is already making a difference.

“This has been life-saving in that guys say I’m glad I found a barber or someone who can hear me out. This is already something that a lot of barbers have said, this is something they’ve already been doing. They’ve been counselors. They’ve been great listeners,” said Lewis. “They’ve helped people put the gun down and not commit a crime. They’ve helped people from not dying by suicide, and so these are already comments that we’ve heard that they’ve already been doing. Now, they are just armed with an actual curriculum and tools and a system that allows them to navigate it in a very appropriate way.”

These barbers and hairstylists are learning peer support tools like active listening, validation, positive communication and stigma reduction. They also learn the steps to refer clients to a counselor when necessary.

In less than a decade, The Confess Project of America has reached more than 4 million people across 32 states. The organization now aims to reach 120 million people across the globe with mental health awareness, support and advocacy training.

Next, Lewis says he wants to include nail technicians to his list of frontline employees working as mental health advocates.

You can get more information by visiting theconfessprojectofamerica.org.