![\"GoodTherapy](\"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1265157458-1-300x169.jpg\" "\\"GoodTherapy")
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by Jennifer Leff, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, in New York, NY No doubt, the pandemic<\/a> has impacted most industries. However, the entertainment industry<\/a> was the first to shut down and will be the last to fully re-open. Entertainment industry workers, specifically those behind the scenes, have long experienced mental health challenges and stereotypically, haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t easily accessed services. The pandemic has only further shed a light on individuals in the entertainment industry, and with this, a strong call for mental health professionals who are equipped to provide support and tailor their clinical practices for those working behind the scenes.<\/p>\n According to NAMI<\/a> (National Alliance on Mental Health), one in five adults will experience or has experienced a mental health struggle. In 2019, this individual represented 19.1% of U.S. adults \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that is to say about 47.6 million living with a mental illness. Now, triple that number. Individuals working in the entertainment industry \u00e2\u20ac\u201d actors, musicians, stage production, roadies \u00e2\u20ac\u201d those in front of and behind the set\/stage \u00e2\u20ac\u201d are approximately three times more likely to struggle with mental health challenges. Moreover, there is a disproportionate struggle with substance misuse<\/a> in this population. While Arts and Entertainment can transcend emotions and benefit our well-being, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s somewhat ironic that production and tech workers \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the ones<\/em> we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see \u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0are, in fact, suffering. Behind the Scenes, a nonprofit foundation that provides support to entertainment technology professionals, created the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative to support entertainment industry workers and promote mental health and psychological safety.<\/p>\n The rigors and unique stressors of entertainment industry work have a negative impact on well-being and mental health. Common industry threads include financial instability, irregular hours, transient work and its impact on relationships, and lack of permanency. Bullying, harassment, and intimidation can occur, and leaders often don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know how to provide support. This can make people even more vulnerable. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also not uncommon for those working in the entertainment industry to lack insurance that covers behavioral health costs.<\/p>\n It is vitally important to have a cadre of therapists who are familiar with the industry, cognizant of how anxiety, depression, and PTSD are triggered in these workplaces, and willing to adjust their practices to meet the needs of this population (for example, by incorporating sliding scales). Behind the Scenes <\/em>is passionate about helping industry workers and their families access support and find mental health professionals who get it \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re excited to partner with GoodTherapy<\/a> to help make those connections.<\/p>\n The old adage \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the show must go on\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is exactly that \u00e2\u20ac\u201d old. The show can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go on if a show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s production \u00e2\u20ac\u201d sound, lighting, costume design, and more \u00e2\u20ac\u201d \u00c2\u00a0comes to a halt. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen an uptick in the entertainment industry talking about mental health and wellness; the pandemic has further fueled this discussion. If we continue this conversation and this cultural shift in the way we view mental health<\/a>, the show can go on in a way that is healthy and sustainable for all.<\/p>\n If you go behind the scenes<\/a>, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153reputation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is ubiquitous. Industry workers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to jeopardize their reputation or perceived reliability should they take time off or admit to needing support. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s okay to not be okay, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s human to need help.<\/p>\n Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not wait for Suicide Prevention Week or Mental Health Month<\/a> to highlight mental health or encourage permission to address mental health needs. Check in with friends and colleagues. Next time you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re watching TV, enjoying a music festival, or sitting in a theater audience, think of the rigger or the lighting tech and recognize their work and challenges. If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in the industry, know you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not alone. Support is available for you.<\/p>\n by Jennifer Leff, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, in New York, NY Co-Chair, Behind the Scenes Mental Health\/Suicide Prevention Initiative Steering Committee What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Going On Behind the Scenes? Mental Health and the Entertainment Industry No doubt, the pandemic has impacted most industries. However, the entertainment industry was the first to shut down and will be the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3168,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1936,1902,1884,542,1899,626,628,529,623],"tags":[183,161,1938,1713],"class_list":["post-41808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-related-issues","category-addiction","category-depression","category-featured-articles","category-for-therapists","category-for-therapists-by-therapist","category-general","category-good-therapy-announcements","category-issues-treated","tag-anxiety","tag-depression","tag-entertainment-industry","tag-mental-health-help"],"acf":{"author_show":false,"author_name":"","author_role":"","author_avatar":null,"author_profile_url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41808"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41808\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nCo-Chair, Behind the Scenes Mental Health\/Suicide Prevention Initiative<\/a> Steering Committee<\/em><\/p>\nWhat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Going On Behind the Scenes? Mental Health and the Entertainment Industry<\/h1>\n
The Need<\/h2>\n
The Unique Pressures of Technical Workers<\/h2>\n
We Need Therapists Who Get It<\/h2>\n
Mental Health Trumps Reputation<\/h2>\n
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Ready to find a therapist who gets it? Search for therapists near you<\/a>, then filter your results by Industries & Communities Served > Entertainment Industry.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"