For many in the live entertainment industry, touring is a way of life, and for some just starting out at rental houses and manufacturers, it is a step up the ladder. It can be exciting, rewarding, and many professionals become close and feel part of a family on the road. There is a darker side though, when those on tour are separated from their real family for extended periods, away from pets and other support, and feeling a loss of control over their surroundings and time. Recently, a spate of studies, including this one from 2020, have found that musicians and other touring professionals are more vulnerable to suicidal thoughts, depression, stress, anxiety and burnout, which can also lead to physical ailments such as obesity, high blood pressure, and substance abuse.
In response to this, the Music Industry Therapist Collective has launched a new initiative to offer alternative coping strategies for people in the industry, a new platform where touring professionals can book short-notice, expert-led coaching sessions. The online platform is available 24/7 and gives access to appointments with to a global network of psychology professionals.
To make this service available to crews and artists on the road, touring companies and promoters can book discounted blocks of sessions in advance, and then give performers and crews a private booking link and an access code for the platform. The system is private, mental health professionals are available in different time zones to accommodate tour schedules, offer different languages, and most importantly, all of them had first-hand experience of working in the music business before training in performing arts medicine.
The platform is easy to use and does not require any payment from the crew member. It can be accessed online at: https://mitc.simplybook.it/v2/# There is a choice of booking slot times and therapist. Each session is held online and lasts up to 50 minutes. Welfare coaching blends the practical, solutions-focused tools of coaching to get through immediate crises with the psychological insight of therapy.
MITC suggests these sessions can help both performers and crew with:
- Managing stress and burnout
- Coping with performance pressures (both on and off stage)
- Support with substance dependency and addiction recovery Coping with performance pressures (both on and off stage)
- Support with substance dependency and addiction recovery
- Tackling relational problems and conflict
- Solutions for improving work/life balance and satisfaction
- Development of self-awareness, self-control and self-advocacy
- Managing loneliness and disconnection
- Maintaining physical and psychological health and wellbeing
The Music Industry Therapist Collective began in 2017 and grew out of a need for combing music industry experience with academic research and frontline clinical support. Founded by psychotherapist, ex-tour manager and ex-festival booker Tamsin Embleton, (editor of Touring and Mental Health: the Music Industry Manual) MITC is dedicated to providing specialist support that enables artists and crew to continue to do what they love.
MITC professionals are trained to provide the artists, performers and crew with tools for protecting their health and mental wellbeing while on the road. In addition to the benefits for touring professionals, the company benefits from a workforce able to work safely at its peak and maintain healthy behaviors for the length of the tour.
MITC will distribute any unused appointments in each block sold to theatre and club tours which are unable to invest in mental health support. The ‘Pay It Forward’ program allows stadium and arena tours to contribute to the wellbeing of independent artists and those engaging in smaller scale tours with less funding. And of course, any tour that wants to invest in the longterm health of the industry and its up and coming practitioners has the option to purchase additional sessions and make a donation to ‘pay forward’ to smaller tours.
For more information, visit www.musicindustrytherapists.com.