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Mental health professionals and peer support workers on the ground at conferences, stadium tours or festivals, to support crew & venue workers and be a presence for mental health support.
Our 2024 survey, conducted with the Centre of Social Impact, revealed alarmingly high levels of psychological distress amongst music workers, more than three times that of the general population. Similar findings were published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, in a peer-reviewed report titled Mental health issues among international touring professionals in the music industry, which found that touring professionals, in particular, were at high risk for mental health issues including suicidality, and clinical depression.
Given the unique pressures and demands of work on live, major productions, we believe that promoters and festival organisers can play a valuable role in helping to provide mental health support to music & crew workers by engaging backstage mental health support. Emerging initiatives have been launched across the United States and in the UK to bring such support services to festival backstage areas, and Support Act is proud to provide a similar service for crew and music workers backstage at conferences, stadium tours and/or festivals across Australia.
This is your opportunity to be on the forefront of mental health support for touring professionals and music workers backstage. Together, we can support and nurture the emotional and social safety of members of the music community and contribute to creating a safe and thriving music industry for all.
How we can help
We can provide Mental Health Professionals and/or Crew Peer Support Workers to provide on-the-ground support for crew workers and other production crew, including touring crew, security and venue staff engaged in large-scale arena productions, including bump-in, production days, show days, and bump-out periods.
Employed by Support Act and with support from CrewCare, our staff of professionals and peer workers are available to provide direct mental health and peersupport to crew members and other on-site workers, ensuring a safe and confidential space for debriefing, morale-building, and referrals to appropriate services.
Our mental health professionals and peer support workers can also offer onsite consultation with Support Act staff and referral to other services as appropriate:
- Support Act Wellbeing Helpline: 12 free counselling sessions (Telehealth, Zoom and in person available)
- Crisis relief support
- Financial advice, tax support
- Dedicated helplines for First Nations support, LGBTQIA+ support, manager support, and workplace safety.
This is a frontline support position aimed at fostering trust, connection, and advocacy for crew workers in high-intensity work environments.
If you’d like to learn more about our Backstage Mental Health Support offering, contact us.
Read more about our other training programs here.
