Behind the Scenes begins development of a Mental Health and Suicide Prevention initiative
Behind the Scenes News
BEHIND THE SCENES was created so industry members could look after each other in times of crisis. The charity originally defined crisis as entertainment technology professionals, or their immediate dependent family members, who are seriously ill or injured.
In 2016, Behind the Scenes was approached by a concerned individual, Karen Sherman, who was seeing too many of her colleagues dealing with depression and substance misuse. She wanted to find a way to encourage individuals to seek counseling at the start of problems, before they became a crisis and, in an expansion of its mission, the BTS Counseling Fund was created to help ease the financial burdens associated with seeking treatment.
Over the last few years, the conversation about mental health has increased dramatically within our industry. Entertainment professionals are realizing, and openly discussing, the toll that working in the entertainment industry can take on people’s emotional wellbeing in addition to their physical health.
In response to these concerns about the rising number of suicides and the prevalence of alcohol/substance misuse within the entertainment industry, Behind the Scenes is beginning work on a Mental Health and Suicide Prevention initiative.
The goal is to provide easily accessible information, tools, and resources to members of the entertainment technology industry that will offer:
■ Resources for individuals to make it easier to self-identify issues and seek help in early stage as well as crisis situations
■Tools and training that will increase industry members’ confidence about how to reach out and provide assistance to individuals in need of support
■ Employers and supervisors with tools and resources to become effective leaders in
• Changing the culture regarding mental health
• Identifying and supporting at-risk individuals
• Responding to a mental health crisis such as suicide or accidental overdose
• Reintegrating individuals who have been impacted by a mental health or substance misuse crisis back into the workplace
BTS has engaged Vibrant Emotional Health (www.vibrant.org) to assist in the development of this initiative. Vibrant is a nonprofit organization that is a national leader in suicide prevention and promoting mental health awareness and emotional wellness.
They administer the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) and the National Disaster Distress Helpline along with several other industry/sector specific crisis lines. The NSPL’s division of Standards, Training, and Practice disseminates best practices to the 170 crisis centers that comprise the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline throughout the country. Dr. John Draper, Executive Director of the NSPL, spoke at the 2019 New World Rigging Symposium and the USITT Conference in Louisville. Vibrant’s Center for Policy, Advocacy, and Education offers state of the art training in suicide prevention, workplace wellness and mental health, and substance use awareness.
The BTS Foundation has created a steering committee composed of individuals with expertise and knowledge in health and safety, suicide prevention, mental health, and substance misuse which will guide the development of the program. Joining BTS in developing this initiative are representatives of major stakeholder groups such as IATSE, The Broadway League, NBCUniversal, and MusiCares.
The first phase in developing the program is to learn from you, the industry, how prevalent you believe these issues are and what tools and resources would be helpful to you personally or in assisting someone you are concerned about.
Step one was to conduct an industry-wide online survey to get a sense of how many people in the industry are experiencing anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, problems with alcohol/substance misuse, or reactions to traumatic events themselves, or are seeing signs of it in co-workers or colleagues. We also wanted to know what resources are currently available, what might keep people from taking advantage of them, and what they would like to see developed.
The second step will be to conduct a more in-depth needs assessment through the use of focus groups to further define what resources and tools are needed. Possible toolkit items may include:
■ Materials that assist in identifying warning signs that someone may be struggling with a mental health condition or substance misuse
■ Tools for starting conversations and offering support to individuals you are concerned about
■ Social media content dealing with suicide prevention and substance misuse
■ Guidance about how to respond to a mental health crisis such as suicide or accidental overdose in the workplace
■ Tips for reintegrating a worker who has been impacted by a mental health or substance misuse crisis back into the workplace
■ Materials or sample scripting for “toolbox talks”
■ Resource listings for information about mental health and substance misuse
It is you, the industry, which will determine what this initiative looks like. Your input is what will identify the tools and resources that are needed and how they should be accessed. It is your support in getting the word out—about the initiative and the tools and resources that will be available—that will impact its success and allow us all to bring help and hope to our colleagues in need. If you have questions or comments, please email mh@btshelp.org. ■
“Entertainment professionals are realizing, and openly discussing, the toll that working in the entertainment industry can take on people’s emotional wellbeing in addition to their physical health.“
“Your input is what will identify the tools and resources that are needed and how they should be accessed.“
In 2016, Behind the Scenes was approached by a concerned individual, Karen Sherman, who was seeing too many of her colleagues dealing with depression and substance misuse. She wanted to find a way to encourage individuals to seek counseling at the start of problems, before they became a crisis and, in an expansion of its mission, the BTS Counseling Fund was created to help ease the financial burdens associated with seeking treatment.
Over the last few years, the conversation about mental health has increased dramatically within our industry. Entertainment professionals are realizing, and openly discussing, the toll that working in the entertainment industry can take on people’s emotional wellbeing in addition to their physical health.
In response to these concerns about the rising number of suicides and the prevalence of alcohol/substance misuse within the entertainment industry, Behind the Scenes is beginning work on a Mental Health and Suicide Prevention initiative.
The goal is to provide easily accessible information, tools, and resources to members of the entertainment technology industry that will offer:
■ Resources for individuals to make it easier to self-identify issues and seek help in early stage as well as crisis situations
■Tools and training that will increase industry members’ confidence about how to reach out and provide assistance to individuals in need of support
■ Employers and supervisors with tools and resources to become effective leaders in
• Changing the culture regarding mental health
• Identifying and supporting at-risk individuals
• Responding to a mental health crisis such as suicide or accidental overdose
• Reintegrating individuals who have been impacted by a mental health or substance misuse crisis back into the workplace
BTS has engaged Vibrant Emotional Health (www.vibrant.org) to assist in the development of this initiative. Vibrant is a nonprofit organization that is a national leader in suicide prevention and promoting mental health awareness and emotional wellness.
They administer the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) and the National Disaster Distress Helpline along with several other industry/sector specific crisis lines. The NSPL’s division of Standards, Training, and Practice disseminates best practices to the 170 crisis centers that comprise the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline throughout the country. Dr. John Draper, Executive Director of the NSPL, spoke at the 2019 New World Rigging Symposium and the USITT Conference in Louisville. Vibrant’s Center for Policy, Advocacy, and Education offers state of the art training in suicide prevention, workplace wellness and mental health, and substance use awareness.
The BTS Foundation has created a steering committee composed of individuals with expertise and knowledge in health and safety, suicide prevention, mental health, and substance misuse which will guide the development of the program. Joining BTS in developing this initiative are representatives of major stakeholder groups such as IATSE, The Broadway League, NBCUniversal, and MusiCares.
The first phase in developing the program is to learn from you, the industry, how prevalent you believe these issues are and what tools and resources would be helpful to you personally or in assisting someone you are concerned about.
Step one was to conduct an industry-wide online survey to get a sense of how many people in the industry are experiencing anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, problems with alcohol/substance misuse, or reactions to traumatic events themselves, or are seeing signs of it in co-workers or colleagues. We also wanted to know what resources are currently available, what might keep people from taking advantage of them, and what they would like to see developed.
The second step will be to conduct a more in-depth needs assessment through the use of focus groups to further define what resources and tools are needed. Possible toolkit items may include:
■ Materials that assist in identifying warning signs that someone may be struggling with a mental health condition or substance misuse
■ Tools for starting conversations and offering support to individuals you are concerned about
■ Social media content dealing with suicide prevention and substance misuse
■ Guidance about how to respond to a mental health crisis such as suicide or accidental overdose in the workplace
■ Tips for reintegrating a worker who has been impacted by a mental health or substance misuse crisis back into the workplace
■ Materials or sample scripting for “toolbox talks”
■ Resource listings for information about mental health and substance misuse
It is you, the industry, which will determine what this initiative looks like. Your input is what will identify the tools and resources that are needed and how they should be accessed. It is your support in getting the word out—about the initiative and the tools and resources that will be available—that will impact its success and allow us all to bring help and hope to our colleagues in need. If you have questions or comments, please email mh@btshelp.org. ■
“Entertainment professionals are realizing, and openly discussing, the toll that working in the entertainment industry can take on people’s emotional wellbeing in addition to their physical health.“
“Your input is what will identify the tools and resources that are needed and how they should be accessed.“