The UK’s first Centre for Mental Health in the Music Industry has opened in Stockport, Greater Manchester. It will provide a dedicated and essential resource for all involved in the music industry – a sector that has been badly hit by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Centre will offer counselling to individuals and groups as well as raising awareness of the need to improve the music industry’s overall provision for mental health support.
In addition to counselling, its services will include music industry-specific mental health coaching and consultation, conflict resolution for bands and space for focus and support groups to meet. As part of its training offering it will offer the UK’s first CPD accredited one-day course on Mental Health Awareness in the music industry.
The Centre has been founded by Rachel Jepson, who has worked in the music industry for over 20 years. Rachel struggled with her own mental health, in part due to the nature of the industry. A trained person-centred counsellor and BACP registered, Rachel’s vision was to provide a dedicated space for training and counselling that the whole industry could benefit from.
“The impact of Covid-19 is one of the biggest challenges the music industry has had to face. Now, more than ever, we need a centre like this”, says Rachel. “Figures suggest that 70% of people in the industry are doing less than a quarter of their usual work. Musicians and industry professionals have lost their opportunities, their hopes for the future and, in some cases, their livelihoods. As well as the counselling services we offer, the workshops and courses we provide will focus on specific issues affecting those working in the sector, such as life on tour, creativity, addiction, struggling for and sustaining success, financial planning and more.
Based in Stockport, the Centre for Mental Health in the Music Industry is a dedicated and essential resource for all who are involved in the sector. It is a place for support and exploration around mental health in the music industry and raising awareness of what can be done to improve the industry’s provision for mental health. It provides therapy, supervision and training to support the need of musicians and other industry professionals.
The Centre was founded by Rachel Jepson, who also launched Counselling for Musicians in 2016. Rachel is a regular speaker at conferences and events, discussing the need for more mental health provision in the music industry.
Www.counsellingformusicians.co.uk / Www.centreformentalhealthinthemusicindustry.com
