What the Service Offers
Eligible participants can access:
✔ Up to six sessions of counselling
✔ Confidential one-to-one support
✔ Qualified therapists experienced in the arts sector
✔ Flexible online sessions
✔ A safe space to discuss anxiety, stress, depression, burnout or career pressures
The service is delivered in partnership with Wellbeing in the Arts, specialists in mental health support for creative professionals.
Who Can Apply
Actors and people in stage management with at least two professional credits in the past two years, an average of one professional credit per year since the start of their career, or ten professional credits or more over their career.
What do we mean by ‘Professional Credits’?
For actors: Professional credits refer to paid acting roles, for instance in theatre, TV, film and voiceover work (e.g. radio and video games). We can also consider lead roles in commercials. We do not consider extra, walk-on, or background work as professional credits. Where an actor plays one role over a period of more than one year, we will consider this as one credit per year. For instance, if you held the same role in a production for two years, this would count as two credits.
For stage management: Each production you’ve worked on in a paid capacity counts as one credit. Where someone in stage management works in one production over a period of more than one year, we will consider this as one credit per year. For instance, if you held the same position in a production for two years, this would count as two credits.
To be eligible for our support, you must:
Be aged 18 or older
Currently live in the UK
Have a UK bank account
Have less than £16,000 in household savings or under £23,250 if of pension age, or experiencing a long term health issue
If you are unsure whether you are eligible, please contact us and we will be happy to advise.
FAQs
Counselling can be beneficial for those experiencing anxiety, feeling depressed, facing difficult life events or problems in relationships, among many other things. It is not the right fit for everyone, but if you are unsure whether it might be the right support for you, please complete the application form, and a practitioner from Wellbeing in the Arts will be able to discuss this with you further.
Working in theatre, film and TV is a high-pressure job in a high-pressure environment and Wellbeing in the Arts believes that everyone should have access to mental health wellbeing support to deal with the common issues faced by people working in the industry. They have a diverse team of trained and experienced Counsellors who all have a background in the creative industries and offer a personalised approach and safe space for individuals to access the support they need.
Yes. Please contact the member of the team you have been in touch with directly. You can also email support@actorstrust.org.uk or call us 0303 223 1110.
Actors’ Trust can support you with up to six sessions. You may be able to access further sessions if you are a Spotlight member, or if your employer works with Wellbeing in the Arts. They will be able to discuss this with you directly.
Please complete this short form. A member of the Actors’ Trust team will confirm if you are eligible, and if so, pass your details on to Wellbeing in the Arts. We can also support with signposting you to other helpful services too.
Once your application has been approved by Actors’ Trust, Wellbeing in the Arts will ask you to complete their assessment form. This helps them to understand your background, needs and circumstances, as well as your preferences in terms of who you would like to work with. Once they receive the form, they may ask for further information, or pair you with a suitable Counsellor.
Your Counsellor will contact you within a week to arrange your first session together. Sessions will last for 50 minutes and usually take place online.
Sessions provided through Wellbeing in the Arts need to be with one of their Counsellors. If you have a Counsellor you have worked with before, or are currently working with, please contact Actors’ Trust to discuss your options. You can call us on 0303 223 1110 or email support@actorstrust.org.uk.
These sessions can only be accessed once. However, if we have supported you in the past, please contact us to discuss your circumstances and we can go from there.
Apply for Counselling
If you are struggling with your mental health, you are not alone. Support is available.
Apply today to access up to six fully subsidised sessions of counselling
Useful Resources
The acting, theatrical, and entertainment world is full of amazing organisations dedicated to supporting our community. Whether you need help with your career, mental health, retirement, housing, or something else entirely, there's likely a charity out there that can help.
If you want to find out about how our application process works you have come to the right place! On this page, we outline all the steps involved.
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