Psychological Consulting for Film, TV & Music Video Productions
Making something great can be exhilarating. It can also be intense, stressful, emotionally complicated—and occasionally a little crazy.
Film, television and music video productions bring together a lot of creative people, often under enormous pressure. Long days. Tight schedules. Difficult material. Big personalities. High expectations. And, increasingly, creative work that deals directly with trauma, addiction, suicide, mental illness, abuse, grief and other sensitive subjects.
ArtistServices Therapy provides psychological consulting and mental health support for film, television, music video, documentary and other creative productions in Los Angeles and beyond.
As both a licensed psychotherapist and someone who has spent more than 30 years working in the entertainment industry, I understand these environments from both sides. I know something about mental health—and I know something about making things.
Mental Health Support Behind the Scenes
Sometimes a production doesn’t need another producer, executive or creative note. It needs someone whose job is to pay attention to the people doing the work.
Depending on the needs of a production, I can provide discreet psychological support to artists, performers, cast, crew and other members of the creative team during particularly demanding periods of production.
That might mean being available on set during emotionally difficult material, helping an actor or artist decompress after an intense scene or performance, providing grounding strategies before or after a shoot, or simply creating a confidential space for someone who needs one.
The objective isn’t to interfere with the creative process. It’s to help support the people inside it.
Psychological Consulting for Scripts, Story & Performance
Mental health is everywhere in film, television and music. Unfortunately, it’s not always portrayed particularly well.
I consult with writers, directors, producers, recording artists and performers on creative work involving mental health, therapy, trauma, anxiety, depression, addiction and other psychological issues.
The goal isn’t to turn a screenplay, television episode or music video treatment into a psychology textbook. It’s to help make the characters, performances and stories feel truthful, nuanced and human.
That can include reviewing scripts or treatments, discussing character psychology and motivation, consulting on portrayals of therapists or treatment, and helping writers, directors, artists and performers better understand the emotional reality behind a particular story or performance.
Accuracy matters. But so does good storytelling.
Music Videos & Recording Artists
Music videos present their own set of circumstances.
An artist may be translating something deeply personal from a song into a visual performance. A treatment may involve trauma, mental illness, addiction, sexuality, violence, grief or other emotionally charged subject matter. And unlike an actor simply playing a character, a recording artist is often performing material drawn directly from their own life.
That distinction matters.
My background in the music industry—and my work today with recording artists, songwriters and other music professionals—gives me a particular understanding of the relationship between an artist, their work and the emotional demands of bringing that work to life visually.
Support can happen before, during or after production, depending on what the artist and production need.
Sensitive Material & Emotionally Demanding Productions
Some projects ask considerably more of the people making them.
Documentaries involving trauma. Actors repeatedly performing emotionally difficult scenes. Recording artists working with intensely personal material. Productions dealing with suicide, abuse, addiction, violence, grief or other sensitive subjects.
Even when everyone understands intellectually that they’re making a film, television show or music video, the emotional experience can still be very real.
Support can include preparation before difficult work, grounding during production, decompression afterward, consultation with producers and department heads, and additional support when circumstances become particularly challenging.
When appropriate, I can also help a production think proactively about mental health rather than waiting until someone is already struggling.
An Entertainment Industry Perspective
My background here is a little unusual.
Before becoming a therapist, I spent more than 30 years in the entertainment industry, including senior A&R positions at Warner/Chappell Music and Columbia Records/Sony Music, as well as artist management, television production and other creative ventures.
I’ve spent much of my professional life around recording artists, actors, writers, directors, producers, executives and the people responsible for helping creative work get made.
Today, as a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of ArtistServices Therapy, I work at the intersection of those two worlds.
That means understanding both the psychological needs of the person and the realities of the production.
Bringing Mental Health Into the Creative Process
There isn’t one template for this work.
A production may want a therapist available during several particularly difficult shooting days. A filmmaker may need consultation while developing a character or story. A music video director or recording artist may want support around particularly personal or emotionally charged material. A documentary team may need guidance around sensitive interviews. A performer may need help preparing for—or coming back from—emotionally demanding work.
We can determine what makes sense for the project.
If you’re developing or producing a film, television series, music video, documentary or other creative project and would like to discuss psychological consulting or on-set mental health support, get in touch with ArtistServices Therapy.
