20 June 2022 - Maintaining authenticity and the risks of emotional repression

4 July 2022 - Creativity and motivation

While the music industry is returning to some semblance of normality, we still find ourselves moving through 2022 with a great deal of uncertainty. With many musicians continuing to report worries over loss of work, financial insecurity, or simply finding the ongoing changes in the industry and the with world difficult to cope with, it's okay to find yourself experiencing some stress and anxiety about the months ahead.

These guided self-care sessions will provide you with techniques and strategies to work through challenging times, equipping you with tools to use on an ongoing basis.

How will this benefit me as a musician?

While a career in music can be fun and rewarding, it can also create difficult conditions in which to look after your mental wellbeing. Long periods spent away from home, lifestyle factors, irregular work, financial difficulties, isolating work conditions, and lack of routine all have the potential to exacerbate any struggles you may already be experiencing. These situations can have a very real impact on your ability to fully engage with and to enjoy what you do. Developing coping strategies to overcome these difficult moments will help you keep alive your love for your profession, allowing you to enjoy more fully the amazing parts of working in music and make the most of your career in the long term.

Who will be speaking at this session?

Fiona Macbeth is a BACP-accredited psychotherapist and counsellor. Having run the counselling service at a top London Performing Arts college for three years with 650 students, Fiona also specialises in working with performers in her private practice, which she has run in London and Brighton since 2009. Currently working with clients referred by BAPAM, Help Musicians, Equity and the Royal College of Music, Fiona's current practice follows 27 years working at the BBC as a programme maker, trainer and change lead.

Who is running these sessions?

These sessions are run as a collaboration between Help Musicians, a charity that wants a world where musicians thrive, and BAPAM, an organisation delivering expert health and wellbeing services for those working in the performing arts. Recent research showed 87% of musicians found their mental health had deteriorated since the start of the pandemic, so we have teamed up with our expert partners to provide you with tips and techniques you can implement day-to-day to help you work through a range of challenges to your mental wellbeing, as an extension of Help Musicians’ dedicated mental health service, Music Minds Matter.

For any questions regarding these sessions, including accessibility, please contact communications@helpmusicians.org.uk

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