The Behind the Scenes charity provides entertainment technology professionals in the US and Canada, or their immediate dependent family, who are seriously ill or injured with Basic Needs grants that may be used for living and medical expenses. BTS Counseling grants provides early access to mental health and addiction counseling for entertainment technology professionals by assisting with the associated financial burdens.
Our Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative provides tools and resources to support entertainment industry workers and promote mental health and psychological safety including the Entertainment Industry Therapist Finder; Mental Health First Aid training; suicide prevention information; information and resources on alcohol and substance abuse for all those impacted; training and information to help stop bullying, harassment and intimidation; sample language on mental health for safety talks; one-sheets on common issues; easy to navigate resources; anonymous on-line self-assessments; and more.
Mental Health First Aid
Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. MHFA takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations, teaches how to listen non-judgmentally and give reassurance, and how to refer a person to appropriate resources. Virtual classes are offered monthly and are taught by entertainment industry professionals. The course is delivered in two parts. The first is a 2 hour self-paced online course followed by 6 hour virtual live instructor-led session. The registration fee is $125. IATSE Members and those working under IATSE agreements may be eligible for Training Trust Fund reimbursement. A limited number of partial and full scholarships are available to individuals not eligible for reimbursement. Learn more and register at btshelp.org/mhfa. Private group classes are also available.