CMA Programming: Mental Health 101
As we use this month to observe and shine a light on Mental Health Awareness, CMA, in partnership with Borer Newman, who provides comprehensive mental health care for the music industry, continues its four-track program dedicated to mental health and wellness.
Hosted by Zack Borer and Dr. Chayim Newman, the first session focused on defining mental health and identifying how the mental health issues, triggers and solutions show up in the landscape of the music industry. Borer and Newman, with 20+ years of involvement in the music industry themselves, analyzed both anxiety and depression, speaking to the unique challenges facing music industry professionals and sharing with participants a variety of effective tools and resources to ensure mental well-being.
Borer Newman also cited increased streaming and shifting financial resources, the need for additional touring and conditional self-worth, among others factors, as key and differentiating reasons the music industry poses such staggering numbers.
Country singer-songwriter and CMA Triple Play Award recipient this year, Ray Fulcher was a guest on the webinar and spoke candidly about his own experiences with mental health. He discussed the struggles artists and other industry professionals face in a business so tied to numbers and analytics. He encouraged participants to “focus on the things you can control.”
“There’s room for toughness and willpower, but one of my favorite sayings I’ve ever learned is, ‘two things can be true at once,’ said Fulcher. “You can drink beer and still say, ‘I recognize something is not right, and it’s okay not to be okay sometimes.’”
When asked what message he would like to give the Country Music community as it relates to mental health, he said, “Let’s talk about. If you’re feeling something, probably someone in the room is feeling the same thing. You’re never alone. If it feels scary to talk about or feels uncomfortable, lean into that, because on the other side of it is where the good stuff is.”
The series will continue with three more installments, the next being tomorrow, May 17, 2022. To register, click HERE. The final two sessions will take place in July and September 2022.
