The pressures of performing in today’s social media culture means more and more therapists are working backstage to support performers in need according to an article in the Sunday Telegraph.
BAPAM registered psychotherapist Helen Brice who is featured in the article, says she is getting more requests for her services due to the fear of a blunder going viral within moments.
She says the emergency sessions which she gets called out for involve calming exercises to reduce a performer’s anxiety. According to her other factors affecting performers at the moment includes a demand to tour frequently, falling incomes and the need to stand out in a hugely competitive industry.
Helen has worked for more than twenty years in the music business in the areas of performance, production, publishing, artist management and classical music. She says over the last couple years people have started to become aware that the mistakes they make may be spotted and commented about on online within seconds. This possibility is becoming the source of more anxiety and is adding to the pressure to always say the right thing and avoid any thing that may be deemed inappropriate.
Her work backstage involves supporting clients with breathing exercises, using low energy techniques or more dynamic work depending on what the client needs the most at that time. The kinds of people Helen has helped includes musicians on the orchestral circuit as well as pop and classical artists and more recently, grime artists.