The Supported Stage
Who Are We?
The Supported Stage is a unique and dedicated team of mental health professionals who are also highly experienced people from creative arts and entertainment industries. With nearly 60 years of combined experience in the performing arts, we understand better than anyone the highs, the lows and the ongoing challenges of a career in show business. Leveraging our mental health expertise, we’ve created a one-of-a-kind service for workers in the live performance industry.
What Do We Do?
We provide highly specialised Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), mental health treatment and support, counselling, coaching, and psychology services to the live performance industries, serving people working across all disciplines and departments.
Why The Supported Stage?
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) sector is saturated with providers who offer a generic, corporate model that caters for the general workplace, covering a broad range of employees. These services have qualified and well-meaning therapists and clinicians, but rarely do they have specialised expertise in the Australian arts and entertainment industry.
The Supported Stage (TSS) is an EAP service that provides tailored psychology, counselling and coaching services by mental health professionals who are ALSO highly experienced artists, with nearly 60 years of combined service in the field. We don’t sit on our past laurels and successes; we remain actively engaged in the industry as researchers, presenters, course designers, coaches, and yes, performers!
TSS specialises in supporting existing artists and industry workers as well as providing support to emerging professionals in the field through training, mentorship and industry consultation, using our expertise to help the next generation of entertainment professionals.
There are only three of us, with our own areas of skill and experience. Our clients aren’t just offered a ‘close-enough’ match with a general counsellor; they are paired with someone who understands them, who is genuinely qualified to help, and who, most likely, has ‘been there’ themselves.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the tradition of custodianship and law of the Country on which we work and live. We pay our respects to those who have cared and continue to care for Country, and pay respects to elders past, present, and emerging. We are committed to diversifying research and eliminating inequities and discrimination in healthcare. Our work culture is one of openness, inclusivity, and respect for all people regardless of age, gender, race, size, sexuality, language, socioeconomic status, location or ability.
Acknowledgement of Lived Experience
We acknowledge the individual and collective expertise of those with a living or lived experience of mental health challenges. We recognise their vital contribution at all levels and value the courage of those who share their unique perspective for the purpose of research, learning and growing together to achieve better outcomes for all.