admin, Author at BAPAM 1 Performing Arts Medicine Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:28:09 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.8 /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/cropped-FAVICON3-32x32.png admin, Author at BAPAM 1 32 32 World Earth Day: Sustainability and Well-Being in the Performing Arts /world-earth-day-sustainability-and-well-being-in-the-performing-arts/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:56:54 +0000 /?p=68186 Start 2026 strong with the Performing Arts Health Greatest Hits. From managing your performance anxiety to visualising, here are 5 ways to take care in 2026.

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First set up in 1970, (22 April) is a reminder to take care of the planet around us.

The theme of Earth Day 2026 is Our Planet, Our Power. Collective everyday action is encouraged to help protect ecosystems and advance solutions, to protect our planet and home.

We as a performing arts community can all help to support Earth Day and protect our planet. Whether it is through small changes to your routine such as taking a reusable water bottle to rehearsals or being an advocate for sustainable touring within a production you are working on, we at BAPAM encourage our community to think about how their actions can create a beneficial change for the planet and through that, the health of us all.

In this blog, BAPAM explores how environmental sustainability intersects with the performing arts, how climate anxiety can manifest, and some ways that those working in the performing arts sector in the UK are working to lessen their negative impact on the climate.

 

Sustainable Touring

 

Touring has a significant environmental impact, particularly through transport, accommodation, energy use, and reliance on single-use materials on the road. Travel between venues, especially by air and road, contributes to carbon emissions, while production and catering can generate waste.

Ways for performing arts professionals to reduce this impact include:

  • Using reusable food containers and bottles
  • Reducing single-use plastics
  • Sharing equipment and resources where possible
  • Planning travel and routes more efficiently and with colleagues

Touring also affects performers’ well-being on the road. Long periods away, irregular schedules, limited recovery time, and disrupted routines can take a toll on your health, and so personal sustainability should also be considered. This can be done through prioritising rest, maintaining regular sleep and nutrition where possible, and building in recovery time between performances.

Check out the Healthy Touring Checklist to learn more.

 

What the Industry is Doing for the Planet

 

works across the music ecosystem, at grass roots shows and major festivals to shift access to climate activism into the mainstream. Performing arts organisations are working to be more sustainable. aims to make theatre more sustainable and working on blueprints to promote change. The has an excellent collection of resources on sustainability in live productions and backstage. And both Glyndebourne and the National Theatre have worked on initiatives to create dye gardens to create natural dyes for the costumes in their productions, with the National Theatre’s garden also open to the public as a space for calm, connection and creativity.

 

Climate Anxiety and the Performing Arts

 

Climate anxiety, defined by as a “heightened emotional, mental, or physical distress in response to dangerous changes in the climate,” is increasingly being discussed in clinical and workshop settings with performers and creative professionals.

Within the performing arts, climate anxiety can manifest as worry about the future, uncertainty about career sustainability, or a sense of overwhelm in response to broader environmental change. While these feelings are understandable, it can help to approach them in a way that avoids becoming stuck in distress.

Many people find it helpful to focus on what is within their control:

  • Maintaining supportive routines
  • Staying connected with others
  • Spending time in nature
  • Making more sustainable choices in everyday life

Green spaces can offer a valuable reset for the nervous system, supporting regulation and perspective between auditions and practices. Likewise, talking to peers or accessing professional support when needed can also help maintain balance during periods of uncertainty.

Caring for ourselves and the planet can feel overwhelming. This Earth Day we encourage our community to think about places in their practice where they could encourage sustainability, while also understanding that climate anxiety could impact them. BAPAM is here to support the health and wellbeing of the performing arts sector. If you are taking time to think about sustainable practices this Earth Day, do consider how we can support you and the sustainability of your health and practice.

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Explore BAPAM’s Healthy Practice Training workshops for creative professionals to learn more.

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Return to the BAPAM news page.

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]]> BAPAM Offerings During COVID-19 /bapam-offerings-during-covid-19/ Thu, 30 Apr 2020 08:11:12 +0000 http://www.bapam.org.uk/?p=52264 The post BAPAM Offerings During COVID-19 appeared first on BAPAM.

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BAPAM is continuing to offerԾservices during the outbreak by telephone and video consultation. We regret thatfor reasons of patientand staffsafety,andin line with otherhealthservices,we are unable to offer face to face consultations. We are very mindful that performersmay be having difficulty accessing the normal range of healthcare provisionwhilst healthserviceresources are focusing on patients with COVID-19, so we are expanding ourservicesto provide interim supportin the following areasand are very grateful to our practitioners for offering theseservicesat a discounted rate for BAPAM patients.

The BAPAMHelpline 0207 404 8444continues to operate as normal and is staffed remotely by our admin team.

 

Vocal Health

For patients with vocal health problems, we would generallyadvise a referral to an NHSProfessional Voice User Clinic. These are currently closed and we are very pleased that our Vocal Rehabilitation Coaches have agreed to offer atelephone/video advicesession to singers unable to be seenby the NHS,to provide some support meanwhile.Please phone the Helpline to arrange a session.Actors with vocal health problems should be seen by a Speech and Language Therapist andare welcome to contact the SLTs listed inour Directoryofpractitioners.

 

Mental Health

We are still bookingfreeassessmentsessions with ourdoctors andԾpsychologists,and counsellors and psychotherapistson our Directoryareavailable for online therapiesif funding is available.Equity’s counselling scheme is still alive,andHelp Musicians and the Royal Society of Musicians, as well as other charities, are still able to provide funding for therapies ifapplicants meet the criteria.

In addition, BAPAM will be offering group therapy forpatientswhere the assessment suggests that this would be helpful.

 

Musculoskeletal Health

Ourhandandorthopaedicsurgeons andour rheumatologists are still available fortelephone or video consultations,as well as our physiotherapists and osteopaths. We are also able to offer follow upappointmentsduring this time.Hands-on treatment/procedures, and physical examinations,arenot available but clinicians will be able to providesupport andadvice on what to do in this interim period.Clinicians will also be offering jointconsultationswith educators so thatperformers candevelop new ways of performingwhich do not exacerbate an injury but allow you to continue to practise.

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]]> Music Support Partners With Mental Health App Offering 1000 People Free Access /music-support-partners-with-mental-health-app-offering-1000-people-free-access/ Thu, 16 Apr 2020 08:05:41 +0000 http://www.bapam.org.uk/?p=52260 Music Support, a peer-led music industry charity is partnering with the only NHS approved mental health app called Thriveofferingfree downloads for 1,000 peoplevia their website. This is recognition of the impact COVID-19 crisis will be having onvulnerable music industry peersas they find themselves out of work and/or isolated. Thrive is aclinically effective app which offers […]

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]]> Music Support, a peer-led music industry charity is partnering with the only NHS approved mental health app called Thriveofferingvia their website.

This is recognition of the impact COVID-19 crisis will be having onvulnerable music industry peersas they find themselves out of work and/or isolated.

Thrive is aclinically effective app which offers 24/7 support for mental health and wellbeing. Thrive helps with the early detection, prevention and management of common disorders such as anxiety and depression. It will assist with building resilience so users feel empowered to improve their mental health.

The app usesevidence-based therapies like CBT, meditation, deep muscle relaxation, breathing exercises and distraction games and looks to tackle common stressors like sleep, bereavement work issues. The app uses official GAD7 and PHQ9 questionnaires to screen for anxiety and depression uses the results to prescribe appropriate help.

Eric Mtungwazi, Managing Director of Music Support, says: … “The current crisis has placed enormous pressure on peers, particularly those who are living with or are more susceptible to mental ill-health and/or addiction issues. Our partnership with Thrive is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the potential for technology to be a force for good in relation to our wellbeing and mental health.”

The first 1,000people to download Thrive via Music Support website will receive it on a free licence. All data remains completely confidential, personal and secure. The app is available on all Android, Apple, and web-based devices.

For details on how to download, click here…

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]]> Psychosocial Practitioner Peer Supervision Group /psychosocial-practitioner-peer-supervision-group/ Wed, 27 Mar 2019 10:31:09 +0000 http://www.bapam.org.uk/?p=51126 BAPAM is pleased to support the Peer Supervision Group for psychosocial practitioners who work with performing arts clients. This group, whose inaugural meetings took place in 2018, opens up the conversation between performing arts and psychological practice. It is developing a growing professional network for counselling, coaching and psychology practitioners who work with performing artists […]

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]]> BAPAM is pleased to support the Peer Supervision Group for psychosocial practitioners who work with performing arts clients.

This group, whose inaugural meetings took place in 2018, opens up the conversation between performing arts and psychological practice. It is developing a growing professional network for counselling, coaching and psychology practitioners who work with performing artists of all kinds. The group meets regularly, roughly every 8 weeks, in central London.

As well as discussing clinical cases and case issues, there is interactive exploration, mutual consultation and support on more general professional practice issues, including ethical issues, boundary and confidentiality areas. Such exchanges of expertise and experience enable members to reflect on and refine best practice in working with performers. The Group offers members the chance to share Ģtv expertise of particular problem areas and to provide interventions, guidance, information and professional support within a rigorous evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence framework in this developing field. The Group acts as a forum not only for encouraging and developing the highest standards of practice but also for identifying, promoting and supporting new research in the field.

Members of the group use a variety of approaches and come from a range of career backgrounds. Some members bring Ģtv expertise within the field, for example,working with people in particular arts professions or with certain types of problem. The Group is sensitive to BAME, LGBT+ and other dimensions of difference.

It is hoped that specialised supervision of this type will become available and accessible to many more practitioners on the BAPAM Directory and the Group is keen to encourage this in whatever ways it can. Members are happy to offer advice and suggestions to practitioners wanting to start their own peer supervision group and to find ways of welcoming practitioners new to the Directory to join.

Practitioners interested in finding out more, joining the London group or starting a group of their own are invited to contact Dr Carol Chapman by email atcarol@carolchapman.co.uk.

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