Mentally Healthy Productions

A growing number of productions are recognizing that emotional well-being is not separate from performance, safety, or sustainability — it is part of it.

What are the Principles for Mentally Healthy Productions?

The Principles for Mentally Healthy Productions were developed by the UK’s The Film and TV Charity as part of a broader industry effort to improve mental health, emotional well-being, and working conditions within film and television production environments.

Created in collaboration with industry professionals, production leaders, and mental health experts, the principles provide practical guidance for building psychologically safer and more sustainable production cultures across all stages of production.

The framework was informed by ongoing research into mental health within entertainment industries and recognizes emotional well-being as directly connected to communication, leadership, safety, sustainability, and overall production functioning.

  • safety

  • communication

  • leadership

As conversations around emotional safety and sustainable production environments continue to evolve internationally, organizations across the industry have increasingly begun exploring psychologically informed approaches to production culture and crew well-being.

Steady Hands aligns with and draws inspiration from these growing global conversations surrounding emotionally sustainable and psychologically informed production environments.

  • sustainability

  • performance

  • overall production functioning

Explore the Principles

Mentally healthy production practices are not about limiting creativity — they are about creating environments where people can sustainably do their best work.

Organizations & Initiatives

Steady Hands aligns with broader global conversations surrounding emotionally sustainable production environments.

Explore organizations, research initiatives, and industry conversations surrounding psychological safety, sustainability, and emotionally informed production practices.

  • Steady Hands references conversations and resources developed by organizations such as Screen Well Australia, which focuses on:

    • psychological safety

    • burnout prevention

    • psychosocial risk awareness

    • sustainable screen industry practices

    • emotionally informed production environments

    Their work reflects broader international conversations surrounding mental health and well-being within creative industries.

  • The Film and TV Charity UK developed the Principles for Mentally Healthy Productions as part of a broader industry initiative focused on mental health, working conditions, and emotionally sustainable production culture.

    • emotional risk factors on set

    • leadership responsibility

    • mental health education

    • psychologically informed practices

  • Conversations surrounding emotional safety, burnout, and production wellness continue to grow across entertainment industries.

    Discussions increasingly include:

    • sustainable production culture

    • emotional safety on set

    • wellness support for cast and crew

    • high-pressure working environments

    • performer well-being

    • normalization of intimacy coordination and mental health conversations within production spaces

Flexible Support Structures

Support may be adapted for:

  • single-day shoots

  • emotionally complex material

  • ongoing productions

  • touring environments

  • workshops and trainings

  • cast and crew wellness initiatives

How This Can Show Up in Productions

Consultation & Planning

Support begins with collaborative conversations surrounding production needs, schedules, environments, and areas where additional wellness support may be beneficial.

On-Set Integration

Support is designed to work alongside existing production structures with minimal disruption to workflow, communication, and scheduling.

Proactive Support

  • Pre-scene check-ins

  • Emotional decompression support

  • Grounding and regulation tools

  • Quiet intervention during escalation or overwhelm

Leadership & Communication

  • Clear communication practices

  • Supportive leadership approaches

  • Burnout awareness

  • Emotionally informed workflows

Flexible Availability

Depending on location and production needs, support may be available:

  • virtually

  • on-site

  • short-term

  • embedded across longer production schedules

Get Started

Sustainable Production Culture

  • Recognizing emotional risk factors

  • Supporting cast and crew wellness

  • Creating psychologically safer environments

  • Encouraging sustainable pacing where possible

Collaborative Approach

When appropriate, Steady Hands may collaborate with:

  • production leadership

  • guardians

  • wellness professionals

  • existing support staff

  • coordinators and department leads

to help support emotionally sustainable working environments.