Never Not Creative (NNC) is launching a peer support program for people across the creative, media and marketing industries who want somewhere to talk about the pressure they carry, before it turns into burnout.
NNC's Mentally Healthy research has found the biggest driver of stress for people in the industry isn't clients, managers or deadlines, but the pressure people put on themselves to do great work.
The research found 82% of people say they mentally take the job home with them, 76% say it affects their health, and 71% have lost sleep over it, while only 36% think a different job would fix things.
The program runs as six fortnightly, two-hour peer support sessions over 12 weeks, with the same small group and facilitators throughout.
Sessions are peer-led rather than expert-led, building practical tools for noticing pressure earlier and speaking up about it sooner. NNC said the program is not therapy or a crisis service, but peer support for people who are managing rather than in crisis.
The pilot opens in September and is reserved for people who have completed Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training within the last 24 months.
Participants are first invited to experience the program themselves, with the option to go on and facilitate future groups.
After the pilot, Never Not Listening will open to the wider industry, with future groups facilitated by pilot graduates and members of NNC's Never Not Mentally-Healthy Change Group.
The program was developed by Andy Wright, founder of Never Not Creative, and Virginia Scully of Humankind Collective.
Wright said the industry remained rewarding to work in, but the pressure people carried was rarely acknowledged.
"Despite the pressures, this remains a rewarding and purposeful industry to work in,” Wright said.
“We care about the work, we wear our hearts on our sleeves, and we give everything we've got to it.
“The problem is nobody ever taught us how to handle that kind of pressure, and because we're all doing it, it just feels normal, until it isn't. Sure, you may have supportive friends and family, but that's not quite the same as talking and listening with people in the same boat who get it, and that can change everything.”
Scully said MHFA-trained professionals already knew how to notice when someone was struggling.
"Never Not Listening gives them somewhere to put that into practice, first by taking part themselves, then, if it's right for them, by facilitating for others—developing listening and facilitation skills that become invaluable across every workplace," Scully said.
“It's proof that the moment people in this industry open up, they realise they were never carrying it alone.”
MHFA-trained professionals working in the creative, media and marketing industries can register for the pilot.
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