Season 1 Episode 3
Synopsis: A replacement actor brought in two weeks before rehearsals for Billy Elliot may change everything for Sean. 
Content warning:  strong language.

Post Show Talk Back:  Sean chats with clinical psychologist Dr. Michelle Sherman about her study with the American Psychological Association about the mental health effects acting can have on performing artists.

Directed and narrated by Sean Hayden for Haywood Productions, LLC.
Podcast icon designed by Fran Pinter-Parrott.
Produced by Haywood Productions, LLC.

Sean Hayden is the CEO of Haywood Productions, LLC.  As a professional actor, Sean has appeared in two Broadway national tours and in plays and musicals in theaters across the country.    He is a proud union member of Actors' Equity Association.  As a mental health advocate, Sean provides thought leadership on how employers can better support the mental health of their employees. He serves on the advisory board for HR.com for Mental Health and Stress in the Workplace.    His op-ed on “Men and Mental Health” appears in The Economic Times.   Sean resides in New York City and upstate New York with his husband, a screenwriter.   

Dr. Michelle Sherman earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia and is in private practice in Minneapolis. Dr. Sherman is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and is Board Certified in Couple and Family Psychology. She is also the Editor in Chief of the APA Division 43 (Society of Couple and Family Psychology) journal, Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. She was recently named the Family Psychologist of the Year by the Society of Couples and Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association. She has published over 75 articles in peer-reviewed journals, has received over $3.2 million in grant funding, and has given several hundred workshops nationally and internationally. 

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Mental Health Resources:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition.  Call the help line at 1 800 950 6264 or text to 62640. 

If you or someone or know is in crisis or contemplating self-harm, you can reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by simply dialing or texting 988.