New Lifeline for Music Professionals: Tonic Music launches new Mental Health Peer Support Groups for 2026
By Tonic Music
Tonic Music is proud to announce a new season of Peer Support Groups, offering free, specialist mental health support to those working in music across the UK. These weekly online groups are facilitated by experienced clinicians including Dr Adam Ficek, Jade Hughes, Dr Claire Bloxsom and Sarah Williams, and are tailored to meet the unique emotional needs of musicians and those working in the music industry.
Running from January through to May 2026, each group offers six 90-minute sessions for up to 12 participants, creating safe spaces for connection, reflection, and recovery.
Steph Langan - Founder and CEO of Tonic Music said “These peer groups are invaluable because they offer something the music industry desperately needs - safe, specialist spaces where people can be heard, understood, and supported. In a landscape that’s increasingly isolating - with venue closures, streaming pressures, and the emotional toll of constant change - these sessions are a lifeline.”
Why These Groups Matter
Music enriches our lives and can be profoundly beneficial to our mental wellbeing, yet paradoxically, the current state of the music ecosystem is often detrimental to the mental wellbeing of musicians, music industry professionals and music fans.
The challenges are numerous: the closure of grassroots music venues and festivals, proliferation of streaming services, global restrictions on touring and now the emergence of AI - these issues not only have a significant economic impact, but a deep emotional effect on those professionally and recreationally engaging in music.
Tonic Music’s research with over 1,500 of their own programme participants reveals:
- 25% have experienced suicidal thoughts
- 19% had attempted suicide
- 37% have engaged in self-harm
- 85% have experienced anxiety
- 27% have struggled with substance use
- 10% live with a severe and enduring mental health disorder
These Peer Support Groups offer a lifeline - a place to be heard, understood, and supported by others who share similar experiences. To find out more about the programmes visit Tonic Rider - Peer Support Group | Tonic Music for Mental Health To sign up to a Peer Support Group visit Registration Form - Tonic Rider
Upcoming Peer Groups
Group
Dates
Time
Facilitator
Who It's For
Neurodiversity
5 Jan - 9 Feb
Mon 12:00-1:30pm
Dr Adam Ficek
Music professionals diagnosed or being assessed for ADHD, Autism, or other neurodivergence
LGBTQIA+
5 Jan - 9 Feb
Mon 12:00-1:30pm
Dr Claire Bloxsom
Music professionals who identify as LGBTQIA+
Music Venues
6 Jan - 10 Feb
Tue 1:00-2:30pm
Dr Adam Ficek
Anyone working at a music venue (e.g. pubs, clubs, theatres)
Open
23 Feb - 30 Mar
Mon 12:00-1:30pm
Dr Adam Ficek
Anyone working in music, aged 18+, UK-based
Suicide Bereavement
23 Feb - 30 Mar
Mon 7:00-8:30pm
Jade Hughes
Music professionals bereaved by suicide
Open
13 Apr - 18 May
Mon 12:00-1:30pm
Dr Adam Ficek
Anyone working in music, aged 18+, UK-based
Each participant receives a 1-to-1 appointment with a Tonic Music mental health practitioner prior to joining the group.
Issued by Tonic Music. Distributed by WebPR UK.
About Tonic Music
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