Austin’s SIMS Foundation revamps musician mental health resources
For the last 30 years, the SIMS Foundation has been providing mental health and recovery resources for Austin musicians, but it had to pause services late last year.
AUSTIN, Texas — After a brief pause, the SIMS Foundation is back to providing mental health care and recovery resources for Austin musicians.
The foundation has been around since 1995, helping not only musicians and their families but also everyone involved in the live music scene, including sound engineers, lighting technicians and event staff. The organization even provides counseling for bands.
“The entire music ecosystem and the industry needs to be supported, not just the folks that we get to see on stage,” SIMS Foundation CEO Derrick Lesnau said.
Revamping its services
Late last year, the nonprofit realized it was hitting a funding cliff, so it decided to pause its services for 90 days, starting in November.
During that time, the group decided to re-evaluate its financial component by taking a closer look at how it provides help to its clients. Lesnau said the foundation realized the majority of its clients already had access to resources through their health care plans that they might be able to tap into.
Now, the organization’s clinical team will be looking at each individual’s circumstances on a case-by-case basis – evaluating factors like household income and current access to health care – to make sure the group is providing services to those who need it most.
“How can we leverage some of the resources that our folks might have so that we can really use a lot of our funding to support those that are uninsured completely or underinsured?” Lesnau said.
Also during that time, the SIMS Foundation raised its end of year goal of half a million dollars. The group’s annual operating budget is about $1 to $1.2 million, so it’s always looking for more funding opportunities.
Holistic wellness approach
Coming out of the revamp, the nonprofit is also adding more holistic wellness options for clients who might not be ready for a traditional therapy approach. Such options include gyms, yoga, running, Pilates and acupuncture.
Lesnau said musicians face a lot of unique challenges when it comes to maintaining their own mental health, from grueling touring schedules to performing until the late hours of the morning.
“We get to see the culmination of all their hard work on stage in a grand performance, but we don’t see all the hard work that goes behind it and all the struggles and challenges that these folks have to deal with,” Lesnau said.
The organization is working to make sure it’s taking care of the first domino of mental health, so musicians can keep thriving in the live music capital.
“If that’s not addressed, that can cascade into physical health issues, it can cascade into unhealthy coping mechanisms that can cascade into domestic issues and loss of employment and housing,” Lesnau said.
The organization currently serves about 600 people, but with the restructure, it hopes to double that number in the next three to five years.
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