Mission
Creatives Care was founded in 2022 in New York City to help artists
access affordable, high-quality mental health care.
Across disciplines, artists face mental health challenges at two to three
times the rate of the general population, and contend with chronic
stressors including the demands of artistic training and excellence,
chronic competition, public attention and criticism, and the structural
and financial challenges of working in the arts. In addition, artists'
sense of personal identity and mental well-being is often inextricably
linked to their creativity and artistic process. As a result, many
artists want to work with, and struggle to find, clinicians who
understand their particular needs.
We believe that the future of the arts depends on the wellbeing of
artists and that pursuing creative work should not be a barrier to
finding the support needed to thrive as an artist. We believe that
improving access to mental healthcare will not only help individual
artists, but will also foster a more supportive and inclusive arts
community.
History
Creatives Care started as a volunteer-led, grassroots organization aimed
at helping artists access mental care. Initially focused on artists in
New York, Creatives Care provided free consultations to over four hundred
New York-based artists between 2022 and 2026 and helped them find
treatment through a referral community of hundreds of clinicians in
New York City. In order to expand its reach, Creatives Care launched a
national clinician directory in 2026 so artists around the country can
find clinicians based on their particular needs.
Committed to community building, Creatives Care has hosted house concerts
and clinician meetups since its inception, and has mobilized leading
artists as artist ambassadors to raise awareness. Through its outreach
work, Creatives Care has educated clinicians about the mental health
needs of artists at major institutions, including the 2025 American
Psychiatric Association Conference, the New York Psychoanalytic Society
and Institute, the Performing Arts Medicine Association, and the NYU
Harkness Center for Dance Injuries.
Creatives Care has been grateful for the support of many volunteers,
individual donors, and foundations, and in 2025 it was selected as the
beneficiary of the World Doctors' Orchestra's first New York City concert
at Carnegie Hall.
