SAG-AFTRA Member Leaders Host Mental Health Forum

SAG-AFTRA members have faced numerous challenges, both within and outside of their professional careers. The Los Angeles wildfires, considered by many to be the most destructive in the city’s history, have been the latest happening following the 2023 TV/Theatrical/Streaming strike and the global pandemic. For many within the Southern California region, the fires have resulted in the loss of homes and neighborhoods. But if there’s one thing that members know how to do, it’s build and strengthen their community and support one another during times of upheaval and change.

To give members across the country a chance to share their thoughts about the situation in Southern California and other current events, the SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local Healthcare Safety Net Committee’s Mental Health Subcommittee hosted an intimate virtual panel on Jan. 21, 2025. The panel, You Are Not Alone: A Mental Health Panel, was co-led by SAG-AFTRA Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher and Subcommittee Co-Chair Sean Astin, with Vice President, Los Angeles & L.A. Local President Jodi Long in attendance as well. Also featured were mental health experts, grief counselors and spiritual leaders, including author and activist Marianne Williamson; Rabbi Steve Leder of Wilshire Blvd. Temple; National Council for Mental Wellbeing Client Experience Officer Tramaine El-Amin; therapist and author Claire Bidwell Smith; grief expert and author David Kessler; grief counselor Angela Schellenberg and television personality and author Amanda Kloots.

“Union leadership is [voluntary], but as volunteers, [we hear] much communication about all different kinds of needs,” said Astin. “One thing we’ve heard about needing so much, particularly during the strike, [was] about mental health services or mental health support, or finding ways for people to feel connected to each other. Our role here is to answer the need that so many members have communicated because there’s so much being done in so many places.”

The panel and open forum gave an opportunity for many to share their personal experiences during the L.A. wildfires and offer to their fellow members words of support and encouragement.

“You are incredible. You are a resilient bunch. I’m so proud to be standing amongst you,” said Fisher. “You have persevered [over] a once-in-a-century pandemic and a once-in-a-generation strike. Watching our beautiful city, our city of dreams and the place where people move to [start] their careers, burn in front of us … None of us will come out unscathed, but I’m just so proud to provide a [space] for our community, and I really appreciate you all being here.”

During the panel, experts weighed in on a discussion centering on grief, with each offering different perspectives and advice on experiencing loss. Throughout the panel, listeners were reminded that grief can become present or is expressed in different ways, and that there is no “rush” or “right way” to process what is happening to and around them from moment to moment.

Said Smith, “Recognize that this is going to be a very real grieving process for everyone, no matter where you are. We’re only two weeks into this; right now, you may still be feeling numb or disassociated from it. You may not have cried yet, or you may be crying every day. But if you’re not feeling [anything] yet, it’s often because we don’t always feel safe enough to grieve in the beginning. Some of you are still grappling with the loss of stability and security and the loss of your home and community, and you may not be quite in deep grief yet. It’s going to unfold over the coming weeks and months, and you may cycle through all kinds of things: anger, anxiety, regret — or even positive emotions.”

She continued, “There are so many different layers that will continue to kind of peel back for you, so really extend grace — not only to others around you and however they may be grieving — but also to yourself.”

A replay of the panel is now available.

If you live in Los Angeles and have been impacted by the wildfires or are interested in providing assistance, we encourage you to view the Los Angeles County Wildfires Resources page to help yourself or a friend find what might be needed during this challenging time.

For further emergency assistance, reach out to

• SAG-AFTRA Foundation
• Emergency Community Fund 
• The Motion Picture & Television Fund

The views expressed by the guests are their own and not that of SAG-AFTRA. Any mention of products or services does not imply SAG-AFTRA's endorsement.

Photo: Speakers on the “You Are Not Alone: A Mental Health Panel” on Jan. 21, 2025, top row from left, SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local Healthcare Safety Net Committee’s Mental Health Subcommittee Co-Chair Sean Astin; Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher; Vice President, Los Angeles & L.A. Local President Jodi Long; bottom row, from left, therapist and author Claire Bidwell Smith; television personality and author Amanda Kloots; National Council for Mental Wellbeing Client Experience Officer Tramaine El-Amin; grief expert and author David Kessler; grief counselor Angela Schellenberg; author and activist Marianne Williamson and Rabbi Steve Leder.