On Friday, the White House Office of Public Engagement and Domestic Policy Council convened over 20 leaders from all through the leisure trade to debate the inclusion of correct psychological well being storylines into movie and sequence content material. This roundtable is a part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing dedication to address the nationwide mental health crisis as a part of President Biden’s Unity Agenda.

Administration officers and leisure leaders mentioned latest actions President Biden has taken, together with strengthening the psychological well being workforce and system capability, connecting extra Americans to care, and creating wholesome and supportive environments. As a part of the dialog, contributors mentioned alternatives for proactive psychological well being storylines, classes realized from earlier campaigns to mannequin constructive conduct by means of leisure, and the best way to sensitively navigate depictions of these experiencing psychological well being challenges. Participants agreed to proceed the dialog and work collectively to foster correct psychological well being storylines to lower stigma and promote entry to assets.

Administration Participants Included:

• Steve Benjamin, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement
• Neera Tanden, Assistant to the President and Domestic Policy Advisor
• Terri Tanielian, Special Assistant to the President for Veterans Affairs
• Erica Loewe, Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff for Public Engagement

External Participants Included:

• Mädchen Amick, Actor and Director
• Dr. Eric Butter, Chief of Psychology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
• Michael Costigan, Producer
• Alexandra Daddario, Actor
• Robert Disney, Organizer
• Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, Chief Medical Officer, The JED Foundation
• Joely Fisher, Actor and Singer
• Katori Hall, Playwright and Television Producer/Creator
• Freddie Highmore, Actor
• Dr. Ariana Hoet, Executive Clinical Director, On Our Sleeves
• Beth Houghton, Chief Executive Officer, Juvenile Welfare Board
• Ashley Kolaya, Mental Health Storytelling Initiative
• Bianca Lawson, Actor
• Ken Lazebnik, Writer
• Tzi Ma, Actor
• John MacPhee, Chief Executive Officer, The JED Foundation
• Tracy McMillan, Writer and Author 
• Dr. David Osher, Vice President at American Institutes for Research
• Shawn Ryan, Writer and Producer
• Millicent Shelton, Director and Writer
• David Shore, Writer and Showrunner
• Kal Penn, Actor and Author
• Lisa Ann Walter, Actor, Comedian, and Producer

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