Actor Rick Long: ‘It is essential that we de-stigmatize mental health’
Who we helped: Since earning an MFA in Theater from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Colorado-born actor Rick Long has appeared at The Mint Theater in New York, Stage One-Louisville, the Arizona Theatre Company, the Monomoy Theatre on Cape Cod and, closer to home, at the Arvada Center, Vintage Theater, Performance Now and Give5 Productions. He has also appeared as a guest artist at the Colorado Shakespeare and Utah Shakespearean festivals. Rick is also an accomplished director, playwright and internationally exhibited watercolor artist. His artwork can be viewed at ricklongart.com.
His medical story: Rick joined the Denver Actors Fund’s pilot program to provide qualifying Colorado theater artists with access to affordable mental-health care services through our partnership with the Maria Droste Counseling Center. That is a non-profit mental-health organization in Denver named in honor of a German nun known for her compassionate work with the vulnerable. Maria Droste is an umbrella of licensed therapists and interns who provide affordable therapy for all ages and incomes in Colorado. Through our unique partnership, formed through the assistance of Denver actor Joel Silverman and his wife, Nancy Portnoy,the DAF has been able to help nearly 50 qualifying Colorado theater artists receive affordable mental health care.
How does it work? A qualifying artist must have been a member of the creative team of a credible community or professional Colorado stage production within the past five years. After filing a confidential application at denveractorsfund.org, a referral is made, and an intake counselor from Maria Droste then matches the applicant with the best available therapist according to individual need. This is a mostly but not totally free program. It is a fundamental belief of the professionals at Maria Droste that each person served must bear at least some individual financial responsibility, as that gives them more ownership of their therapy and investment in it. The professionals at Maria Droste already start at a reduced hourly rate as their in-kind donation to the DAF. The intake counselor works with each applicant to determine a manageable, sliding-scale co-pay tailored to each individual’s financial situation (often as low as $10 per session). The Denver Actors Fund pays the rest. These are one-on-one therapy sessions, either remotely or in-person, with both short-term and ongoing support options.
How we helped Rick: To date, the Denver Actors Fund has contributed $10,020 toward Rick Long’s treatment co-pays.
‘‘MY I AM DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO THE DENVER ACTORS FUND FOR STANDING BESIDE ME DURING SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF MY PERSONAL HEALING.’ – RICK LONG
