DocuMentality provides this list of practitioners as a resource. However, we do not endorse, vet, or take responsibility for any individual's qualifications, methods, or the outcome of your experience. Your relationship with a practitioner is personal, and we encourage you to conduct your own research, ask questions, and ensure they are the right fit for your needs. Any decisions you make regarding therapy are solely your own, and we are not liable for any aspect of your engagement with these professionals.

Filmmaker Support Directory

Jana Awad

Coach

  • Jana Awad is a leadership, management, and life coach, specializing in enhancing leadership styles, team collaboration, and managing transitions. With a background in project and administrative management in the cutural sector, Jana helps clients reconnect with creativity; extend their autonomy in the face of recurring obstacles; and draw on their strengths, values, and skills to guide them towards enlightened, applicable solutions. She has worked with clients in Canada, Spain, and Central Africa.

  • I'm a coach, not a mental health worker. However, I believe that coaching is a tool that prevents deeper mental health issues in the face of transitions, challenges and ambivalence.

  • I've been working with members of the industry since 2016. My clients are mostly from the film industry (filmmakers, producers, festivals). I see and understand the particular challenges documentary making induces and I believe in the power of healthy mental discipline such as structure, boundaries, rituals and assertiveness as necessary skills to hone in the community.

Location: Montreal, Quebec or Virtual

Fee structure: My flat rate is $150 per session. I strongly suggest to commit to a number of sessions, i.e. 6 or 12. I can offer a sliding fee for individuals vs organizations. My lowest fee per session would be $100 for 2025.

Insured*: No

Independently licensed*: No

Professional supervision*: No

Languages: Fluent in English and French.

Links:

Jennifer Zelaya LICSW, LCSW, MPH

Therapist

  • Jennifer Zelaya, LICSW, LCSW, MPH is a licensed clinical social worker based in the Washington DC area, USA. She provides individual therapy, drawing on more than 15 years of experience in national and international settings and across sectors (government, nonprofit, academic, and public health). She also facilitates workshops around mental health, particularly in the filmmaking world and has worked with filmmakers both in the United States and other countries. She holds a MSW and MPH from University of California Los Angeles.

  • I specialize in participant, crew and audience care consulting for film productions, offering expert guidance on the development and implementation of ethical practices. My services are designed to prioritize the well-being of all participants, crew, and audience members. Additionally, I focus on the mental well-being of the all participants by connecting them with essential resources and offering proactive problem-solving strategies with directors and producers.

  • I am passionate about supporting creatives in the documentary film space. Over time, I have gained a deeper understanding of the nuances and challenges that the documentary community faces when discussing and addressing mental health, both for crews and participants. I enjoy utilizing my mental health background in providing support and guidance to this community of creatives.

Location: Washington Metropolitan Area (DMV) or Virtual

Fee structure: Able to offer a 20-30 min. initial complimentary call. Consultation fees are based on type of project but typically begin at $100 an hour.

Insured*: No

Independently licensed*: Yes

Professional supervision*: No

Languages: Fluent in English and Spanish

Links:

Malikkah Rollins

Therapist

  • As a co-founder of DocuMentality and member of Film In Mind, Malikkah advocates for mental health awareness across the global documentary field. Her work offers insight into the emotional and structural pressures faced by filmmakers, participants, and crews. With a decade as a psychotherapist and six years as an independent producer, she brings a dual perspective bridging care and creativity. Malikkah serves as Director of Industry and Education at DOC NYC, where she develops filmmaker support programs and leads professional development. At the center of her work is a commitment to building systems that reflect dignity and care for all.

  • I am a co-founder of DocuMentality and member of the FIlm In Mind collective of practiioners who all work with documentary filmmakers, film teams, production companies, film organizations, etc. I have been working at the inteersection of documentary and mental health for 3 years after 10 years as a therapist.

  • So many things! As a psychotherapist who’s spent years in and around the documentary field, I’m drawn to this work because I see how much emotional labor is carried—not just by filmmakers, but by participants who share their lives, and by the production teams and nonprofits that support these stories. This work often unfolds without clear boundaries or adequate support, and yet it deals with some of the most personal and politically urgent material out there. My drive is to help build systems of care that acknowledge the emotional demands across the whole ecosystem and make it more sustainable for everyone involved.

Location: Washington, DC or Virtual

Fee structure: I offer a free 15 minute "discovery call" to learn more about client's needs. My subsequent rate is $150/session and I maintain a few sliding scale spaces so let's talk and see what's possible!

Insured*: Yes

Independently licensed*: Yes

Professional supervision*: Yes

Languages: English

Links:

Marina Serrao

Therapist

  • Marina is a Relationship Therapist TRA (Thérapeute en relation d'aide, TRA) and has been working in the film industry for 15 years, in both the narrative and documentary worlds in New Zealand and in her hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Marina is an award-winning documentary producer and has worked on multiple features and series. Working with the film industry to support team members by offering a space to be heard and deeply understood is fundamental to Marina’s practice. She is fluent in English, French and Spanish and is the daughter of immigrants from Argentina and Guyana which has informed her worldview and her own ability to hold multiple identities at once.

  • Film in Mind, 15 years experience as producer and line producer in docs in Canada, and mental health therapist

  • Having intimate knowledge of the industry, what is needed, lacking and what can come up for crew and participants from development to post-production and distribution

Location: Montreal, Quebec or Virtual

Fee structure: My top rate is $150 then I can slide from there through conversations with potential clients.

Insured*: Yes

Independently licensed*: Yes

Professional supervision*: Yes

Languages: English, French and Spanish

Links:

Nika Khanjani

Somatic Practitioner

  • Nika Khanjani is a somatic experiencing practioner based in Montreal, Canada. Her focus with both in-person and virtual clients is on increasing their capacity and resilience in order to serve their creative work with less suffering. She has been trained in Somatic Experiencing (event trauma), Somatic Resilience and Regulation (developmental trauma), and Somatic Abolitionism (racialized trauma). She also brings her own experience as a filmmaker, opera librettist, and an immigrant growing up in diverse working-class communities.

  • I work with directors and writers in a 1:1 therapeutic context both in-person and online.

  • I believe that some of the most important stories are also some of the most difficult ones to tell. As a filmmaker, I intimately know the struggle of spending years in a trauma-centered story and trying to emerge intact. I want others to come out of their creative storytelling without the suffering.

Location: Montreal, Quebec or Virtual

Fee structure: Requires a free 30min initial consultation. I reserve a percentage of my client work to be low cost.

Insured*: Yes

Independently licensed*: No

Professional supervision*: Yes

Languages: She practices primarily in English and is functional in French and Persian.

Links:

Rebecca Sosa headshot

Rebecca Sosa

Therapist

  • Rebecca Sosa is a therapist based in Los Angeles, California, USA. She speacializes in narrative therapy, helping clients reframe their personal stories to navigate anxiety, depression, and relational conflict. She particularly advocates for mental health access for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and creative communities. Prior to transitioning into mental health, Rebecca spent over a decade in film distribution at A24, Sundance Institute, and SXSW. She continues to balance her therapy work with social impact strategy. She holds an MA in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University.

  • While many of my clients are media professionals, I don’t have formal experience providing mental health services on specific film projects. However, during my time as Producer at Sundance Catalyst & Women's Public Programs, I coached 14 director/producer dyads and film teams over a 2-3 month period, helping them with project presentations, pitching to investors, and navigating both the creative and financial aspects of filmmaking. I now integrate this expertise into my media and mental health work, supporting clients in both the creative and emotional challenges they face.

  • I’m driven to support the documentary community because I believe in the power of storytelling to create change. As a therapist and social impact strategist, I’m passionate about helping filmmakers share authentic, diverse stories that can challenge stigmas and inspire understanding, especially around mental health. Having spent years in the film industry and now working in mental health, I see the potential for documentaries to reach people in meaningful ways and foster deeper empathy. I’m excited to help filmmakers craft narratives that are not only impactful but also contribute to a more inclusive and compassionate world.

Location: Los Angeles, CA or Virtual

Fee structure: $150 for the initial intake and $120 per follow up session

Insured*: Yes

Independently licensed*: No

Professional supervision*: Yes

Languages: English

Links:

Serra Ciliv

Therapist

  • Serra is a UKCP accredited trainee psychotherapist and a facilitator with Processwork UK. She accompanies her clients by creating space for all voices to emerge, and to trust in the intelligence of all processes that are alive, even when ridden with conflict.  

    Serra’s studies and work experience have focused on forms of belonging and opposition; feminism and ecology; experiences of displacement and marginalisation, trauma and forms of care, solidarity and resilience. She acted as director of !f istanbul Film Festival for 18 years, and now considers her facilitation practice to be a trauma-informed, process-oriented extension of her cultural work.

  • I have been an associate therapist in Film in Mind for the last two years, and have provided personal therapy and film supervision to documentary makers and groups. I have also given presentations and led group processes at festivals and other conferences fro filmmakers.

  • I am acutely aware of the emotional, relational and ethical challenges documentary makers need to navigate as they do their work, too often on their own.

Location: Spain or Virtual

Fee structure: I offer a  free 20 min discovery call for us to get to know each other, and learn about my client’s needs.  As of 2025, my fees have a sliding scale between 60-95 GBP, and I have limited slots for clients from global south economies for 30-40 GBP.

Insured*: Yes

Independently licensed*: Yes

Professional supervision*: Yes

Languages: English and Turkish

Links:

Shaleece Haas

Somatic Practitioner

  • Shaleece is a Los Angeles-based somatic practitioner who helps creatives and changemakers transform habitual patterns, achieve their goals, and live into their values. With 15 years’ experience as a documentary director and producer, she brings unique insight to her work with filmmakers and others in the documentary community.

    Trained in the generative somatics tradition, she approaches healing through a social justice lens that connects embodied personal transformation with collective change. Shaleece is certified by the International Coaching Federation and the Strozzi Institute for Somatics.

  • I am a practitioner with Film in Mind, an organization providing consultation and therapeutic support to documentary filmmakers. I offer 1:1 and group somatic coaching, along with "film supervision" — a care model that safeguards the ethical, relational, and emotional health of the filmmaking process.


    I also offer somatics workshops and trainings to documentary filmmakers at labs, festivals, and other doc industry events.

  • I have spent most of my adult life working in the documentary field, and I have deep respect for the power of story to change culture. But too often, our actions don’t line up with our intentions and we recreate ways of working that are counter to our values. I'm committed to helping build a more humane documentary industry that moves away from extractive methods toward human-centered, power-sharing approaches. My passion lies in creating healthier ways of working that honor the dignity of filmmakers, collaborators, participants, and audiences. For me, supporting documentary filmmakers is a move toward narrative change.

Location: Los Angeles, CA or Virtual

Fee structure: My full fee for somatic coaching is $150/90 min session. I hold several sliding scale spots for folks who would otherwise not be able to afford this work. I also offer small group coaching and workshops, with a range of associated fees, and occasionally host free workshops and drop-in practice sessions.

Insured*: Yes

Independently licensed*: Yes

Professional supervision*: Yes

Languages: English

Links:

*Insurance? Licensed? Supervision? What do these mean?

Providers in this directory were asked to answer these questions:

  • Are you currently a member of a regular professional supervision arrangement (group or individual)?

    Supervision means the therapist regularly meets with a more experienced colleague to review their work, deepen their skills and remain ethically grounded.

  • Are you independently licensed to practice in your home state/country and/or online?

  • Do you have professional insurance?

Whether these are requirements for you depends on your personal situation, e.g. if/how your insurance might pay for these services. Someone can provide excellent support while working toward independent licensure.

Expand our directory

Are you a therapist or do you know a therapist who has experience working with documentary professionals? Get in touch to let us know