We are amber health

Our team of clinicians: licensed therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, coaches, and physical health experts, all have extensive experience within the music industry.

Amber Health was built on a foundation of decades of clinical experience and an inside perspective on what the music community truly needs—safety, support, and stability.

Established in 2020 by Dr. Chayim Newman and Zack Borer, LMFT, Amber Health is grounded in the belief that mental and emotional well-being are not just important but are essential for the survival and evolution of the music industry.

Our innovative approach shifts the focus from reactive to proactive care, offering tailored programs built to sustain career longevity in an industry challenged by stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, and substance use.

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Partners:

Meet the team

Dr. Chayim Newman

Co-Founder

Zack Borer, LMFT

Co-Founder

Tory Pittarelli

Director of Operations

Brandon Holman

Industry Relations

Haley Binder

Account Manager

Noah Rich

Executive Assistant

Ellierose Jackson

Operations

Zach Bergson

Head of Research

Andrea Rivers, LCSW

Senior Clinician

Isabelle Bicaci

Strategic Advisor

Travis York

Strategic Advisor

Jim Digby

Industry Advisor

Marty Hom

Industry Advisor

Adam Sensenbrenner

Industry Advisor

Stephen Riff

Industry Advisor

Dan Zar

Legal
Dr. Chayim Newman
Co-Founder

Dr. Newman holds his PhD in Clinical Psychology. His private practice, specializing in clinical care for artists, touring crew, and other music industry members, focuses on the use of a variety of therapeutic modalities (ACT, CBT, Mindfulness, traditional psychotherapy) in the treatment of psychological and emotional issues. Having been involved in the music industry for over two decades, as a touring performer, event producer, and artist liaison, Dr. Newman possesses a first-hand understanding of its unique challenges and stresses. Dr. Newman is also the co-founder of the Tour Health Research Initiative (THRIV), dedicated to conducting research on mental health in the touring sector and is the co-creator of the weekly Come Together music industry online support groups.

Zack Borer, LMFT
Co-Founder

Zack Borer is a licensed psychotherapist based in Los Angeles with a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. After a decade as a working musician and songwriter, Zack entered the mental health field out of a desire to help music industry professionals with the unique struggles and stressors that come with being in a challenging and complex business. Zack works with artists and their support staff to enhance their emotional wellbeing, and to help mitigate the acute mental health crises that have become commonplace in the music industry.

Tory Pittarelli
Director of Operations

Tory Pittarelli has worked in the music industry for 15 years – specializing in event production and artist relations. Raised in Nashville Tennessee, her early immersion in music through her father’s roles as a sound engineer, songwriter, and touring artist inspired her to follow in his footsteps. She loved hanging out with him in their recording studio and learning the in’s and out’s of the industry from an early age. Tory graduated from the University of Tennessee with a psychology degree in 2008, and began working towards a career at the intersection of mental health and the music industry. Since then, Tory has worked for major music festivals such as Global Citizen Festival, Coachella, Hulaween, ARISEFestival, and countless more. Beyond her music industry endeavors, you can often find Tory silversmithing in her at-home studio in Denver Colorado.

Brandon Holman
Industry Relations

Brandon is a mindfulness guide and mental health advocate dedicated to transforming the music industry by integrating wellness practices. Brandon has deep experience in curating programming that helps artists and executives navigate industry pressures, fostering creativity and long-term success. With burnout and mental health struggles affecting over 60% of music professionals, Brandon’s mission is to shift the paradigm—prioritizing well-being as a foundation for a healthier, more sustainable industry. A KRI-certified Kundalini yoga teacher with Mental Health First Aid certification, Brandon equips creatives with mindfulness tools to manage stress and thrive. As an active Recording Academy member, he serves on the Foundations Committee supporting MusiCares, The Grammy Museum, and Grammy U. His vision is a music industry where mental health is prioritized, burnout is reduced, and creativity flourishes—not at the cost of well-being, but because of it.

Haley Binder
Account Manager

Haley Binder is an experienced tour and production professional whose career has spanned global music tours, major brand campaigns, and high-profile live events. Having worked alongside artists such as Clairo, Noah Kahan, Brandi Carlile, and Coldplay - as well as brands like Spotify and Coca-Cola — Haley has cultivated a deep understanding of how to support people under pressure, manage complex logistics with care, and foster emotionally safe, high-functioning environments.Outside of her work with Amber Health, Haley serves as Chief Activations Officer for KultureCity, and leads efforts to make public spaces and events more inclusive for individuals with sensory disabilities. Her work is deeply personal — she is passionate about ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability, can experience connection, joy, and belonging in shared environments.Bringing that same ethos into her work at Amber Health, Haley believes in the power of empathy, communication, and accessibility to transform the way people care for one another. Her years on the road taught her to approach every project with warmth, precision, and an unwavering commitment to inclusion and mental well-being.When she’s not working, she continues to volunteer and advocate for causes that align with her values, including MusiCares, The Project Matters Foundation, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Noah Rich
Executive Assistant

Noah is currently an undergraduate student studying Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University. Noah assists with operational tasks, specifically acting as a executive assistant to Dr. Chayim Newman. Beyond his work at Amber Health, he is in the process of writing his undergraduate thesis on the effects of rhythmic primes on emotional prosody perception. Outside of psychology work Noah is deeply involved in the local Toronto music scene as a drummer.

Ellierose Jackson
Operations

Ellie was born and raised in the Bay Area, where she was immersed in the live music scene as both a fan and the daughter of music-loving parents. A lifelong musician, she grew up playing piano and bass and has always felt at home in creative communities.

She spent five years in New Orleans, earning both her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Environmental Studies and Master of Science in Psychology from Tulane University. It was there that her passion for music and mental health came together, inspiring her to pursue a career at their intersection.

Ellie brings experience in mission-driven work and is passionate about supporting the mental wellbeing of those who make live music experiences possible.

Zach Bergson
Head of Research

Zachary Bergson is a 5th year clinical psychology PhD student and is currently a psychology intern at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is interested in designing new research protocols to better understand mental health concerns in the touring music industry.

Andrea Rivers, LCSW
Senior Clinician

Andrea Rivers a licensed social worker specializing in the unique challenges of musicians, artists, and industry professionals, Andrea provides a safe space to navigate the peaks and valleys of a career in music. With 13 years of experience, Andrea helps clients manage performance anxiety, imposter syndrome, burnout, substance use, and the emotional demands of the industry. Using evidence-based approaches like [CBT, mindfulness, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and strengths-based perspective], they empower industry professionals to maintain their mental, physical, and behavioral well-being while continuing to create and thrive.

Isabelle Bicaci
Strategic Advisor

Isabelle brings two decades of experience as a founder and executive in the technology space, with deep expertise helping early stage companies scale to large market caps. She drove Eventbrite’s global expansion, and built operational infrastructure at Square as it grew from a small startup to 1,000 employees. As Sr. Director of International at OpenTable, she oversaw growth in 20+ countries, and most recently, she served as VP of Strategy at Outer, an innovative outdoor living brand featured on Shark Tank. Earlier in her career, she worked as a festival producer and booking agent, sparking her interest in supporting the wellbeing of the music industry. Isabelle holds a degree from the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Travis York
Strategic Advisor

Travis is an investor and creative entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience, currently serving as the Founder and CEO of York Creative Collective, a portfolio of creative ventures focused on quality, craft, and authenticity. He also leads GYK Antler, a marketing agency driving growth for the collective, and co-founded several other ventures, including Big Brick and YORK Athletics Mfg. Additionally,Travis is an avid angel investor and adviser, with notable investments in companies like CloudApp and Datanyze. Born and raised in New Hampshire, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications-Advertising from Boston University.

Jim Digby
Industry Advisor

Jim’s four-decade journey in production and project management roles within the live entertainment and music touring industry has had him working alongside artists as diverse as Linkin Park, The Killers, Neil Young, Avril Lavigne, Hootie & the Blowfish, Backstreet Boys, the Bolshoi Ballet, Phil Collins, and, most recently, helping to lead the delivery of entertainment mega-projects inside Saudi Arabia, including the first-ever international music festival in the Kingdom. Jim was on the ground in the Kingdom from 2018 through 2022 as the territory began to flourish.

Tragic events throughout his professional career, as early as 1983, have had a profound impact on his safety consciousness. He was on the stage in 1992 when James Hetfield was seriously injured by a flame special effect and 55,000 audience members rioted at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. He was a stage manager on the main stage at Woodstock ’99 when 200,000 people ignited into chaos and was with Marilyn Manson in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting when riots ensued. These events, and others, have shaped the mindset that compels Jim’s passion and unwavering desire to see the industry embrace safety culture as the number one priority.

As President and Co-Founder of the Event Safety Alliance, a lecturer at the University of Southern California, and a board member of the Behind the Scenes Charity, Jim is a dedicated speaker and presenter on event safety, the event production career path, and personal wellness in live events. He tirelessly and passionately advocates for the health and sustainability of the industry at large.

Marty Hom
Industry Advisor

Marty Hom is the longtime Tour Director / Tour Manager for Fleetwood Mac, Barbra Streisand and Stevie Nicks.  He has recently worked with the Rolling Stones (Hackney Diamonds, 60th Anniversary & No Filter tours) Beyonce (Renaissance & Formation Tours), Shakira, Van Halen, Lionel Richie and most recently Olivia Rodrigo's Guts Tour. He is also the talent producer for MusiCares and was recently named to it's Board of Directors.

Adam Sensenbrenner
Industry Advisor
Stephen Riff
Industry Advisor

Stephen Riff is a Vice President of Talent at Live Nation Canada, where he helps shape some of the country’s most memorable concerts and tours. With more than two decades in the industry, he has a knack for spotting emerging talent and guiding artists from small clubs to arenas and beyond.

Before joining Live Nation, Stephen built a successful career in film and music video production. As Executive Producer and co-founder of Two Three Five Films, and later at Spy Films, he helped create hundreds of music videos for artists across North America and Europe. Many of these projects reached Top 10 lists on MuchMusic, Fuse, and MTV, earning multiple award nominations and contributing to an era that defined the visual storytelling of modern music.

Having experienced his own mental health challenges, Stephen is passionate about helping shift the conversation around well-being in the entertainment industry. His connection to Amber Health stems from a desire to see artists, crews, and industry professionals supported with the care and understanding they deserve—both on and off the road.

Dan Zar
Legal

Daniel Zar is a corporate attorney based in New York with 14 years of experience working at top law firms and in-house at an administrative multi-family office. Many of his clients have deep ties to the entertainment industry. He has a J.D. from UCLA and a B.A. from UCSB with a dual major in Psychology and Communication.