About Fourth Wall Consultants
Fourth Wall Consultants was founded by licensed clinicians who saw a persistent gap in how film and television productions protect their people. The industry has long managed schedules, budgets, and logistics with precision, while leaving the human system largely unprotected.
We built Fourth Wall to close that gap.
We bring clinical expertise and production fluency together in a single firm, working alongside producers and directors to build the psychological safety infrastructure that modern productions require.
Our team holds additional certification in Wellbeing Facilitation through 6ft From the Spotlight (UK), the leading training body for on-set wellbeing practice.
Our Mission
Fourth Wall Consultants partners with producers and production leadership to build psychologically safe, high-functioning sets through structured wellbeing facilitation, risk assessment, and on-set support. We work from a prevention-first model to reduce preventable disruptions, protect the workforce, and strengthen production outcomes.
Our Approach
We work across every phase of production, from prep through release. In pre-production, we identify risks and set clear standards. During production, we provide calm, embedded support where pressure is highest. In post and release, we deliver debriefs, documentation, and safeguarding plans that strengthen the next cycle.
Meet Our Team
We’re a team of trauma-informed, production-fluent professionals who care deeply about the arts and the people who make them
Mary Starks
MA, LPCC
Mary Starks is a co-founder of Fourth Wall Consultants and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the State of California. She specializes in working with creative professionals through a psychoanalytic lens, with a private practice in Santa Monica. At Fourth Wall, Mary leads script analysis, pre-production psychosocial risk assessment, and support for unscripted productions, particularly those working with emotional trauma embedded in true crime and documentary storylines. Mary is a member of the New Center of Psychoanalysis, where she serves on the membership committee and the Film and Mind Series committee alongside Thomas Brod, MD and Apurva Shah, MD.
Kaitlin Wiechert
MA, LMFT
Kaitlin Wiechert co-founded and leads Fourth Wall Consultants as CEO. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with nearly two decades of clinical experience, including clinical supervision, crisis response, and leadership of multidisciplinary teams. At Fourth Wall, Kaitlin works with productions to identify psychological risks early, provide calm on-set support, and guide teams through post-production debriefs. Her approach is grounded in the belief that creative excellence and human wellbeing are deeply connected. Kaitlin is known for her steady, trauma-informed presence in high-pressure environments, working across creative, production, and executive spaces to strengthen emotional safety, clarity, and resilience.
Peter N. Maduro
J.D., Psy.D., Psy.D.
Peter Maduro brings dual expertise in law and clinical psychology to Fourth Wall as an expert consultant on trauma and high-stakes productions. He advises production teams navigating complex emotional and legal terrain, particularly where duty-of-care obligations intersect with psychological safety. Dr. Maduro studied intersubjective theory and trauma under Robert Stolorow, Ph.D., and is affiliated with the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and the New Center of Psychoanalysis. He previously practiced law at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in New York and holds active bar memberships in California, Massachusetts, and New York. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Bowdoin College (magna cum laude), a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, and a Psy.D. in clinical psychology.
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Judy Waters
M.A. MFT
Judy Waters is a founding member of Fourth Wall Consultants and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She brings a holistic approach to supporting creative professionals, drawing on extensive clinical experience with trauma survivors, individuals facing addiction, and people navigating major life transitions. Judy's clinical training includes EMDR, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Nonviolent Communication, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, with a foundation in Attachment Theory. Before entering clinical practice, she worked professionally as a dancer, choreographer, and actress in California and London, and in broadcast journalism in the San Francisco Bay Area. That firsthand experience in the performing arts informs her understanding of the pressures creative professionals face. At Fourth Wall, Judy works with cast and crew to build a foundation of safety, resilience, and steadiness under production pressure.