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Pineapple Support Sponsors Free Online Therapy Course

A free, online therapy course, sponsored by Pineapple Support, launches Tuesday, April 14. The seven-week course will utilize Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help industry members develop tolerance skills while in isolation during the production hold.

The two-hour weekly sessions, led by Pineapple Support therapist Sophie Graham, will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. (PDT) and focus on coping mechanisms that can be used during times of crisis.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is causing lots of people to experience distress,” explained Graham. “This might be because of fear of getting sick, or it could be financial stress, or the impact of being in closer than usual quarters with the folks that we live with. This course is all about finding ways to reduce your distress — using your body as well as your brain. It helps you to develop your capacity to manage distress better.”

To reserve a spot, email contact@pineapplesupport.org.

“It can be a struggle to cope with overwhelming events,” said Pineapple Support Founder Leya Tanit. “We can end up in crisis, and that can cause us to behave in ways that cause us shame or create practical problems in our lives. This course equips you with DBT skills to manage distressing situations without derailing your life or relationships.”

For the latest updates, follow Pineapple Support online and on Twitter.

Pineapple Support to Host Therapy Sessions at XBIZ Berlin

Pineapple Support will offer walk-in and by-appointment therapy sessions throughout XBIZ Berlin 2019, besides hosting a roundtable workshop on Wednesday, September 11.

Pineapple Support therapist, Michele Karban, and other members of the Pineapple Support team will be on hand during the day to discuss tools and practices with which performers can protect themselves, and how to get free mental health support.

“I’m thrilled to be attending XBIZ Berlin as part of the Pineapple Support team,” shared Karban. “Having been involved with Pineapple Support from the very beginning, I’m now looking forward to offering a drop-in therapy space at [the conference]. My hope is any performer who is needing a confidential area to talk will access this space or see it as a first step for anyone who is considering therapy for the first time for themselves, and would like to find out more.”

The roundtable workshop, “Putting Performers First,” will be held at the Konferenz I space in the XBIZ Conference Center at 11 a.m. local time, and will address mental health stigma within the adult industry and how performers and producers alike can help combat it.

“The performer community has always faced societal pressures, but today’s performers are more vulnerable because of rampant cyberbullying,” said Pineapple Support founder Leya Tanit.  “As an industry, we need to understand the specific struggles that performers face both on and offline, and learn how to best support them.”

Since its launch in 2018, Pineapple Support has connected over three hundred adult performers to mental health services, including free and low-cost therapy, counseling and emotional support. The organization is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit in the United States and a registered charity in the U.K.

While walk-in appointments may be available, those who wish to book an appointment with therapist Michele Karban should do so by contacting Karban directly via WhatsApp at +44 7814 942528.