LOS ANGELES — 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.
For more information on Pineapple Support, visit them online and follow them on Twitter.
