LOS ANGELES — Pineapple Support has announced a corporate training initiative, available exclusively to sponsors of the organization, that is designed to help companies provide better support to their performers.
“The industry has suffered a number of tragic losses in the past few weeks,” said Leya Tanit, founder and CEO of Pineapple Support. "Not everyone who is suffering reaches out or asks for help directly, and it’s critical that we train people in our companies and on our platforms to recognize need, and enable them to begin discussions."
"We know navigating this conversation without proper training can be frightening and traumatic for both the person struggling and the person attempting to help," she continued. "Our corporate training sessions help employees and other staff members know how to react, and what resources to provide, when someone is in need."
The sessions will cover a range of topics, noted a rep, including "how to identify and react to a performer in crisis, how to support a sexual trauma survivor, spotting the early signs of mental health issues and invisible disabilities, as well as training in gender, sexual orientation, cyber-bullying and BIPOC-specific support."
The interactive training sessions will be held every two months and archived on a password-protected portal.
Pineapple Support, founded in 2018, has so far connected over 5,000 adult performers and industry members to mental health services, including free and low-cost therapy, counseling and emotional support.
“This is the first step in helping to build a greater web of support for industry workers,” said Tanit. “Equipped with the right knowledge and training, employees who work directly with models can play a critical role in providing crisis support. In the future, we’ll be inviting participants to gather and talk about the issues they've faced on their platforms, so that we can better learn from each other.”
Pineapple Support is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization in the United States; click here for sponsorship details.
Visit PineappleSupport.org and follow the group on Twitter.