Pineapple Support Launches Corporate Training Initiative

LOS ANGELES — Pineapple Support, the adult industry’s leading mental health nonprofit, will launch a Corporate Training Initiative to help staff at individual companies provide better support to models. The corporate training sessions are available exclusively to the employees of companies that sponsor Pineapple Support.“The industry has suffered a number of tragic losses in the past few weeks,” says Leya Tanit, president and founder 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. 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 topics 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 will take place every two months and will be available to rewatch on a password-protected website. Tanit founded Pineapple Support in 2018, after a string of losses in the adult industry from depression and other mental illnesses. The organisation, which is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization in the United States and a registered charity in the UK, has so far connected over 5000 adult performers 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,” says 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.”If you have a business and would like to find out how to become an official sponsor of Pineapple Support, view the available packages by visiting pineapplesupport.org/sponsorship/.