Pineapple Support will host a seven-week online course starting Tuesday April 14, 2020. The stated intent of the course is to help participants currently in isolation develop tolerance skills as a result of the novel coronavirus.

The online course, run by therapist Sophie Graham, will focus on DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) techniques to equip performers with coping mechanisms that can be used during times of crisis.

Per Graham’s website, DBT is a “non-pathologising approach that teaches skills for creating a life worth living. It focuses on the areas of mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance and emotional regulation.”

The site continues to state that: “The DBT approach was initially designed for clients with a borderline personality disorder diagnosis but has been found to be effective in relation to a broad range of diagnoses including depression and anxiety.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic is causing lots of people to experience distress,” said 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.”

Pineapple Support was founded in 2018 by British performer Leya Tanit, after a string of losses in the adult industry from depression and other mental illnesses. The organisation, which is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit in the United States and a registered charity in the UK, has so far connected over a thousand adult performers to mental health services, including free and low-cost, therapy, counseling and emotional support.

“It can be a struggle to cope with overwhelming events,” says 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.”

The distress tolerance course starts on Tuesday 14th April from 12.30PM – 2.30PM EST and runs each Tuesday at the same time for seven weeks. To reserve your place, please email contact@pineapplesupport.org.

Image by cottonbro from Pexels.