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A crisis protocol, because the right answer is not always career advice.

Job loss is one of the most destabilising events in adult life. A meaningful number of people in the first weeks of a layoff are not okay — and a smaller but real number are in actual crisis. CareerCanopy is built for the first group every day. The crisis protocol exists for the second. The protocol is simple in shape and strict in execution. When the companion detects language that crosses a clear line — explicit references to self-harm, suicidal ideation, or active crisis — it stops giving career advice. It does not pivot, soften, or try to coach through it. It tells you what is happening, asks what you need, and surfaces 988 prominently. Career conversation does not resume until the moment has passed and you say you are ready. If you are in crisis right now, please call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. CareerCanopy is not a mental health service.

How it works

Three steps, start to finish.

  1. 01

    The companion is listening for specific language

    Not vague "hard day" phrasing — the protocol is for explicit references to self-harm, suicidal ideation, or active crisis. The detection threshold is intentionally tight: false positives that misread a hard day are worse than the alternative most other apps choose, which is missing the real ones.

  2. 02

    Career advice stops, immediately

    The companion does not finish the previous thread, does not try to redirect, does not coach through it. It names what just happened, surfaces 988, and asks what you actually need in the next ten minutes — including the option to sit quietly, talk to someone, or call a professional.

  3. 03

    Career conversation does not resume until you say so

    There is no countdown, no automatic return to the plan. The next time the companion talks about your résumé is the next time you ask it to. The product treats the moment as more important than the session continuity.

What makes it different

Why this is not the generic version.

  • Hard handoff, not soft pivot. Most apps try to keep the conversation going with gentler phrasing. The protocol stops and surfaces 988 instead, because gentler career advice is still career advice.
  • Tight detection. The protocol does not fire on bad days or frustration. It fires on explicit crisis language. False positives that interrupt a hard day are designed to be rare so that the real fires are taken seriously.
  • Built into the product, not a footer. The 988 reference is on the website front, in the in-app safety surface, and in the protocol itself — not buried in fine print.

Product visual

When the protocol fires, career advice stops and 988 is the headline.

Questions

Common questions

If you are in crisis right now, what should you do?

Please call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The Lifeline is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CareerCanopy is not a mental health service and is not a substitute for professional crisis care. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Why a hard handoff instead of gentler career advice?

Because softer career advice is still career advice, and someone in crisis needs a different kind of help. A protocol that tries to coach through the moment treats the session as more important than the person, and that is the wrong priority. Stopping the career conversation is the most respectful thing the product can do — and the most useful one in the next ten minutes.

What about ordinary hard days — does the protocol fire then?

No. The detection threshold is tight on purpose. A hard day, frustration, anger, or grief about the layoff itself are not the protocol. They are exactly what the daily check-in is for, and the companion handles them by softening the day's plan rather than escalating. The protocol is reserved for explicit references to self-harm or active crisis.

Can my friend or family member trigger the protocol on my behalf?

No. CareerCanopy is a single-user product and the protocol fires only inside the conversation between the companion and the account holder. If you are worried about someone else, the right move is to reach out to them directly. If they are in immediate danger, please call 911. For ongoing concern, 988 has resources for people supporting someone else, not only for people in crisis themselves.

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