Smithtown to debut summer program for LGBTQ youths

A new free program in Smithtown that kicks off later this month will aim to help LGBTQ teenagers who are struggling with mental health issues work together to face those problems.

Smithtown’s Horizons Counseling and Education Center will offer the program for members of the LGBTQ community between the ages of 13 and 17.

The town agency's “Proud and Empowered” program, a local adaptation of a national program funded by the National Institutes of Health, will be a twice-a-week, five-week workshop.

It will focus on helping LGBTQ youths connect with a support system, learn resiliency and cope with stress, which members of their often-stigmatized group face, officials said.

While the program primarily will be for Smithtown teenagers, it also will be open to those who live outside the town, according to the center’s officials.

Last year, they interviewed local teenagers in focus groups — an effort organized with the town’s Youth and Community Alliance — about what resources they felt Smithtown lacked.

Teens recommended more local access to LGBTQ programs, according to Kelly DeVito, a youth services coordinator for the town who will help run the summer program.

LGBTQ adolescents are three to four times more likely to meet criteria for mental health disorders and two to five times more likely to meet criteria for behavioral disorders than their heterosexual peers, according to the Proud and Empowered national program's website.

The Smithtown program will work with youths through group exercises, videos and open discussions to educate them about topics such as family, friendships, spirituality, equality, health and wellness, officials said. 

“It really does run the gamut of different programs, but it’s all stuff that’s relatable for teens and for the LGBTQ community since they have higher rates of stress and all sorts of things just because of what they deal with,” DeVito said.

David Kilmnick, founder and president of Hauppauge-based nonprofit The LGBT Network, said young people his organization works with have said groups that introduce them to peers do help them deal with mental health crises better.

“To have that to look forward to, to have that sense of community and camaraderie, to not be alone in this is really important,” Kilmnick said.

Smithtown came under the spotlight last year on LGBTQ issues after the public library's board removed Pride Month displays from the children's rooms in the library before later reversing its decision. That highlighted the importance of having resources in the town available for LGBTQ youths, according to Kilmnick.

While the center is aware of that history, DeVito said it did not play a role in the rationale for starting the new program in Smithtown.

"We know that all students taking part can benefit from this," DeVito said. "For them to know there is a place where they can talk and have another support for them is vital."