How to resolve AdBlock issue? The Saratoga Center for the Family recently started a support group for teenagers on the transgender spectrum, which includes gender non-binary, gender non-conforming and gender questioning individuals, among others.
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, a person’s gender identity is their internal knowledge of their own gender, and their gender expression is how they present their gender on the outside, often through behavior, clothing, hairstyle, voice and body characteristics.
The group was created and is led by Paula Zimmerman, a therapist at the Center and an LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor). She is also a certified LGBT – Affirmative Psychotherapist Provider through the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and earned her Master’s degree from the College of Saint Rose in 2000.
Zimmerman said that she has always been passionate about working with transgender teens, and that about a year ago she went to training run by Lyndon Cudlitz, where she got the idea for the support group.
According to a 2015 GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) School Climate Survey, over 40% of LGBTQ students felt unsafe at school due to their gender expression, over 95% heard negative remarks about their gender expression and over 85% heard negative remarks specifically about transgender people.
According to the Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people, LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to seriously consider, make a plan for and attempt suicide than their peers. The Project also estimated that at least 1.2 million LGBTQ youths between the ages of 13 and 18 seriously consider suicide each year.
Since February, Zimmerman has been working with a planning committee of teens to figure out the specifics of the group. During this time, she has also kept in touch with other professionals to get their input, like Cudlitz and Sativa Bigelow, also an LMHC who works with Choices in Albany, a counseling group that Zimmerman said is very experienced in LGBTQ support.
Some of the planning committee’s input has been to lay some ground rules, such as making sure to be respectful and affirming of everyone present and to make sure that everyone knows that they only need to talk about what they feel comfortable mentioning.
In case the group is running into problems creating conversation, Zimmerman also has ways to try to stoke their thoughts, such as posters with phrases like “you’ll never understand until it happens to you,” because the phrase means something different to each person and so will naturally create discussion.
Another idea that the planning committee put forward was to have various art supplies available to attendees to use as a coping mechanism. Yet another was to potentially have guest speakers visit to talk about topics like hormones, hormone blockers and safe binding techniques in the future.
Wende Tedesco, Clinical Director of the Center and an LCSW-R (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), said that the art supplies, guest speakers and other expenses would be paid through grants and that they are currently looking into two such grants. Aside from the gas to get to the Center, there will be no cost for attending the group.
The group is now out of the planning phase and is about to start having meetings twice a month at the Center in the late afternoon for an hour each time.
Its mission is to provide a safe environment for teens who are transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming and gender questioning to talk about their experiences as Trans+ teens, and to receive affirmation and support from peers.
Those interested only need to contact Zimmerman to set up a meeting. Anyone under 18 years old will need to have their parents sign off on allowing them to participate, as well.
The purpose of the initial meeting is to make sure the prospective member has the right expectations of what will happen in the group and what is allowed, such as the aforementioned respect rule and not allowing phones at all due to the risk of recording sensitive and private information.
Prospective members do not need to be one of Zimmerman or Tedesco’s existing clients, nor do they need to start by going to the Center. Zimmerman said that any program hosted by the Center can refer someone to the group, and that they welcome even other organizations referring teens to them.
She also said that any teen on the transgender spectrum that can get to the Center was welcome in the group.
Once a teenager has gone through the initial meeting, Zimmerman said that they are free to come to as many or few meetings as they feel comfortable attending.
For more information, contact Paula Zimmerman at 518-587-8008 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
