Equality Florida Awarded $22,000 Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to Expand LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Services
Equality Florida Awarded $22,000 Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to Expand LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Services
Sarasota, FL – Equality Florida was awarded a $22,000 grant from the McCauley-Brown Fund at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, which paved the way for a critical initiative aimed at increasing the competencies of mental health service providers for LGBTQ+ youth in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties.
With this generous support, Equality Florida trained a new cohort of mental health practitioners using AFFIRM Youth, an evidence-based, coping skills training intervention that reduces mental health challenges and behavioral risks among LGBTQ youth. AFFIRM Youth has demonstrated proven effectiveness in various settings, including schools, healthcare centers, and behavioral health clinics.
“With the Community Foundation’s support, we’re helping mental health professionals provide affirming, evidence-based care for LGBTQ youth,” said Dr. Noelle DeLaCruz, Senior Manager of Health Equity with Equality Florida. “By equipping practitioners with the tools to support young people, we are building a stronger, more inclusive mental health system that integrates evidence-based treatment with affirmation, helping LGBTQ+ youth develop coping skills, enhance their strengths, and improve overall well-being.”
Due to stigma, discrimination, and harassment, LGBTQ+ young people are at much higher risk than their peers for a range of negative outcomes, including being bullied, skipping school, family rejection, homelessness, and suicide. Equality Florida has spent decades partnering with school districts and mental health professionals to establish lifesaving policies and programs for LGBTQ+ youth and their families. To date, our programs have trained over 40,000 educators and school-based mental health professionals from all of Florida's 67 school districts. As a result of this work, 2 million Florida public school students are protected by policies aimed at reducing harassment, discrimination, and violence. LGBTQ+ support groups have been established at hundreds of high schools and middle schools, along with a statewide referral network of agencies that have expertise in LGBTQ+ issues.
A Licensed Clinical Social Worker who participated in the AFFIRM Youth cohort shared, "I recently completed the AFFIRM Youth training and can’t recommend it highly enough. This evidence-based, affirmative cognitive behavioral therapy approach is specifically designed to support LGBTQ+ young people. The training provided not only practical tools and strategies grounded in CBT but also a deeply affirming, inclusive framework that honors the unique challenges that LGBTQ+ young people face. I especially loved how strengths-based and empowering this model is. The sessions are structured, yet flexible, making it easy to incorporate into my clinical work. The emphasis on coping, identity affirmation, and resilience-building aligns well with my personal values as a therapist. I left the training feeling hopeful, energized, and excited to start using AFFIRM CBT, as I truly feel this modality will make such a difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ young people."
The demand for mental health services, especially for LGBTQ+ youth, remains strong according to results of the 2024 National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Youth published by The Trevor Project. With the successful completion of this round of training, Equality Florida‘s Health Equity program intends to hold additional provider trainings in other regions of the state to make culturally competent services accessible to all.
About the Community Foundation of Sarasota County:
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $544 million in more than 1,590 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $56 million last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare, and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has granted more than $500 million to area nonprofit organizations in our community, thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.
About Equality Florida:
Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Through education, grassroots organizing, and coalition building, we are changing Florida so that no one suffers harassment or discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.