The Help Group Launches Kaleidoscope - A Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Support Program for Youth

Kaleidoscope will serve LGBTQ+ children, adolescents and young adults, and will specialize in working with individuals with special needs and their families

News provided by

The Help Group

Mar 11, 2019, 09:05 ET

LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Help Group is excited to announce the launch of one of its newest programs—Kaleidoscope, serving LGBTQ+ children, adolescents, young adults, and their families. While Kaleidoscope will serve all LGBTQ+ individuals, it will also specialize in working with LGBTQ+ individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, LD and social and emotional challenges and their families.

Kaleidoscope will support building healthy relationships, strong social connections and critical life skills. Through high quality, innovative evidence based programming, Kaleidoscope's goal is to help each person realize their unique potential.

According to Dr. Susan Berman, COO of The Help Group, "With a growing number of LGBTQ+ young people, including those with special needs, seeking a safe place to connect with peers and explore their emerging identity, it was clear that there was a pressing community need for a program such as this. Believing that strengths in differences make the world a better place, and that all LGBTQ+ individuals should have access to a full complement of services, Kaleidoscope was born."

Kaleidoscope plans to offer the following services:

Support, advocacy, and education
Social events, social clubs, and community engagement
Resources and referrals
Training for community partners
Individual, group, and family counseling
School programs

According to Bryan Scheihing, LMFT and Program Coordinator of Kaleidoscope, "It's important to recognize that LGBTQ+ youth are facing unique challenges. Those challenges are more complex when combined with social and learning differences - "a double rainbow." Understanding and accepting that each child, teen and young adult has a unique story is critical in providing more specialized support for this population."

To learn more about Kaleidoscope, visit www.thehelpgroup.org/kaleidoscope.

About The Help Group:
Founded in 1975, The Help Group is the largest, most innovative and comprehensive nonprofit of its kind in the United States serving children, adolescents and young adults with special needs related to autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, ADHD, developmental delays, abuse and emotional challenges. www.thehelpgroup.org.

SOURCE The Help Group