L.G.B.T. Support Group Launches

A social worker here is launching a support group for teens ages 14 to 18 who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

Amy Zachary, who practiced in New York City and London before moving to East Hampton full time in 2002, will begin holding sessions on Tuesday in the school building at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Buell Lane from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.

“They can come and kind of let their hair down and speak openly about their struggles or dilemmas with families and friends that might be specific to the L.G.B.T. community,” Ms. Zachary said. “Given the fact that adolescence can be such a dramatic time in one’s life as it is . . . that can be compounded when you identify with a group that is still marginalized by the larger society.”

She currently facilitates bereavement support groups for the palliative care unit at Southampton Hospital, and has counseled patients on substance abuse and those with post-traumatic stress disorder after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. She has worked with patients of all ages.

Ms. Zachary said the L.G.B.T. group is not associated with Most Holy Trinity. The church has generously offered to provide the space for the program, she said.

“I want to provide a forum for young people to feel comfortable to air what is troubling them or what is on their minds,” she said. “I want there to be input and a collaborative feeling to this. Generating questions of curiosity and interest, we will arrive at new understandings.”

Ms. Zachary recommended that those who are interested contact her ahead of time. She can be reached by phone at 917-327-6237 and by email at [email protected]. C.S.