At the time of this posting, Casey Weitzman, MA, LMFT (President and Founder of Gender Wellness of Los Angeles) and Grace O’Connor, MA, LMFT (Associate Therapist at Gender Wellness of Los Angeles) are ready to hit the road and brave the trails, so to speak. And soon after they wake tomorrow morning, they will lead a workshop of enthusiastic LGBTQ+ pre-teens and teens at Camp Brave Trails.

Brave Trails is a national non-profit organization dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth leadership. They offer accredited summer camps, family camps, mentorship programs, meet-up groups, and year-round leadership programming. Programs focus on helping LGBTQ+ youth find what they need most to thrive — their people, their place, and their passion — to create meaningful change in their communities.

The workshop, titled “My Tool Box,” begins with the creation and decoration of the box, courtesy of GWLA-furnished art supplies. Once the boxes have been completed, they will collectively brainstorm to identify coping tools for managing anxiety, stress and loneliness. Each child writes down the tools they identify on pieces of paper which then go into the boxes and can be accessed anytime challenging feelings emerge.

LGBTQ+ youth often face extreme internal and external pressures which all too often result in maladaptive coping behaviors. Exercises, like the one above, help to redirect kids in healthy directions as they analyze what they have made and how it makes them feel. Through exploring their art, kids can look for themes and conflicts that may be affecting their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Expressing themselves with arts and crafts — at summer camp — lightens the context to help to alleviate what are, normally, distressing thoughts while examining the psychological and emotional undertones. The methodical practice of visualizing and (literally) shaping/creating a coping tool box can be extremely beneficial.