Bellmore’s Stacy Brief is on the front line of an existential battle: the internal argument, in particularly troubled minds, over whether or not to continue living. A licensed social worker and therapist, she works with those struggling with mental health challenges in community-driven suicide-prevention programs for young people across Long Island.
In recognition of her efforts to combat loneliness, alienation and depression in the youth of her community and beyond, the Herald is proud to name Brief its 2025 Person of the Year.
“It is a labor of pure love,” she said of her work. “Love for building a community for folks, and love for connecting with people and making sure that everyone knows how valuable their life is.”
Brief, 27, spends her free time contributing to and designing mental health programs, and has been an active volunteer for the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicides. Her involvement with SPTS began when she was 17, as a Mepham High School student panelist who led conversations about mental health with her peers at the organization’s events.
At age 20, Brief approached the society and asked to host a summit to address the need for mental health counseling in her community. That brought SPTS events to Bellmore and Merrick schools, including a Youth Wellness Summit, now held annually at the Brookside School in North Merrick.
SPTS also held monthly meetings, often led by Brief, that brought together students from some 40 high schools from across Long Island for discussions about mental health. The meetings were designed to help those who were struggling connect with a support system, she said.
In 2022, 1.6 million people attempted suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the methods the CDC encourages to reduce that number are forums for mental health care and community support. The impact on students has been dramatic. According to Brief, three students she worked with have founded clubs that focus on the well-being of their peers.
To every person struggling with their mental health, Brief has a message: “Pain doesn’t have to last forever, and you are worthy and deserving of love and care.”
An increasing awareness of mental health comes at a time when programs around the country face an existential threat of their own: a lack of funding. With the 2025 federal budget came a financial drought for mental health services, one that communities are scrambling to fill, according to the Mental Health Association in New York State. It hit Long Island hard: SPTS, which is headquartered in New Jersey, ended its work on the Island in August.
“SPTS, as an organization, was significantly impacted financially by all of these shifts and funding cuts, and had to significantly scale back their programming,” Brief said. “We were informed they would no longer be able to support Long Island programming. Moving forward, myself and a colleague and my family are working on creating a new foundation to be the vehicle to carry our own programs forward.”
Brief’s own internal struggles have informed her strategy and guide her vision. No one is better equipped, she believes, to answer a call for help than someone who has been in the same position.
“As a suicide attempt survivor (who) developed into a mental health professional, this is my sense of purpose,” she explained. “Our human instinct is to connect with others, to be in community.”
Throughout her life, Brief has experienced highs and lows not only in her own mental health, but in her observations of how communities respond to those wrestling with thoughts of suicide: Some people provide life-changing support and kindness, while others approach the topic with fear, hesitancy and misunderstanding. A negative response can drive someone to hide their problems, and cause those problems to escalate, she said.
“I’m continuing this year (with) my own suicide-prevention trainings and content,” she added, “and doing some community programs like youth panels on college campuses and training mental health professionals.”
Brief’s program, currently unnamed, will pick up where SPTS left off on Long Island. In September, she worked with Nassau County Community College on a suicide-prevention event called the Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Young Adult Panel Discussion. Two of the event’s panelists described it as an important opportunity to find a community of likeminded peers.
One of the former panelists, Zo Elrington, of Valley Stream, is a first-year student at New York University, studying social work. He was first attracted to mental health clubs in high school, which led to involvement with SPTS and meeting Brief. Working with her, Elrington said, inspired his choice of a major.
“Stacy being a social worker herself… (was) like a beacon of support for asking and finding more about the profession,” he said.
Another of the NCC panelists, Bellmore’s Zynab Munir, a 2022 graduate of Mepham High School now studying nursing at Molloy University, has also been a panelist at Brookside’s Youth and Wellness Summit. Munir’s experience working with Brief focused heavily on destigmatizing mental health, refusing to be silent about uncomfortable topics and inviting peers to call for help.
“Stacy reached out to me … and I let her know I was really open to this,” Munir said. “How do I explain it? It’s like the right person, right time. It really felt like the perfect opportunity for me to speak up about these things.”
After her first panel, Munir said she walked away “feeling like I made an impact.” Now, the two work together on plans for future events.
“She puts a lot of work into what she does,” Munir said of Brief. She’s very, very passionate. That energy that she had radiated onto me, and I radiated off onto others.”
Those struggling with suicidal thoughts can call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988) or access the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741).
