News / Changes Bristol
LGBTQ+ peer support group launched
A peer support group from Changes Bristol will be a place for LGBTQ+ people to feel represented and listened to.
Changes Bristol, a mental health charity based in Barton Hill, found there was a want from service users for a LGBTQ+-specific group.
Previously holding in-person groups and moving support online during the pandemic, the LGBTQ+ support group will also begin online.
is needed now More than ever
Running on Tuesdays and free to attend, the peer support group will be a place for building resilience and for bettering wellbeing for queer people in the city.
“People in the LGBTQ+ community suffer from higher than average experiences of marginalisation which includes discrimination, bullying and hate crime – which can lead to poor mental health,” says Jess Borthwick, who will lead the new group.
In 2018, Stonewall released a study that found one in seven LGBTQ+ people avoid mental health services and treatment for fear of discrimination.
“A major problem is the lack of integrated services where people seeking mental health support are discriminated against, or staff unwittingly using language that excludes LGBTQ+ people,” says Jess.
The LGBTQ+ peer support group launches on Tuesday, December 8. Photo: Changes Bristol
An expectation of discrimination, a lack of visibility of LGBTQ+ welcoming services, and, for transgender people, a fear of losing access to gender reassignment treatment may lead to people avoiding or delaying access to mental health services.
Jess adds: “There’s huge value in being able to talk to people who experience the same kind of marginalisation as it minimises the amount of justifying and explaining you have to do.
“Gender and sexuality are complex and ever changing, so having a space where you can be yourself around other people who understand is really important.”
Changes Bristol will be launching the LGBTQ+ support group on Tuesday, December 8, and it will run from 6.30pm to 8.30pm each Tuesday from this date.
Main photo: Changes Bristol
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