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Rainbow Mind is an LGBTQ+ mental health service, which is led and staffed by LGBTQ+ people.
Rainbow Mind is led by Mind in Salford and Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest.
We focus solely on LGBTQ+ mental health because research shows health outcomes are often worse for LGBTQ+ people than for the general population.
As a result people who identify as LGBTQ+ in the UK also report a lower quality of life. This is for a range of different reasons, which we understand and identify with. We believe that as LGBTQ+ therapists and staff, we are best placed to support LGBTQ+ people for better mental health.
We currently offer online 1 to 1 therapy, as well as support groups and courses, including Radical Self Care (RadSec) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Fortnightly we run an UK wide, online drop in for 17-24yrs old, called The Rainbow Room. The Rainbow Room offers a safe space to share and connect.
And every month we invite LGBTQ+ people of any age, from across the UK, and the world to join us at our online group, The Gathering. It’s a “brave space” to explore some common core themes and challenges of life: Love; Loss; Imperfection, Perfection & the Inner Critic; The Pain of Disconnection and Connection; Challenging Emotions, and an Invitation to Like Yourself.
For UK / Worldwide groups, you can register by contacting either one of our teams via the details above.
- According to national Mind, 42% of gay men and 70% of lesbian women experience mental health problems.
- In 2014, a survey by the University of Cambridge found that Britain’s LGBTQ population are twice as likely to suffer from chronic mental health problems than those not in the LGBTQ community.
- Gay and bisexual men are four times more likely to attempt suicide across their lifetime than the rest of the population.
- CliniQ, a service working with transgender people in London, reports that over 50% of transgender people have considered or attempted suicide, and over 80% experience depression.
Sources:
Rainbow Mind aims to:
- challenge assumptions, fears and prejudices about people who experience mental health problems and about the lives of people who identify as LGBTQ+.
- reduce social isolation for LGBTQ+ people by providing opportunities to socialise with other LGBTQ+ people and have access to community support.
- offer inclusive, sensitive and non-judgmental support, by providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ individuals to be their true selves free from judgement or discrimination.