To hail the close of LGBT+ History Month, Talk to the Rainbow, the team of LGBTQ+ allied counsellors and therapists based in Bristol covering everything related to sexuality, sexual orientation, gender and sex, has launched a new therapy service.
The service specialises in helping the LGBTQ+ community and its allies to tackle this group’s growing mental health crisis.
Talk to the Rainbow’s mission is to create a centre for therapeutic excellence and therapeutic safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community in Bristol and the South West.
To do this, they have brought together of a team of trained and experienced therapists, counsellors, psychologists and mindfulness practitioners who all have lived experience or strong links to the LGBTQ+ community.
The team who practice with the service has been carefully chosen to reflect a diverse range of training and approaches. The aim is to offer a holistic, diverse and wide-ranging approach to helping its diverse client base.
Talk to the Rainbow is the brainchild of co-founders Hugo Minchin and Tara Fraser.
Commenting on the launch, Hugo Minchin, director and co-founder at Talk to the Rainbow explained that they chose to launch their service in Bristol at the end of February (LGBT+ History Month) as a fitting tribute to what our community has experienced over the years and to show how hopeful they are about the future.
According to Talk to the Rainbow, the LGBTQ+ community in the South West is facing a massive mental health crisis.
Minchin explains: “It’s a harsh reality, but quite frankly, people are dying. We aim to step in at a time to offer support and care when no one else really is. We are looking forward to providing a truly unique counselling service to Bristol and the local regions, and to start to make a difference to such a wonderful, yet very vulnerable community.”
Talk to the Rainbow was founded out of the need to provide help to the vulnerable LGBTQ+ community in the South West initially. They have big plans for expansion across the UK.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are more susceptible to mental health problems, such as depression, suicidal thoughts, self-harm and alcohol and substance misuse. This is due to a range of factors including, discrimination, inequality and unacceptance. For instance;
- 53% of LGBTQ+ people in 2018 experienced depression
- One in seven LGBTQ+ avoid seeking healthcare for fear of discrimination from staff
- One in eight LGBTQ+ young people (18-24) said they have attempted to take their own life
- Transgender youth are far more likely than their non-transgender peers to experience depression — nearly four times the risk, according to one study (Reisner 2015). Similarly, LGBQ teens experience significantly more depression symptoms than their heterosexual peers (Marshal 2011).
Tara Fraser director and co-founder at Talk to the Rainbow explained further:
“People in our community are often very vulnerable and need help with their mental health. We believe it is our job to be there to support them. The statistics for LGBTQ+’s mental health and wellbeing are truly shocking”.
“What we hope to do to is not only practically help people, but also give those people a voice. One of the many reasons we started Talk to the Rainbow was because we knew just how hard it is to find a therapist that really ‘gets you’ if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community. At Talk to the Rainbow we all have that lived experience of being a part of the LGBTQ+ community.”
About the Author
Claire Farrow is the Global Director of Content and Programming for the Mad World and Make a Difference Summits. She also drives the content for Mad World News. Claire is on a mission to help every employer – large, medium and small – get the insight, inspiration and contacts they need to make real impact on workplace culture, mental health and wellbeing in their organisation. She has been freelance for more than 15 years. During that time, she has had the honour of working with many leading publishers, including the New York Times.
