About the project
The LGBTI+ Gozo Counselling Programme aims to provide holistic, accessible, and specialised mental health support for LGBTIQ+ individuals and their families living in Gozo. The project will deliver professional counselling services and mental health awareness initiatives that address the unique challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ persons, including social stigma, isolation, discrimination, and mental health vulnerabilities.
The programme will offer one-to-one counselling sessions, group counselling sessions, and mental health awareness initiatives, including targeted campaigns and training for professionals working in the education sector and other relevant stakeholders. Counselling will be delivered by warranted and experienced counsellors with expertise in counselling practice and knowledge of LGBTIQ+ issues, ensuring that beneficiaries receive competent, affirming, and inclusive support.
The project builds on an earlier counselling initiative implemented by LGBTI+ Gozo between 2021 and 2023, during which trainee counsellors from the University of Malta’s Master’s in Counselling programme provided counselling placements and delivered approximately 50 hours of free counselling to vulnerable community members. However, as the trainee cohort completed their studies, the organisation could no longer continue providing accessible counselling services.
This project therefore expands and strengthens the programme by engaging qualified counsellors and introducing group counselling sessions, which will help foster peer support, community belonging, and social inclusion. Additionally, the project includes mental health education, training, and online outreach campaigns designed to raise awareness, build mental health competency among stakeholders, and encourage compassion, empathy, and social support within the wider community.
By maintaining free or accessible services for vulnerable individuals, the programme seeks to reduce barriers to mental health support while promoting wellbeing and resilience within the LGBTIQ+ community in Gozo.
