🌈 How to Access LGBTQ+ Mental Health Support at Be/Here (And Why It Feels Different)

By Vanessa at Be/Here

If you’ve been searching for “LGBT mental health support near me” and still feel like no space truly fits, you’re not alone.

So many LGBTQIA+ folks reach out to us not because they haven’t tried to get support, but because they’ve already tried—and left feeling more unseen, more exhausted, or more afraid to ask for help again.

At Be/Here, we’re doing things differently. And we’re here for you.

💛 Why Be/Here Exists

We started Be/Here because we were tired of watching our community be left out, misunderstood, or harmed by mainstream mental health systems.

Our team is made up of queer, trans, neurodivergent, disabled and racialised practitioners and peers. We’ve been through the waiting lists, the referrals, the gendered intake forms. We’ve sat in rooms where we couldn’t breathe.

We built Be/Here because we needed something softer—something rooted in care, community, and us.

Max Townley and Vanessa Porter, co-founders of Be/Here

🌿 What LGBT Mental Health Support Looks Like at Be/Here

We know that healing doesn’t look the same for everyone. That’s why we offer a range of free, LGBTQIA+ affirming mental health spaces, both in-person across Greater Manchester and online.

Here’s how you can connect:

🧠 Therapeutic Support

We offer one-to-one, person-centred therapeutic sessions with queer-affirming practitioners. These aren’t clinical assessments—they’re spacious, non-judgmental sessions where you can be met as you are.

🤝 Peer Support Groups

From Trans+ Circles to Mental Health Skills Workshops, our groups are led by people with lived experience, not detached professionals.

You won’t need to explain your identity or justify your emotions. You’ll just be held, heard, and honoured.

☁️ Community Drop-Ins & Events

Sometimes you don’t need therapy—you just need space. Our safe space sessions offer gentle moments to reconnect, reflect, or simply be around people who get it.

All of our spaces are:

• Free to access

• Trauma-informed

• Sensory and access aware

• Open to all identities—no referral or diagnosis needed

🌈 What Makes Be/Here Different

We are:

• Queer-led – Our support isn’t just “inclusive,” it’s made for us, by us.

• Trauma-informed – We honour your boundaries and won’t rush your process.

• Community-rooted – You’re not alone here. You’re part of something bigger.

And maybe most importantly:

We don’t ask you to perform your pain to be taken seriously. You don’t have to be “in crisis” to deserve care. You don’t have to “get better” quickly.

You are allowed to take up space just as you are—messy, unsure, healing slowly, still figuring it out.

📍 How to Access Support

We keep things simple because accessing help shouldn’t be a battle.

1. Go to our website: www.beheremcr.co.uk

2. Click ‘What’s On’ to view upcoming support groups, events or sessions

3. Book in or RSVP (no medical gatekeeping, no referral required)

   
   

💌 Need help accessing something? Just message us on Instagram (@beheremcr) or email maxtownley@beheremcr.co.uk We’ll always do our best to meet you where you’re at.

🫶 You Deserve This

If you're reading this with a lump in your throat or a quiet “maybe this is for me” in the back of your mind—please know: it is for you.

You don’t have to explain, prove, or push through. You just have to be here. And we’ll be here with you.

With love and light, Vanessa at Be/Here

🔗 Want to join us?

Explore free, affirming LGBTQ+ mental health support in Greater Manchester: 👉 www.beheremcr.co.uk