Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Bristol Live & Let Live meetings for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender alcoholics and those who have a desire to stop drinking. See AA website for details of meeting times.
Resources: Support groups
Avon Trans People
Self-help group for those considering or undergoing gender reassignment. Signposting and personalised support for: medical and treatment issues, emotional and family concerns, passing problems and legal matters.
Battle Against Tranquillisers
BAT offers mutual support to anyone who wishes to consider the level of benzodiazepines etc. they take or to come off these tranquillisers. There is no pressure and clients are encouraged to be in charge of their own withdrawal. Family, friends and carers are also welcome.
Bipolar UK
Bipolar UK is dedicated to supporting individuals with bipolar, their families and carers. They support and develop self-help opportunities for people affected by bipolar, offer information on bipolar, self-help groups and education and self-management. Bristol Support Group meets monthly.
BIVISIBLE
Socialising and support for Bristol’s Bi Community.
Every 2nd Wednesday of each month at Hydra Book Shop from 8pm – 10pm.
Bristol and District Tranquilliser Project
Bristol and District Tranquilliser Project works to help those having problems with prescribed psychotropic medications (benzodiazepine tranquillisers/sleeping tablets, and antidepressants). They help people who are taking or have recently withdrawn from this type of medication.
Bristol City Council Support Groups Directory
Directory of support groups and organisations, both local and national, that provide advice and support to different sections of the local community in Bristol.
Bristol Eating Disorder Support Group
The Bristol Eating Disorder Peer Support Group has been running for over twenty five years. They aim to provide a space for sufferers (aged 18 years and over) and for friends/families/carers to support one another. They work in association with b-eat.
Bristol Gendered Intelligence
Youth group for trans, non-binary, gender variant and/or gender questioning young people aged between 13 and 21.
Bristol Hearing Voices Network
Hearing Voices bring together a number of people who share the experience of hearing voices, to help and support each other. This group aims to understand voice-hearing and intrusive thoughts through sharing information and experiences.
Care Forum
The Care Forum support communication, consultation and networking with the voluntary and community sector (VCS). They work to empower adults and young people to voice issues about local social and community care services, and provide information and advice about voluntary and statutory sector health and well-being services.
Changes Mutual Help Group
Changes is a user led mutual support group for anybody experiencing mental distress living in and around Bristol. It offers a structured and focused approach to management of mental health symptoms.
Crossroads Transgender Support Group
The Bristol Crossroads group has been supporting the transgender community in and around Bristol, under various names, for over 25 years. The meetings are informal and provide the opportunity for all transgender people (Transvestites, Crossdressers, Transexuals, both male-to-female and female-to-male) and their partners and family to meet and dress in a safe and supportive environment. There are changing facilities available for those who need them.
Elefriends
Elefriends is a supportive online community where you can be yourself. Elefriends is run by national Mind.
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (FFLAG)
Bristol Families and Friends is a support group based in Bristol and serving the west run by/for families and friends of lesbians, gay men and bisexual women and men. It provides an opportunity for people to explore issues and share experiences, as well as fears, in a safe place.
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous
A fellowship of people who have experienced difficulties in life as a result of our relationship to food and eating and joined FA because of an obsession with food. Group in Bristol who aid each other through shared experience and mutual support, we help each other to recover from food addiction. Their program of recovery is based on the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. We make use of AA principles to gain freedom from addictive eating.
Freedom Youth
Freedom Youth is a fun, safe, inclusive and supportive project for those aged 13-25 years, where you can meet other lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer or questioning young people. It’s open to anyone questioning their sexuality or gender – no labels applied! As well as groups, the Freedom staff offer one-to-one support and signposting, including to Off The Record’s in-house LGBTQ counsellors. The service is operated by Off The Record.
Gay West
A social and support group for gay people in the South West.
Gender Jelly
A monthly safe space for young people (13-25 years old) who might be questioning their gender identity, or who identify on the trans spectrum, to talk about gender and what it means to them. Sessions are workshop based and provide support, information and signposting.
Mind Without Borders – Working in the Community
Mind Without Borders is an ongoing commitment by Bristol Mind to reach out to wider communities living here in our city. We celebrate difference and see that others whose background and culture may not be the same as ours, can… Read more
NB:South West
Non-Binary South West is a peer support group for trans* people in the South West of England (or beyond) with non-binary gender identities
Off The Record: Bristol
Off the Record provides free confidential, self-referral specialist information, advice, informal support and counselling for young people in Bristol, aged 11 – 25. Appointments can be arranged through the helpline or via email.
Overeaters Anonymous
Overeaters Anonymous is a Fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience, strength and hope, are recovering from compulsive overeating. The OA Programme is based on the twelve step recovery programme of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Positive Minds
Positive Minds offers support and advice to help adults improve their wellbeing and reduce the mental and emotional stress in their life through one to one support and monthly coffee mornings.
Rethink – Bristol Siblings Group
The Bristol Siblings Group is open to anyone aged 18 or over with a brother or sister with mental health issues.
Rethink Bristol Carers Service
Rethink Bristol Carers Service is a local service that offers one-to-one and group support to people caring for a family member or friend who is living with/experiencing mental distress.
Rethink Mental Illness – Bristol Community Support Services
Rethink community support services offer individualised support to people recovering from mental illness/distress through working with a person centered approach to plan support responses.
Rethink Mental Illness – Bristol Community Support Services website
Safe Link
We provide support for anyone (women, men and children) who has been the victim of rape and sexual abuse across the whole Avon and Somerset area. We also provide women’s mental health and domestic abuse support services.
Self Injury Self Help (SISH) Group
‘Self Injury, Self Help’ are a Bristol based community organisation, who run self-help support groups for people who self-injure. They create a safe space to talk, offer and receive support in an accepting environment.
Self Injury Support (formerly Bristol Crisis Service for Women)
Self-injury Support offers a text and email support service (TESS) for girls and young women under 25 affected by self-injury. They also run a Women’s Self-injury Helpline open to women of any age as well as delivering talks and training about self-harm.
Self Injury Support (formerly Bristol Crisis Service for Women) website
Single Parents Website
This website is aimed at parents who, for whatever the circumstance, are raising children on their own. It provides information, expert advice, interactive learning, multi-media content, links to other support organisations and news for anyone parenting alone.
Social Anxiety Bristol
Social Anxiety Bristol (SA Bristol) is a self-help group open to anyone who experiences or has experienced social anxiety. The group offers a safe place to talk about your social anxiety and get help and advice from like-minded people who have been through similar experiences.
Studio Upstairs
Studio Upstairs provides artistic resources and support to adults experiencing mental and emotional distress and in drug and alcohol recovery. As well as visual arts, the Studio also has active music and creative writing groups.
Triumph Over Phobia (TOP)
Triumph Over Phobia runs a national network of self-help groups designed to help sufferers of phobia and OCD to overcome their problems using graded self-exposure (a lay form of behaviour therapy) in a supportive group environment.
WECIL Supporting Independent Living
The West of England Centre for Inclusive Living (WECIL) is an organisation run by and for Disabled people. This service provides specialist advice and advocacy support to anyone with a disability aiming to challenge the barriers to independent living.
Windmill Hill City Farm Tuesday Group
Windmill Hill City Farm is a great community resource and offers a variety of volunteering and educational opportunities for mental health users. They run a Mental Health Support Group. This group is for anyone living with a mental health problem. They aim to offer support, friendship and information.
Womankind – Therapy Group for Transgender Women
Do you need to talk about your journey and life as it is today? Are you struggling to find a sense of belonging in the community? Feeling low, anxious or depressed?
Womankind are offering a 12 month group therapy starting Spring 2018. The aim is to provide a therapeutic space where you can share your experiences with others. The group is free. For more information call the Womankind helpline or email Womankind
Women’s Independent Alcohol Support (WIAS)
WIAS offer services including ‘drop-in’ sessions, helplines, women’s groups as well as 1:1 counselling. They are a non-profit organisation specifically focused on women and supporting them with past and present alcohol issues.
New support sessions starting April 24th 2018 in central Bristol Friendly, helpful atmosphere and expert advice and support. Booking essential as groups very small. Contact us at 0117-9428077 or email contact@wiaswomen.org.uk