Earlier last year news broke that, according to experts, Malta’s mental health system leaves much to be desired. 

Despite this, there are a lot of organisations out there who are ready to help, and this help comes in a lot of different forms. 

Here’s a list of some of the best places to turn to.

1. Victim Support Malta

VSM is an NGO that runs a service on sexual assault, offering support services that vary from psychological support for victims of sexual assault and rape to legal services. This free and confidential project is in partnership with the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity. 

VSM also run a project on bullying which is co-financed by The Ministry of Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties. Their website offers a wide variety of ways how you can get in touch, so in their words, “You are not alone, let’s talk about it”!

2. Kellimni.com

Kellimni.com offers free online support to youth. It’s a service run in partnership with other organisations like the Salesians of Don Bosco and SOS Malta. The service deals with a wide plethora of topics, ranging from puberty and emotional literacy to cyberbullying and parental separation. 

All their services are private and confidential, and they offer a wide variety of contact options; you can have a one-to-one live chat, send a personalised e-mail, or download an app that allows you to send instant messages from your smartphones from anywhere. 

3. Willingness

Located in Ħaż-Żebbuġ, Willingness offer a wide variety of services, from relationship and sex counselling to parent coaching and cognitive behavioural therapy. They even offer online services, and you can find out much more here.

4. Foundation For Social Welfare Services

This Government foundation brings together four of the most well-known organisations together under one roof – Sedqa, Appoġġ, Aġenzija Sapport, and ChildWebAlert. Apart from connecting these together with very useful links all on its main site, FSWS can also be reached via the Supportline 179.

5. Mental Health Association Malta

The MHA is a non-profit voluntary association set up in 1982 by relatives of persons with mental health problems, together with professionals working in the field, with one primary aim – to ensure that anyone affected by mental health problems has somewhere to turn for advice and support. They can be reached via their website, or text message on the 79 8000 80.

6. SOAR

Situated within Fondazzjoni St. Jeanne Antide in Tarxien, SOAR is a coalition providing support for victims and survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. Apart from their offices in Tarxien, they can also be found and contacted on Facebook.

7. BETAPSI

The University Psychology students organisation, BETAPSI organise events all year round to raise awareness on mental health issues. 

BETAPSI specifically involve Psychology undergraduates to participate and to be actively involved in all the events and projects which the organisation undertakes, and are among the youngest but most active bastions of help on this list.

8. Mount Carmel Hospital‘s Community Mental Health Services

Mount Carmel Hospital has been in the centre of controversy before, but few can argue with the services offered up and the uplifting success stories which have come out of the Attard hospital.

9. St. Jeanne Antide Foundation

This NGO has a dedicated programmed, Lwien, that directly supports family care givers of mentally ill persons. 

St. Jeanne Antide Foundation have published two books in Maltese on mental health and caregiving, and they also have a support group for family care givers. 

10. LGBT+ Support

The University’s LGBT+ organisation We Are has a great list of all these support groups and much more important information on their website, but here’s a quick rundown of the list to make things even more efficient:

– Rainbow Support Service

– MGRM (Malta Gay Rights Movement)

– Drachma LGBT Group (offering spiritual support)

– Drachma Parents Group (A group for parents of LGBT individuals. They don’t have a website but can be contacted by email here)

11. Crisis Resolution Malta

Offering exactly what it says on the box, CRM are always available via telephone consultation. They also offer everything from psychotherapy and spiritual crisis management to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulations, a 10-minute therapy session which is as non-invasive and painless as it’s reportedly effective.

12. Richmond Foundation

Providing community-based rehabilitation facilities and assisting persons with mental health difficulties to remain in the community and to live as full a life as possible, Richmond Foundation was founded in 1993 to also help promote the development of self-help and to spread positive public awareness of mental health issues.

Lovin Malta will be ‘running’ this year’s Malta Marathon and raising funds for the Richmond Foundation, and here’s how you can help.

Do you know any other support groups? Tag them in the comments on Facebook.

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).