We're here to support our communities' mental health and wellbeing

“Without my counsellor’s authenticity and capacity to reframe ideas and situations to nurture healing, I would still be only surviving while hiding my depressive thoughts and feeling of hopelessness.” - ACON Client, 2020

Working to improve the mental health of people living with or at risk of HIV and LGBTQ+ people living in NSW has always been at the heart of what ACON does.  

Many people in our communities lead happy, healthy and productive lives, but we know there are times when we face struggles. Sadly, rates of poorer mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicidality, are significantly higher in LGBTQ communities compared to the wider population.  

ACON provides counselling support to sexuality and gender diverse people, and people living with HIV, to help take control of their mental health and improve their lives. We also provide care coordination services for people with complex needs to provide support and help navigate service systems. 

Over the past year, ACON Counselling and Client Services team has provided:

• Over 800 counselling occasions of service to people living with HIV, 99 counselling occasions of service to people newly diagnosed with HIV, and we also provided 178 counselling occasions of service to HIV negative men accessing HIV and STI prevention and risk reduction counselling;
• Over 2,400 counselling occasions of service to people experiencing a range of issues including mental health and wellbeing, experiences of domestic and family violence, transphobic/homophobic violence or discrimination and managing alcohol and drug use
• Over 830 care coordination occasions of service helping people with complex needs such as housing stress, financial/legal matters, domestic and family violence and mental health issues. 

With your help, we can ensure that those who need help can get the specialised support that only a LGTBQ health organisation like ACON can provide. 

Please consider making a donation during ACON’s 2021 Tax Appeal. 

- Genevieve Whitlam, Associate Director, Client and Clinical Services (pictured)