Psychological Support
We created a space where LGBTI youth, their families and loved ones can find answers to their questions, feel supported, heard and understood, so that they do not feel alone. You can contact our volunteers through our online support chat (every evening between 8 and 11 pm) and if you have a question, you can call our hotline (every business day).
We provide psychological support in 10 cities across the country with the help of our network of psychologists. We have expanded the scope of our support services by launching support groups for LGBTI youth as well as parents of LGBTI youth.
Anna Zhukivskaya also offers supervision and training / seminars for psychologists on topics related to clients with different sexuality and / or gender identity (LGBT + clients).
Anna Joukivskaia
Psychologist and Psychological Support Coordinator
Online Support Chat
You can find support every day between 8 pm and 11 pm. During the rest of the day, you can leave us a message through the offline form (in the right lower corner).
We established Single Step to answer questions, provide support, and crisis intervention for LGBTI youth as well as their families, friends, and close ones. No matter if you have a specific question or just need someone to talk to, we are here to listen and help.
Helpline
If you prefer to talk on the phone, rather than texting, we also provide a telephone helpline. You can reach us on +359 2 42 62 303 or +359 882 82 79 03: every business day, between 10 am and 5 pm.
Each conversation is anonymous and confidential. No matter if you are a young LGBTI person or a parent, we are here to listen, support you, and help you with information or advice.
Network of Psychologists
Single Step is actively working with 10 psychologists from 10 towns throughout Bulgaria: Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Rousse, Pleven, Veliko Tarnovo, Kardzhali, Varna and Burgas. They have been trained for the specifics of consulting LGBT people with the help of Anna Joukivskaia, our supervisor psychologist.
We are expanding our network of professionals throughout Bulgaria so that when users of our support services (online chat and telephone line) need individual consultations, but are unable to travel to Sofia, they can get in touch with the closest psychologist within our network. You can find their contact details from the map or you can get in contact with us, if you need more information.
Support Groups
Your Safe Space
In April 2018 (beginning in Sofia), we launched our peer support groups for LGBTI youth who have already gone through, or are in the process of, accepting their sexual orientation / gender identity. We are also launching support groups for parents of LGBT youth; shared stories reduce the sense of isolation and provide further mechanisms for dealing with the current situation.
The main goal of the support groups is for their members (no more than 8) to meet at a predetermined time and discuss their experiences, to share ideas and to provide emotional support to one another. The meetings are led by a trained facilitator.
The group is currently being led online in view of the country's emergency. Anyone who is not from the capital can also join!