YMCA Psychotherapeutic Services
Our mental and spiritual health services were first initiated in 2016 as part of the Youth Empowerment Programme. Students then studying for their master were recruited to give free psychotherapeutic and counselling services to our younger clients in need. The principal objective was to promote a space for professional development by offering youth a vital opportunity for personal growth through self-awareness.
In 2017, YMCA Malta extended the reach of this support to the broader community. This was done to serve the most vulnerable among us, for whom private mental health therapy is not not financially tenable. In collaboration with the YWCA Malta, these services were offered at premises in Msida.
The demand for this service has unfortunately grown exponentially since this time. Between 2018 and 2022, 1,244 psychotherapeutic sessions were given to service users, completely free of charge. It has now been incorporated into an essential Wellbeing Programme.
The goals of this programme are:
- Offering individual and group psychotherapy/counselling sessions.
- Providing clients with professional intervention and understanding, in response to their specific emotional and behavioural needs.
- Engaging clients on the basis of respectful communication and warm, unconditional nurturing empathy.
- Encouraging clients to develop skills in specific target areas with the goal of having them attain full autonomy and independence in all aspects of their lives.
A 24/7 Loneliness Response Line was first launched on March 23, 2020 in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The aim of this helpline was to offer support to those experiencing loneliness and solitude symptoms due to the prevention measures imposed by the authorities. In 2020, 903 individuals were supported; 434 due to loneliness and anxiety, 196 due to family issues and domestic violence, and 124 due to mental health issues. Since the launch of the Line, over 2,400 calls have been answered.
If you are training to become a psychotherapist and/or counsellor and would like to help us continue providing mental wellbeing to vulnerable people who cannot afford it, please contact us at:
To make use of this service or for more information, please contact us at: