Beyond Borders: Global Mental Health Conference

Presentation Abstract
Mental healthcare access for LGBTIQ+ individuals in Zimbabwe is shaped by structural inequities, social stigma, and heteronormative healthcare systems that often undermine psychological safety and wellbeing. While global mental health research has increasingly recognised the impact of minority stress on mental health outcomes, there is limited evidence from African contexts that centres the lived experiences and resilience of LGBTIQ+ communities.
This presentation draws on a qualitative phenomenological study exploring the experiences of twelve LGBTIQ+ individuals who accessed therapy and mental healthcare services in Harare, Zimbabwe. Guided by the Minority Stress Model and the Affirmative Therapy Approach, the study employed semi-structured interviews and arts-based draw-write-tell methods to capture participants' narratives of vulnerability, identity, and resilience.
The findings reveal that many participants encountered therapy environments characterised by judgement, identity invalidation, fear of disclosure, and discrimination, leading many to conceal their identities or avoid formal mental healthcare services altogether. At the same time, participants demonstrated remarkable resilience through peer support networks, community solidarity, online safe spaces, and creative forms of self-expression that fostered healing and belonging.
Positioned within the conference theme of Using Creative Approaches to Building Resiliency, this presentation highlights how community-based and affirming practices can mitigate the effects of structural inequities and promote mental wellbeing among marginalised populations. It argues for culturally responsive, affirming, and psychologically safe mental healthcare systems that recognise sexual and gender diversity while strengthening resilience in restrictive social contexts. The presentation offers practical implications for mental health practitioners, researchers, educators, and policymakers working to advance inclusive and equitable mental healthcare in the Global South.