The Animus Association was founded by women professionals in the helping professions – psychologists, psychotherapists and social workers. It was established in 1994. In 2001, it acquired the status of a public benefit organization. The Mission of Animus is to promote healthy communication between people and gender in Bulgarian society. It is achieved by working to implement the following objectives: developing affordable psychotherapeutic and psychoanalytic services and programs offering professional and competent help, creating public attitudes of tolerance diversity, respect for the suffering and rejection of violence, promote the values of dynamic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis to promote democratic change in the Bulgarian family and society, developing and implementing projects and programs to support people who need help. The main directions of work are to promote understanding in society, to encourage a respect for women to act as an intermediary between the government and NGOs, coordinating activities on violence against women and children.

The name of the Association comes from K. G. Jung’s terminology. “Animus” is the masculine side of woman’s psyche. “Animus” is the source of problems in the personal world of the woman and also the creative power to solve them. It is the weakness and the strength of the woman’s soul.

Mission
Healthy communication between people and gender equality in Bulgarian society.

• Availability of accessible psychotherapeutic services and programmes, offering professional and competent help to people who need it

• Social attitudes of tolerance towards differences, respect for suffering and non-acceptance of violence

• Understanding and acceptance of the values of psycho-dynamic psychotherapy

Goals
To work for the intellectual, professional and spiritual development of women; to initiate a change in the Bulgarian family and society; to develop and implement projects and programmes connected with support to women and children; to encourage gender-equality understanding in society; to improve the status of women; to be a mediator between different state institutions and non-governmental organizations and to co-ordinate their efforts on the problems of violence against women.

Animus Association achieves its mission and goals by:

• establishing specialised centres for professional help for survivors of violence;

• encouraging the development of and conducting educational and training programmes;

• exchanging experience with similar organisations in Europe, Asia, and North America;

• publishing materials connected with its work;

• cooperating with institutions and organizations in the country connected with the activities of Animus Association;

• organizing conferences and workshops on the problems of women, family and mental health, organizing cultural events which contribute to the goals of the organization.