Support Groups Frequently Asked Questions

If you don’t find the answer to your question here, please give us a call at 514-486-1448 or email program@amiquebec.org.

This is just an FAQ page, so to discover our support groups, visit amiquebec.org/support. (That’s where you go to join our support groups too.)

Frequently Asked Questions

For family, friends, and people living with mental illness:

  • Anxiety / OCD
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Depression
  • Hoarding
  • Queer Group (For the 2SLGBTQIA+ community)
  • Young Adults (18-30 year olds)

For family and friends only:

  • Family & Friends
  • Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) for Families
  • South Shore: Family & Friends (this group is held on the South Shore; you do not need to live on the South Shore)

For people living with mental illness only:

  • Kaleidoscope

All mental illnesses are welcome at Family and Friends, Queer Group, Young Adults, and at Kaleidoscope (including schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, hoarding, OCD, etc) and an official diagnosis is not necessary.

Groups begin promptly at 6:30pm EST. We do not allow people into the groups after 6:45pm. Meetings end at 8pm.

No! Just click on the button for your group (see the list above) shortly before 6:30pm.

Support groups do not have a set agenda or topic. The conversation comes from the people in the group. There will be an introduction with instructions and news. Online groups are similar to an in-person support group; you will be able to talk and listen and there will be a facilitator leading the conversation.

Groups are facilitated by volunteers (trained by AMI, not doctors) who have experience with mental illness in themselves or in a loved one. Because you do not have to register in advance, we never know how many people will be attending; it can be anywhere from a few people to 15 or more. Support groups are confidential. You do not have to give your real name, and you contribute to the conversation as much or as little as you’d like.

If possible, please be in a quiet place to minimize background noise.

WHO CAN ATTEND?

The group is open to 2SLGBTQIA+ people who either have a loved one with a mental health condition or who have their own mental health challenges.

WHY IS IT CALLED “QUEER”?

Our group was organized by LGBTQ volunteers and staff at AMI-Quebec and they chose the term because that’s how they identify.

THAT’S OFFENSIVE

You’re right, it used to be a derogatory term. But the word “queer” has been reclaimed by the community, and we use it in an affirming way, because our LGBTQ staff and volunteers chose to name it that.

WHY START THIS GROUP? WHY NOT SOMETHING ELSE?

  1. This was the most-requested group in our surveys and input for the last 4 years.
  2. We did research to check what was available and what was lacking
  3. We had the infrastructure: a ton of volunteers who are members of the community, and they wanted there to be a group

WHY WOULD AMI HAVE THIS?

Because mental health matters! It is very common for community members to support one another through mental health struggles, and being gay or trans often has an impact on the experience of caregiving, so we are providing a dedicated safe space.

WILL THIS GROUP BE LED BY MEMBERS OF THE QUEER COMMUNITY?

Yes. All of AMI’s support groups are led by volunteers with lived experience. AMI has many experienced facilitators who are members of the community, who will be leading Queer Group.

I’M NOT SURE IF I AM GAY/TRANS/(etc)… CAN I ATTEND?

The queer umbrella includes questioning. Anyone on a spectrum of gender diversity or sexual orientation or exploring those things is welcome to attend.

MY KID IS GAY, WHY CAN’T I ATTEND?

The group is for the queer community only. If you’re looking for guidance because a loved one is gay, or for yourself, visit amiquebec.org/LGBTQ.

WHERE CAN I FIND HELP?

AMI’s LGBTQ+ resource list: amiquebec.org/LGBTQ

West Island LGBTQ2+ Centre: 514-794-5428 or lgbtq2centre.com

QUESTIONS? CONCERNS?

Email Marc: program@amiquebec.org

Support groups are predominantly conducted in English but discussion can be bilingual. Si vous cherchez de l’aide en français, contactez CAP santé mentale (autrefois connu sous le nom Avant de Craquer) 1-855-272-7837 ou Arborescence (autrefois connu sous le nom AQPAMM) 514-524-7131.

All groups are for adults only (18+). If you are looking for youth resources for yourself or a loved one, click HERE.

Nope! Our online groups are accessible anywhere in the world.

If you are a professional (social worker, counsellor, doctor etc.) who would like to observe one of our support groups, please contact Marc by emailing program@amiquebec.org for approval. Thank you.

We encourage everyone to actively participate in groups. Please join us–you will see that we are welcoming and inclusive. We will ask you to introduce yourself (we need to be sure someone is there and not in need of technical help) but you can use a fake name. That said, you need only talk about what you are comfortable with sharing with the group. Everyone is given the opportunity to speak, as well as the right to be silent. We encourage you to have your camera on, but you may turn off your camera if you wish. 

We do not record our support groups.

No.  If you’d like to change your name in Google Meet, here’s how:
If you don’t use Gmail: Google Meet will ask for your name–feel free to just enter your first name.

If you have a Gmail email address: Google Meet uses the name on your Gmail account. If you’d prefer to use just your first name, find out how by clicking: How to change your name on Google Meet.

We have found a number of benefits to holding our support groups online, like people being able to attend who do not live near our physical location. While some of our programs (like our workshops) are being held both online and in-person, for now all our support groups (except for South Shore) are being held online. Our ultimate goal is a balance between in-person and online events so that we can best accommodate as many people as possible. Click HERE to sign up for monthly email updates for information.

Feedback helps us improve our support groups–it helps us know what we are doing well and what could use a little work!

Please click here to complete our survey, or send feedback to program@amiquebec.org.

Thanks!

PHONE USERS PLEASE NOTE: as a general rule, you can no longer call into our support groups. If you would like to request an exception, please call us: 514-486-1448.

We encourage you to join us by video because we share information and links in the chat that you cannot see by phone. We have also found that participants prefer to see each other face to face.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we held our support groups by phone for a few months. We switched to Google Meet for several reasons: Our feedback indicated that people wanted to see each other and had trouble figuring out who was speaking on the phone, especially in larger groups. Facilitators could no longer “see body language” of participants, making their roles more difficult. Also people with hearing issues had difficulty–there are captions in Google Meet. Google Meet is also free, compared to the telephone technology we used before.

If you or a loved one is in a crisis situation, click here for resources that can help.

If you or if someone you love is thinking or talking about suicide, and you are worried for your/their safety, call 911 or go to your local hospital, and click here for resources that can help.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call AMI at 514-486-1448 or email program@amiquebec.org.

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