For family and friends of someone living with mental illness only
These are interactive workshops and space is limited, even online–this gives our facilitators the chance to personally address your questions and concerns. They are not recorded and you must register in advance. If you register and do not attend, you may be taking a spot away from someone in need.
Caregiver Group
This group offers an opportunity to explore how caring for a loved one with mental health challenges affects the caregiver’s experience and own wellbeing. Held over several sessions, it can alleviate some of the isolation and other difficulties that are often associated with caregiving.
Wednesday group starts September 7, 2022
3-4:30pm
Monday group starts September 12, 2022
7-8:30pm
Must attend all 6 sessions
With Ella Amir and Miriam Byers
Online on Google Meet
Anger and Caregiving Relationships
Anger is an important emotion to explore and understand within the caregiving relationship. This workshop will help you build a greater understanding of anger and your relationship to the emotion. Participants will be encouraged to articulate their feelings around anger and discuss how they express anger within their caregiving relationships.
September 15, 2022
6-8pm
With Victoria Jonas
Online on Google Meet
Coping Skills
We cope all the time. Awareness of how we cope can increase our ability to notice when we engage in defensive patterns and move towards practicing new skills that will provide us with more safety, peace, and general wellbeing.
September 22, 2022
6-8pm
With Victoria Jonas
Online on Google Meet
Meditation
How do we gain the strength to work with life situations that are difficult and stressful? Meditation is widely used today for stress reduction or to help cope with pain, anxiety, or depression. This workshop will use meditation to help participants get in touch with their unknown strengths and develop their resilience.
Starts September 28 and runs for 10 weeks
11am-12pm
Must attend all sessions
With Bill Byers
Online on Google Meet
Boundaries & Setting Limits
Caregiving relationships challenge everyone involved in discovering what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable within the unique dynamic. The aim of this workshop is to identify these limits and learn to communicate the boundaries necessary to protect both the relationship and the caregiver.
October 6, 2022
6-8pm
With Victoria Jonas
Online on Google Meet
Creative Expression
It can be difficult to care for a loved one who is living with mental illness. With SoulCollage, you will use your intuition to create small collage cards and then learn how to “read” your cards to discover what personal and hidden meanings your card reveals to you.
October 27, 2022
6-7:30pm
With Joyce Cohen
Online on Google Meet
Caregivers 55+
Getting older while still having to take care of a loved one with mental health challenges can be difficult. In this three part workshop, practical information and coping strategies will be shared and explored; themes include making difficult choices, creating a circle of support, dealing with legal concerns, aging and self-care, grief, establishing boundaries, etc. Caregivers aged 55 years and over are welcome.
October 18, 25, and November 1, 2022
10am-12pm
Must attend all sessions
With Melanie Hughes
Online on Google Meet
Acceptance & Letting Go
Loss is an inevitable and painful part of life. In the relationship between a family and their loved one with mental illness, experiencing loss can be complicated. In this workshop, we will identify and name losses, situate participants within their own grieving processes in relation to loss, and learn about acceptance which leads to healing opportunities.
November 3, 2022
6-8pm
With Victoria Jonas
Online on Google Meet
Introduction to Borderline Personality Disorder
This introductory session will provide basic knowledge on Borderline Personality Disorder: what it is, what are some of the challenges, and what can be done to reduce conflicts. You will gain a better understanding of the condition and how to cope.
November 8, 2022
6-8pm
With Sylvie Bouchard
Online on Google Meet
Write From the Heart
How do we gain the strength to work with life situations that are difficult and stressful? Meditation is widely used today for stress reduction or to help cope with pain, anxiety, or depression. This workshop will use meditation to help participants get in touch with their unknown strengths and develop their resilience.
Starts November 10 and runs for 6 weeks on Thursdays
1-2pm
Must attend all sessions
With Joyce Cohen
Online on Google Meet
Hands On Practice for Challenging Situations
If you have a loved one (family, partner, friend, etc.) who lives with mental illness and has difficulty managing their emotions, this group is for you! This is a practice group where we will practice Validation, using examples from real life. We will also introduce the practice of boundaries and limit setting.
November 29, 2022
6-8pm
With Sylvie Bouchard
In person at the AMI office
De-escalating Conflict
This workshop explores de-escalation techniques and how to engage mindfully in conflictual situations. It will encourage self-awareness and you will develop insight into effective communication techniques in conflict situations. Attendees will be invited to share specific situations they have experienced and unravel the new dynamics that influence the outcomes of their situations.
December 8, 2022
6-8pm
With Victoria Jonas
Online on Google Meet
For people living with mental illness only
Aging Well With Mental Illness
Aging while living with mental health struggles or illness can present certain difficulties. Talking to peers with similar experiences can provide validation and compassion. We will explore ways to cope with challenges and how to manage difficult emotions. Subjects include boundaries, communicating feelings, hobbies, and self-care. People living with mental illness age 55 years and over are welcome.
November 15, 22, and 29, 2022
10am-12pm
Must attend all sessions
With Melanie Hughes
Online on Google Meet
For family, friends, and people living with mental illness
In Hot Topics, we talk live, online about trends in mental illness and mental health. Discover how we can help you, and get your questions answered about the different topics.
Coming Soon
The programs below will likely be offered again next season. Don’t miss our program announcements: click HERE to sign up for our emails.
BPD Emotion Regulation
Emotional Regulation refers to the way we deal with feelings like frustration, rage, anxiety or low mood. In this workshop, you will learn a few strategies to help manage strong emotions in challenging situations. We will also explore together the role that emotion regulation plays in our day to day life and with our loved ones.
This workshop is for people who care about someone who has BPD or difficulty regulating emotions, AND for people who have BPD or have difficulty regulating emotions.
Relaxation Through Hypnosis
Caring for a loved one with mental health issues can invoke feelings of fear, guilt and anxiety. Hypnotherapy can help you gain perspective and feel calmer when life seems like a storm.
Types of Mental Illness
There is a wide spectrum of mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and more. Facilitated by doctors in McGill University’s Psychiatry Postgraduate Program, this workshop series went over the various diagnoses and characteristics of each mental illness and we answered your questions.
We are constantly evaluating and updating our programs. If you don’t see a program on this page that suits your needs, you can always find help at our regularly scheduled support groups or our counselling for family and friends. We also offer online learning.
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