Interactive Workshops
Please note: Some workshops are online and some are in person. Our ultimate goal is a balance between in-person and online events so that we can best accommodate as many people as possible. All our programs are free!
Click here for general information about in-person workshops.
If your workshop is being held online via Google Meet, you will receive a direct link by email. Having trouble accessing a Google Meet workshop? Click here for tips.
Workshops start right on time–you will not be able to access them until a few minutes before the designated start time, and please don’t be late.
Questions?
Call 514-486-1448
or email registration@amiquebec.org
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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.
Write From Your Heart
Write From Your Heart is a six-week writing workshop in which we use writing to express feelings and then share what we wrote with the group. The workshop provides a safe and welcoming space that promotes healing, support and empowerment through writing, reading our words and deep listening. It’s about self-expression, not being a good writer.
Starts March 30 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.
April 4, 2023
6-8pm
With Sylvie Bouchard
In person at the AMI office
5800 Decarie, Montreal
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.
April 12, 2023
6-8pm
With Victoria Jonas
In person at the AMI office
5800 Decarie, Montreal
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 April 26 and runs for 10 weeks
10:30-11:30am
Must attend all sessions
With Bill Byers
Online on Google Meet
Stress Management
Caring about someone who lives with mental illness can take a toll on your physical and mental well-being. Burn out can come on quickly when we don’t take care of ourselves. It’s time for some self-compassion! Join us for some tips and resources and an interactive discussion that will help ease your stress level.
April 26, 2023
6-8pm
With Victoria Jonas
In person at the AMI office
5800 Decarie, Montreal
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.
May 3, 2023
6-8pm
With Sylvie Bouchard
Online on Google Meet
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 wellbeing. Held over several sessions, it can alleviate some of the isolation and other difficulties that are often associated with family caregiving.
Monday group starts May 8
7-8:30pm
Wednesday group starts May 10
3-4:30pm
Must attend all 6 sessions
With Ella Amir and Miriam Byers
Online on Google Meet
Mindful Art: Watercolour
It can be stressful caring for a loved one who is living with mental illness. In this Mindful Art workshop you will learn a fun and easy way to create colourful watercolour artwork that promotes relaxation, mindfulness and self-care. All levels and abilities welcome; no art experience required.
May 18, 2023
6-7:30pm
With Joyce Cohen
In person at the AMI office
5800 Decarie, Montreal
Use Your Strengths!
Research has shown that identifying your character strengths (like perseverance, kindness, and leadership) can help you manage stress, boost relationships, find purpose, and increase well-being. We will explore how our strengths can help us during tough times.
May 24, 2023
6-8pm
With Victoria Jonas
In person at the AMI office
5800 Decarie, Montreal
For family, friends, and people living with mental illness
Living with mental illness? You can also find help at our support groups. Click here for details.
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.
April 16, 2023
10am-12pm
With Sylvie Bouchard and Carl Riambon
In person at the AMI office
5800 Decarie, Montreal
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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