Montreal-based AMI-Quebec has been helping families cope with the challenges of mental illness since 1977, providing free programs, workshops, and support groups across the province. At the heart of the organization is Diana Verrall, who works in administration and has been with AMI since 2008. Having endured her own 20-year battle with depression, Diana brings both lived experience and deep empathy to her role, ensuring that caregivers and their loved ones have access to resources, community, and hope.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
AMI-Quebec is a non-profit organization that helps family caregivers cope with mental illness in a loved one through support, education, guidance, and advocacy. AMI has many programs and services, including some for people living with mental illness themselves: workshops, support groups, counselling for families, family peer support, outreach, online learning, resources, support for young carers, special events, and more—and all our programs are free! Some are held in person at our office in Montreal, and some are online, so that we can best accommodate as many people as possible. Our programs are held in English and are available across Quebec.
What problem does it aim to solve?
Caregiving is often a difficult and long-term task for which family members are not necessarily prepared. We help families to cope with these difficulties by better understanding mental illnesses (like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar, BPD, and more) and their own situations. This helps caregivers to provide the best support to their loved ones while taking care of their own well-being. When we talk about caregivers, that includes those in the circle of support of someone living with mental illness (parents, spouses, siblings, adult children, friends, etc). In addition, by promoting understanding, we work to dispel the stigma still surrounding mental illness, thereby helping to create communities that offer new hope for meaningful lives.
When did you start/join it?
AMI-Quebec was started in 1977 by four couples who got together to share their experiences and offer support to each other. As Sylvia Klein, one of the founding members, recalled: “At the time there wasn’t very much information to be had.” Moreover, families were often viewed as the cause of mental illness. “I was able to talk about all the problems we were having… problems that we could not even discuss with our parents, brothers, sisters, or even close friends. It was too difficult to share with family or friends who really did not understand. Nobody understood.”
I’ve been here since 2008.
What made you want to get involved?
I endured a 20-year battle with depression. My family didn’t know how to help me or how to help themselves. My parents discovered AMI-Quebec and went to a workshop about depression that helped. I wanted to help other families like mine and to help people who are also battling mental illness themselves.
What was the situation like when you started?
We have grown from an organization solely run by volunteers to a staff of 13 and over 50 volunteers. We have also grown from an office the size of a closet to owning our own building on Decarie in Montreal.
How has it changed since?
We have grown substantially and continue to grow!
What more needs to be done?
As much as we wish we could go out of business, families still need our support.
How can our readers help?
By letting people know we exist! You never know who you might help now, or sometime in the future. The stigma surrounding mental illness still prevents many people from seeking help, and often, families don’t even identify as caregivers. By sharing our programs with people you know, you might be providing hope to someone who has nowhere else to go.
Do you have any events coming up?
- Workshops: Caregiver-only workshops, including new sessions for young people. Topics include Boundaries & Setting Limits, Meditation, Write From Your Heart, Loss and Grief Throughout Life, Young Carers Workshop (10–14 year olds), Facing Psychosis in Your Loved One, and more. Space is limited, even online. Register now.
- Annual Mental Health Forum (Nov 13): Is the current mental health ideology compromising the health of our younger generations? with Dr. Sami Timimi, child and adolescent psychiatrist and author. Join us in person (7141 Sherbrooke West, Montreal) or online. Details.
- Weekly Walking Group: Tuesdays at 4:30 pm at our Montreal office. A chance to improve both physical AND mental health in a friendly, no-pressure setting. Open to all. Info.
- Support Groups: Safe and confidential spaces facilitated by experienced peers. Groups available for families, individuals with lived experience, or mixed. Details.
Where can we follow you?
Website | Monthly emails | Facebook | Instagram
