Our Mission

Facing mental illness is painful for families. It undermines their ability to cope with everyday living.

Friends for Mental Health guides families towards new paths in learning to live with mental illness. We listen and counsel, we provide information and referrals, we offer self-help and respite, and we promote public awareness. Flexible and responding to changing needs, Friends for Mental Health works in collaboration with other professional mental healthcare providers. We are a non-profit, bilingual organization serving primarily the West Island of Montreal.

About Friends for Mental Health (West Island)

Friends for Mental Health, is a bilingual, grass-root self-help community group for families of people with a mental illness. Created 25 years ago by parents of mentally ill persons, our association is the only one in our area offering direct support to these families. Our purpose is to provide practical information, education, supportive counseling, group support, and respite to help families better cope with their situation. We also work to educate the community at large about mental illness and help them to understand how it affects them and their loved ones.

We are an integral player in the delivery of mental health services within the community and work collaboratively with other mental health agencies. In addition, we are a pivotal force for getting ill people into treatment, referrals and follow-up services given by other organizations and institutions.