We're delighted to present a new edition of our series dedicated to our members, their projects and their personalized packages at La Halte. This week, we highlight AQRP, a mental health non-profit that advocates a perspective of recovery, members of La Halte since September 2024! 

1.     Could you briefly introduce the AQRP and tell us about your field of expertise, mission and/or services?
The AQRP is a leader in Quebec (and the world) in the area of mental health, mainly in terms of best practices in rehabilitation, recovery and full citizenship for all. We strive to be open to all influences and approaches, and our distinctive feature is that we value the complementarity of different types of knowledge (scientific, field, experience) in a number of ways.
First and foremost, we are knowledge brokers for clinicians, managers and people seeking services related to mental health, disorders, addictions, homelessness and more. We have a free magazine that may be of interest to you: https://www.aqrp-sm.org/la-revue-le-partenaire. We also organize a major symposium every two years: https://www.aqrp-sm.org/colloque, a large event with a wide range of participants (community, public, private, researchers, physicians, clinicians, citizens). We also offer a number of training courses and advisory services on topics such as the strengths-based approach, personal recovery services, disclosure issues, shared risk-taking and self-care tools.We are also the organizers/facilitators of national committees such as the Groupe provincial sur la stigmatisation/discrimination, the Comité national sur la pair-aidance, the comité santé mentale travail, etc.
Finally, we administer several national programs such as the peer-help and peer-help training programs (in mental health but also other fields) https://www.aqrp-sm.org/pair-aidance-formations, the Réseau des groupes d'entendeurs de voix https://www.aqrp-sm.org/entente-de-voix, the annual rendez-vous des livres vivants https://www.aqrp-sm.org/livres-vivants-rendez-vous-nationaux, ..,
With us, the idea is simple: no matter what is happening or has happened to anyone, it's possible to build an interesting life according to our own criteria and values, with or without symptoms or undesirable phenomena. Helping people isn't just about tools and techniques, it's also about hope, feelings of connection and citizenship, and focusing on what makes sense to people.

2.     Why did you choose a coworking space rather than another type of office?
Our organization's head office is in Quebec City to remain central to the province. Several employees are in Montreal (and other regions), alternating between telecommuting and presence. As La Halte offers a wide variety of spaces (quiet, meeting, teamwork, reception, relaxation), it would have been difficult to find such a versatile and affordable office for a small handful of workers. The team and other members of La Halte also make us feel very welcome.

3.     Tell us a little about your role, your background and what motivated you to set up your company.
The AQRP was originally founded 30-40 years ago by a diverse group of doctors, caregivers and people living with mental health problems, to promote the various tools that help people make a meaningful life for themselves. Over time, it is this diversity of origin that has contributed to the organization's distinctive identity, which has become a buffer zone in our field, bringing together points of view from all perspectives in everything we do. In Quebec and around the world, there are many visions of what a human being is, what disorders are, what mental health is, and what can help (e.g. from psychiatry to anti-psychiatry to concerned individuals and their family members, from different professional bodies to managers, etc.). AQRP provides venues for these groups to get along and influence each other.

4.     Can you share a few details about your team's current projects?
To name just a few, we're currently working on a number of reference frameworks for the whole of Quebec, including one on stigmatization in mental health, one on family peer support, one on peer support in the youth sector, and we've begun a process to have the job title of peer helper recognized in the public sector. Each of these issues requires an impressive number of players to come together. We are also relaunching a tour of Quebec's regions to support the improvement of services.
5.     What are your aspirations and plans for the coming years?
It's hard to say in a few words. We're in the process of creating a Quebec office for the promotion of experiential knowledge. Then, after a period spent supporting the development of the use of citizen experiential knowledge in healthcare, the balan will probably bring us back to giving more room to the voice of clinicians in the organization of services.

6.    A flexible plan
AQRP has enjoyed a customized membership since their arrival at La Halte 6 months ago! They occupy an office and benefit from an advantageous bank of 3 free-access workstations. The 24-7 access gives them total flexibility and access to their offices at any time of day. For more information on the subscriptions offered by La Halte, please visit the following website: https://halte24-7.com/. And for more information about AQRP, feel free to visit their website: https://www.aqrp.ca/