Dr. Thanh-Lan Ngô’s career as a psychiatrist at the Albert-Prévost Mental Health Hospital (HSMAP) and Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Université de Montréal has been driven by a commitment to making mental health knowledge and care more accessible—not only within hospitals and universities, but also to the broader public. Together with her psychiatrist colleagues at the HSMAP Psychotherapy Centre, she helped launch a series of websites designed to educate the public about evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches to mental health.
The Albert-Prévost Psychotherapy Centre team has developed an extensive range of online resources, including therapy guides, educational videos, podcasts, guided meditation and relaxation recordings, training modules, and teaching materials.
Designed for patients, university instructors, and healthcare professionals alike, these free digital resources are available through three websites—psychopap.com, tccmontreal.com, and tcdmontreal.com—which have become widely recognized throughout the French-speaking world, attracting more than four million visits.
This remarkable achievement stems from the innovative vision of Dr. Ngô, her psychiatrist colleagues at HSMAP, and fellow professors at the Université de Montréal, including Drs. Jean Goulet, Louis Chaloult, Jean Leblanc, Magalie Lussier-Valade, François Trottier Duclos, Andréanne Filion-Quenneville, Alexandre Suey, Suzanne Paquette, Yves Fouquette, Marissa Tardif, and Christophe Modérie.
Here, Dr. Ngô shares her motivation and vision for the field in which she has dedicated her career.
“For more than 26 years, the Albert-Prévost Mental Health Hospital has been an integral part of both my professional and personal journey. I joined the hospital at the end of my residency after discovering, during my training, an environment deeply committed to patient care.
Every day, we have the privilege of supporting people through some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Witnessing their progress, knowing that we have contributed to their well-being, and hearing how our support has made a meaningful difference are immeasurable sources of motivation.
Albert-Prévost has a long-standing tradition of excellence in psychiatry and education. Today, that legacy is reflected in a constant drive to innovate and make care more accessible. My training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) at Oxford and King's College London enabled me, together with my colleagues, to develop practical, accessible tools that benefit both local and international communities. Platforms such as www.tccmontreal.com, www.psychopap.com, and www.tcdmontreal.com provide evidence-based resources for healthcare professionals and patients around the world.
Democratizing Access to Treatment
What makes me particularly proud is contributing to initiatives that democratize access to psychotherapeutic treatments. Thanks to the Foundation's support, we have been able to develop several transformative projects: a mindfulness-based self-care website to help prevent depressive relapse (www.mbct.ca); Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) tools—a therapeutic approach designed to help individuals regulate their emotions and improve their behaviours by combining acceptance and change—to support patients while they wait for services; and Sommeil+, a program designed to treat insomnia, a highly prevalent condition for which access to treatment within the public healthcare system remains limited.
More recently, a guided self-care program based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was developed by Dr. Olivier Poitras, a former fellow who is now a professor at Université Laval. Delivered by clinicians working in local community health centres (CLSCs), this program supports patients facing a wide range of challenges, including anxiety and depression, and significantly expands access to effective psychotherapeutic interventions.
Beyond these projects, it is the people who inspire me every day: dedicated, creative, and deeply compassionate colleagues who work with both rigor and heart despite the many challenges they face. Together, we continually strive to improve both the quality and accessibility of mental health care.
The Foundation's support is essential to fulfilling this mission. It enables us to innovate, reach more patients, and build sustainable solutions to meet the growing demand for mental health services.
Thank you for helping us make a meaningful difference, day after day.”