The following is a paid advertisement. The Manitoba Psychological Society does not necessarily endorse any service or educational opportunity advertised.
Dear colleague,
I am a sociologist from Concordia University doing a study of non-residential mothers’ lived experiences of choosing to live apart from their children owing to feelings of unsuitability to the mothering role, maternal regret, and/or the like (i.e., not because of custodial disputes or adoption). My overall objective is to destigmatize this parenting choice and to call into question gendered assumptions about the feminine/maternal role.
This qualitative study will consist of 1-2 confidential, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with mothers who have tried living with their child(ren) for a time but ultimately take the decision to relinquish the primary caregiver role to another adult. For this study, these mothers need to have moved apart from their children at least one year prior to the interview.
I am reaching out to the clinical psychology community in the hope that some of you reading this message may be working with mothers in this situation. If you have any patients/clients who meet these criteria and might be willing to meet with me, would you kindly please share the attached flyer with them? As you might imagine, finding participants willing to come forward for a study of this particular topic has been challenging to say the least; I would be so very grateful for your help. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about the study.
Yours most sincerely,
Dr. S.Z. Reuter
Professor of Sociology | Department of Sociology and Anthropology, H1125-19 | Concordia University | 1455 boul. de Maisonneuve O. | Montréal, QC, Canada | H3G 1M8 | shelley.reuter@concordia.ca