[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” bg_img_1=”https:\/\/sparkconferences.com\/mentalhealth\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/12\/IN-USE-Website-main-headers-1920×9004-1.jpg” background_size_1=”cover” use_background_color_gradient_1=”on” background_color_gradient_direction_1=”139deg” background_color_gradient_stops_1=”rgba(255,255,255,0.82) 57%|rgba(255,255,255,0.15) 83%” background_color_gradient_end_position_1=”100%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image_1=”on” padding_top_1=”20px” padding_right_1=”40px” padding_right_2=”10px” padding_bottom_1=”20px” padding_left_1=”40px” padding_left_2=”10px” padding_top_bottom_link_1=”true” padding_top_bottom_link_2=”true” padding_left_right_link_1=”true” padding_left_right_link_2=”true” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ specialty_columns=”3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”5138c454-be54-4233-bd3b-f8e6a8747976″ min_height=”201.8px” custom_padding=”||24px|||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”73121f80-a3ef-4484-8763-c3f18e3c56d2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_heading title=”Dec 11, 2025″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”f0c675ea-2574-4d0e-b725-30f8550a8550″ title_level=”h4″ title_font=”Inter|||on|||||” title_text_color=”#3c3086″ title_font_size=”14px” title_letter_spacing=”1px” title_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” title_font_size_tablet=”13px” title_font_size_phone=”13px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{%22#05668d%22:%91%22title_text_color%22,%22title_text_color%22,%22title_text_color%22%93}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_heading title=”Evolving Options for Supporting Mothers with Mental Illness” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”ddeb8c09-9078-4424-bc15-2efb6572e28e” title_font=”Inter|600|||||||” title_text_color=”#0e0c19″ title_font_size=”45px” title_line_height=”1.15em” custom_padding=”||0px|0px|false|false” title_font_size_tablet=”40px” title_font_size_phone=”24px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_heading][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
This article is a summary of Canada\u2019s Mental Health Leadership Forum 2024, Session 1, Evolving Options for Supporting Mothers with Mental Illness.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”5138c454-be54-4233-bd3b-f8e6a8747976″ background_color=”#3c3086″ custom_margin=”2vw||||false|false” custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”20px|20px|20px|20px|true|true” border_radii=”on|6px|6px|6px|6px” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{%22#05668d%22:%91%22background_color%22,%22background_color%22%93}”][et_pb_column_inner type=”1_2″ saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”73121f80-a3ef-4484-8763-c3f18e3c56d2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_font_size=”17px” header_3_font=”|600|||||||” header_3_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_3_font_size=”27px” header_3_line_height=”1.2em” header_3_font_size_tablet=”27px” header_3_font_size_phone=”22px” header_3_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Register for the next conference! Mothers living with mental illness continue to face deep stigma in healthcare and child welfare systems across Canada. Too often, systems focus on perceived risk rather than support, leading to unnecessary child apprehensions and long-term family separation. New research and lived experience, however, point to a different path forward.<\/p>\n In a recent conference session, Amanda Mihalicz, <\/strong>Sessional Lecturer in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Regina and a social worker with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, shared findings from her graduate research on maternal experiences of women living with schizophrenia. Her work centres the voices of mothers themselves and challenges long-standing assumptions about parenting and mental illness.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen with mental illness highly value their role as mothers,\u201d Mihalicz said. \u201cMotherhood is central to their identity, yet they are often treated as incapable before they are ever given adequate support.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Research consistently shows that mothers diagnosed with schizophrenia lose custody of their children at alarmingly high rates, often within the first few years of a child\u2019s life. Estimates suggest between 50 and 80 percent of these women experience child apprehension, frequently without access to sustained parenting supports.<\/p>\n Mihalicz explained that much of the existing research has focused on deficits and risk, rather than lived experience and strengths. \u201cThere has been a strong focus on what could go wrong,\u201d she said, \u201cbut far less attention on what mothers say they need in order to parent safely and successfully.\u201d<\/p>\n Her qualitative study involved nine women diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, some of whom continued parenting while others had lost custody of their children. Despite different outcomes, all participants described motherhood as deeply meaningful.<\/p>\n \u201cSeven participants spoke about pride in becoming a mother,\u201d Mihalicz said. \u201cFor many, it was one of the most important experiences of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Pregnancy and family planning emerged as a central theme. Participants described the difficult balance between managing symptoms and concerns about medication use during pregnancy. Some women discontinued medication out of fear of fetal harm, while others worried about relapse and postpartum psychosis.<\/p>\n \u201cThese decisions are incredibly complex,\u201d Mihalicz said. \u201cClose monitoring and proactive conversations need to happen before pregnancy, not after crisis occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Yet many participants reported that healthcare providers never raised the topic of sexuality or family planning with them. Mihalicz noted that some providers view women with schizophrenia as asexual or incapable of parenting, a bias that limits informed decision-making and increases risk.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the strongest findings from the study was the importance of family and community support. Mothers who retained custody consistently pointed to spouses, parents, or extended family as critical to stability.<\/p>\n \u201cThat support system was everything,\u201d one participant shared. \u201cIf I didn\u2019t have my parents, I would have fallen through the cracks.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Employment and volunteer opportunities also played an important role. Participants described how meaningful work increased confidence, routine, and self-worth. \u201cWhen people put some faith in me,\u201d one mother said, \u201cI could develop my talents and grow.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Across all interviews, positive relationships with care providers emerged as a key factor in stability and recovery. Mothers valued providers who listened, took time to understand their experiences, and treated them as partners in care.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most helpful professionals were the ones who sat down and really listened,\u201d one participant said. \u201cNot just \u2018take your pills and go to bed,\u2019 but people who cared enough to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Mihalicz emphasized that strong therapeutic alliances improve medication adherence, reduce hospitalizations, and increase engagement with services. These relationships also lower the likelihood of child apprehension by encouraging mothers to seek help early.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Every participant described experiencing stigma related to their diagnosis, including discrimination from partners, employers, and sometimes healthcare providers. Several mothers stopped disclosing their diagnosis altogether after repeated negative experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cStigma keeps women from seeking care,\u201d Mihalicz said. \u201cThat delay increases risk for both mother and child.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The study also highlighted high rates of childhood trauma and substance use among participants, reinforcing the need for trauma-informed and integrated care. Mihalicz noted that poverty and lack of housing often posed greater risks to child development than the diagnosis itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mihalicz called for a shift away from automatic child removal toward family preservation models that prioritize support, safety planning, and kinship care whenever possible.<\/p>\n \u201cChild protection should be a last resort, not the first response,\u201d she said. \u201cWith the right supports in place, many mothers with mental illness can and do parent effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n She urged healthcare providers, social workers, and policymakers to challenge gendered assumptions and work collaboratively with mothers rather than positioning them as risks to manage.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The session closed with a reminder that meaningful change starts by listening. Many participants told Mihalicz they had never been asked about their experiences as mothers before the study.<\/p>\n \u201cOne woman said, \u2018It\u2019s not who we are,\u2019\u201d Mihalicz shared. \u201cShe wanted people to understand that mental illness does not define her ability to love or parent her child.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n As conversations around perinatal mental health continue to grow in Canada, Mihalicz\u2019s research adds an essential perspective. Supporting mothers with mental illness requires more than risk assessment. It requires trust, coordinated care, and the willingness to see mothers as capable, deserving, and human.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#000000″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”2em” link_text_color=”#014e82″ ul_line_height=”2em” header_font=”|700|||||||” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”32px” header_line_height=”2em” header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#000000″ header_2_font_size=”28px” header_2_line_height=”2em” header_3_text_color=”#014e82″ header_3_line_height=”2em” header_4_text_color=”#014e82″ header_4_line_height=”2em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Are you a journalist or member of a large media outlet?<\/p>\n To request media accreditation, please contact us directly at info@sparkconferences.com<\/a> with your name, outlet, and coverage focus. 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High Rates of Custody Loss and Systemic Bias<\/h2>\n
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Medication, Pregnancy, and Complex Decision-Making<\/h2>\n
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The Role of Support Systems in Family Preservation<\/h2>\n
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Therapeutic Alliance as a Protective Factor<\/h2>\n
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Stigma, Trauma, and Missed Opportunities<\/h2>\n
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Rethinking Child Welfare Responses<\/h2>\n
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Listening to Mothers First<\/h2>\n
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