TORONTO, January 21, 2013 – Two bereaved mothers — York U Professor Deborah Davidson and Helena Stahls, an external volunteer — will talk on maternal grief and the kind of support bereaving mothers need from others to help cope with their grief, at an upcoming Women’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Speaker Series event by the Echo Chair of Women’s Mental Health Research, Jan. 23.

Davidson, whose perinatal losses have driven much of her research work in sociology, will focus her presentation on maternal grief and offer suggestions on how others may help in living with such a loss.

Helena Stahls, who lost her 34-year-old daughter to suicide, will read a posthumous letter she wrote to her daughter. She volunteers with Bereaved Families of Ontario-Halton/Peel Region and Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, among other efforts in memory of Donna, who suffered from bipolar disorder and Crohn’s disease.

WHAT:  Women’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Speaker Series: Maternal Grief and the Need for Social Support, a presentation by Deborah Davidson, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies; and Helena Stahls, volunteer, Bereaved Families of Ontario-Halton/Peel Region (both the speakers are available for interview before and after the event.)

WHERE:  York University, Keele Campus, 280N York Lanes (building #24 on map)

WHEN:  Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, 12:00pm-1:00pm

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Media Contact: Gloria Suhasini, York University Media Relations, 416 736 2100 ext. 22094, suhasini@yorku.ca