This anthology is a collection of personal accounts, research, treatment approaches and policy commentary exploring women’s experiences of mothering in the context of addiction. Individual chapters focus on a variety of addictions during pregnancy or mothering including misuse of substances, food and smartphones. A central theme of the book is the meaning of women’s maternal identity as key to recovery. Part I focusses on women’s lived experiences of mothering through their addiction and recovery. The chapters in part II report findings from studies that have prioritized the perspective of mothers living with addiction. In Part III of this collection, we expand our view of addiction and turn to approaches for supporting mothers of daughters with eating disorders and prevention of smartphone addiction. In part IV, contributors expand on the themes of harm reduction and restorative, healing approaches to the treatment of mothers’ addictions that have echoed throughout the chapters of this book. The anthology concludes with a gendered analysis and critique of addiction programs and policy.

Wendy E. Peterson RN, PhD. is an Associate Professor at the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa. Her program of research aims to improve the quality and experience of maternal-newborn health services for marginalized women by addressing disparities in access to health services, facilitating woman-centered humanistic birth, and critically examining the role of registered nurses in interprofessional maternal-newborn health care teams.

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Laura Lynne Armstrong, Ph.D., C.Psych. is an Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychologist, and researcher at Saint Paul University. She also holds a Diplomate Clinician certification in Logotherapy from the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy. She is the founder of R.E.A.L. therapy (Rational-Emotive Attachment Logotherapy) and a resilience-based mental health promotion program for school children, called D.R.E.A.M. (Developing Resilience through Emotions, Attitudes, and Meaning). In addition to public presentations to enhance community mental health, Dr. Armstrong works clinically with children, youth, and adults.

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Michelle A. Foulkes NP-PHC, PhD. Michelle is a primary health care nurse practitioner and has worked in a variety of nursing contexts over the last 29 years. Her research and clinical interests reside in women’s mental health and addictions across the lifespan, social justice, health policy and integration of the nurse practitioner role in Canadian health care. She completed her PhD in nursing in 2015 with her thesis work focused on prenatal attachment in women with addictions.

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