My name is Julia Mason and I have lived with compulsive hair pulling since I was 15 years old. I am a member of the Canadian BFRB Support Network and am the Peer Support Leader of the Guelph BFRB Support Group. I am a very passionate advocate for the BFRB community and have experienced first-hand the lack of support or research out there for people with BFRBs. I have designed a research project that aims to bring people with compulsive hair pulling together, to highlight their voices, and to share their journeys and what living with compulsive hair pulling means to them.

My research project is for my Social Work Master’s thesis with Wilfrid Laurier University and has been approved by the university Research Ethics Board.

I’m hoping to recruit around 7 people in the Greater Toronto Area who live with Trichotillomania or compulsive hair pulling.We will get together for five weekly sessions in Toronto. At each session, participants will work on art pieces that illustrate their personal journeys of living with this mental illness and what it means to them. My project is the first of its kind which uses an arts-based research method to explore the experiences of people living with mental illness.

Participants will be compensated for their travel to the sessions and will be given $50 cash for being involved.