about
Laura Mayo
Social Worker, Founder, Clinical Director, MSW, RSW
couples | individual | family | consultation
Laura is a certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist. Her work is grounded in the science of attachment, and she believes that we all need to feel safe and secure in our relationships in order to thrive. She helps clients identify patterns and understand them as sources of both resilience and pain. While seeking to understand the past, Laura focuses on the present as it unfolds together in session. She is known to be deeply empathetic, attuned, and expressive.
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Laura also offers consultations to fellow therapists seeking support with individual, couple or family therapy practices.
Alyse Nishimura
Social Worker, MSW, RSW
individual | family
​Alyse is a registered social worker. She is known for her accessible and down-to-earth approach, which helps people feel seen, understood, and supported. Alyse has worked with individuals and families for two decades. She helps people recognize and interrupt their thinking and behaviour patterns. This leads to meaningful change in all areas of their lives.
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She helps her clients take manageable steps towards living out the life they want. Her sessions are playful and spark curiosity, helping clients see different possibilities for themselves. Her clients report improved communication in relationships; reduced anxiety, more calm, and increased confidence within themselves; and a better connection to the world they live in.
our team
Discover who might be the right fit for you!
about connection matters
Laura founded Connection Matters because therapy has been a secure, safe haven for her. She knows first hand what it feels like to develop trust. She understands what it takes to be open and vulnerable. She believes that everyone has experiences that need hearing and healing. This is the core of what she aims to offer her clients.
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our mission
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We believe that when we feel connected in our relationships, whether that is with a loved one, or with oneself, we can flourish. Our approach is to understand emotions as a way of expanding possibilities and creating new ways of relating to both others and oneself. We help our clients make sense of their relationships and how they experience attachment.
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Relationships develop patterns over time and they may inhibit our connections with oneself and others. We help people understand how these patterns came to be. We help our clients create new patterns that feel secure and vibrant.
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At Connection Matters, our therapists are focused on helping our clients improve their relationships and strengthen their bonds with themselves and others. Together, we will explore thoughts, feelings, and experiences- past and present- that shape how people feel toward others and themselves.
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our philosophy
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There is no “quick fix” or even “fixing” of life’s problems! We believe that we all have the ability to heal and thrive. Our philosophy is centered on the universal human need for safe and secure attachments.
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When we are hurt, we need a person who is our soft place to land. We need a person who will be there for us in our time of need. When we close our eyes and call their name, we need to know they will answer. If they are far away, we need to know they are thinking about us. This is what safe and secure relationships feel like. We are grounded in the belief that we all long for and need to feel this safety.
Healing is a journey, and as your therapists, we walk alongside you. We provide maps and, together, we explore well worn paths, enter old roads that have been closed off, and create new ones that may never have felt possible before. The power of therapy is the unique relationship you have with your therapist. This relationship will guide you in discovering and sharing your emotions so that you feel seen, felt, and known.
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is this you?
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Are you feeling stuck?
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Do you feel disconnected in your relationship(s)?
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Do you feel disappointed and wish that things could be different?
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Do you feel confused about your feelings?
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​Do you feel that something is not right with yourself?
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Do you have a gut feeling that things could be better but you’re not sure what or how to get there?