Dr. Laura Connors PhD, RPsych

What will therapy be like?

As a mom, spouse, and professional, I hold a strong belief in the role of attachment relationships and work to support and empower parents to foster strong connections with their children. As such, treatment for a child or teen rarely involves seeing the child on their own. As parents and caregivers have the largest opportunity to impact their child, due to the attachment relationship, as well as the sheer number of interactions, treatment also works to equip parents so as to leverage the strength of that connection to effect change. Also, mental health issues often come with behavioural symptoms, that often occur outside the therapy session while in the care of parents, thus the goal is to support and empower those that are managing these concerns, in a way that strengthens the parent-child relationship and leaves parents feeling equipped and confident in their role.

I’m known for my warm, collaborative, and non-judgemental approach with clients in supporting them to reach their goals. The first 1-2 sessions will be spent developing a shared understanding of what the concerns are, deciding on goals or treatment targets, and discussing how we will know progress and change is occurring. We will discuss the methods to be used to facilitate change and why we are targeting what we are so that you feel treatment is a collaborative process and team effort, not something “being done to you.” I use evidence-based treatments (e.g., intervention methods supported by research), including emotion-focused, cognitive-behavioural, and motivational interventions. In my parenting work, I use a model called Emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT), which you can learn more about here.

Hours

Tuesday after school & evening hours

Insurance

Psychological services are not covered by provincial health insurance but may be covered by some private insurance plans. Clients with such insurance may be able to be reimbursed for some of the costs of psychological services. Clients are responsible for checking and understanding the details of their own policy to insure the limits of their coverage. I do not direct bill insurance companies, but issue a receipt for psychological services that clients may submit for reimbursement. Please note that some insurance companies require a physician’s referral to reimburse psychological services. Check out our FAQ page for more detail on what to ask your insurer.

Qualifications & Affiliations

PhD Clinical-Developmental Psychology, York University, 2013
Master degree Clinical-Developmental Psychology, York University, 2008
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Psychology, University of New Brunswick, 2006

Registered Clinical Psychologist with Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology, R0781, 2013
Member, Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia
Associate Board Member, International Institute of Emotion-focused Family Therapy
Certified Clinical Trainer/Supervisor, International Institute of Emotion-focused Family Therapy
Clinical Associate Faculty, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University