Mari Teresa Lallier, 35, died March 20, 2024, in Groton, CT. She was a loving mother to her son, Victor Cortino, and will be sadly missed by her mother and father, Cristina and Michel Lallier; her sister Stacie and her husband Sol Bonilla; her sister Emily and her partner Jennings Mansfield; her sister Erika Lallier; her nephews Justin and Solomon; and her grandmothers Olivia Tavares and Madeline Lallier. She is further survived by her close cousins, uncles, and aunts.
Mari adored her son Victor. “My heart is in yours, and your heart is in mine” was the nightly bedtime phrase between them. She embedded respect for people and fair and thoughtful treatment of everyone through her acts and conversations with him. Together, they liked to place pennies on the ground for others to find in order to grant them good luck. Victor brought out her whimsical side and was her North Star. They loved each other to the moon and back.
Mari’s magic was in her immense ability to feel. She was able to connect with people on a level that few others could. She used her sensitive and empathetic nature every day as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor at various mental health centers before opening her own practice. She practiced for 12 years with the philosophy that every person has the right to a life worth living and that every woman has a right to her own voice and to be heard. She created a safe, validating, non-judgmental environment within which her clients could explore themselves and their goals.
Mari obtained her bachelor’s degree in Developmental Psychology and her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. She had experience with multiple levels of care including intensive outpatient, intensive in-home residential treatment, and outpatient settings. Mari was currently focusing her practice around engaging with young adults and children—who she referred to as her “littles”—teenagers, families, and women’s issues in the LGBTQ community.
She specialized in the treatment and recovery of Eating Disorders and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, while also working extensively in the treatment of Trauma and Attachment disorders using multiple methodologies including Expressive Arts Therapy and Play Therapy.
Mari was a passionate, creative woman and a beloved mother. She was connected to nature and loved wildflowers, the ocean, the moon, and the stars. As a believer in energy healing and magnetic forces, she was a generous spirit and a light to those she encountered. She enjoyed making crystal flower wands and floral brooms.
Mari was a fierce collegiate soccer player, a beautiful singer, an artist, an author of lyrical poetry, and so much more. She was an extremely cool person.
“If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies.” – Unknown
**Mari’s family will greet relatives and friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, at the Dinoto Funeral Home, 17 Pearl Street, Historic downtown Mystic.