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About Me
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I believe life is rarely as simple as “good” or “bad.”
People are complex. Relationships are complex. Workplaces are complex. And many of us spend years trying to understand patterns we were never taught to recognize.
Over the years, both personally and professionally, I became increasingly drawn to understanding human behavior, emotional patterns, dysfunctional dynamics, and the impact that relationships and environments can have on our overall well-being. My work has evolved far beyond traditional conversations about “toxicity.” It has become about understanding cycles, communication, self-awareness, emotional patterns, workplace dynamics, identity, and the way life experiences shape us.
As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, author, podcast host, and creator of the Cycle Breaker Method™, I work to help people better understand themselves, their relationships, and the environments they navigate every day. My experience includes working with individuals from diverse personal and professional backgrounds, including corporate environments, healthcare, higher education, small business settings, and leadership roles.
What makes my perspective unique is that my understanding does not come solely from clinical training. It also comes from real-life observation, personal experience, professional environments, and years of recognizing how unhealthy patterns quietly become normalized within relationships, families, workplaces, and society itself.
Through my books, podcast, workshops, and professional work, my goal is to create conversations that help people think differently, develop greater self-awareness, strengthen communication, establish healthier boundaries, and recognize patterns that often go unnoticed.
At the core of everything I do is one belief:
Awareness creates the opportunity for change.
Experience
Maria Shkreli, LMHC, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, author, podcast host, speaker, and creator of the Cycle Breaker Method™.
Her professional experience includes working with individuals navigating anxiety, relationship challenges, dysfunctional family dynamics, workplace stress, emotional abuse, personality-related dynamics, self-worth struggles, communication difficulties, and major life transitions.
Maria’s work focuses heavily on helping individuals recognize recurring emotional and behavioral patterns that impact relationships, identity, communication, and overall quality of life. She is particularly known for her educational approach to understanding personality complexity, emotional patterns, attachment dynamics, boundaries, and interpersonal functioning.
In addition to clinical experience, Maria brings insight from exposure to corporate environments, small businesses, leadership structures, healthcare systems, and highly demanding professional settings. This broader perspective allows her work to bridge both personal and professional relationship dynamics in a relatable and practical way.
Maria is also the author of Breaking Cycles and Breaking Up with Toxicity, and host of the podcast Breaking Cycles with Maria, where she explores human behavior, emotional patterns, relationships, workplace dynamics, self-awareness, and the complexities of everyday life.
Her work is centered around helping people better understand themselves, recognize unhealthy cycles, and build healthier, more intentional ways of navigating life and relationships.
Education & Professional Training
Long Island University – Hudson Graduate Center, Purchase, NY
Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy
Long Island University – Hudson Graduate Center, Purchase, NY
Mental Health Counseling
The New York Center for Eclectic Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Advanced Training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Professional Training & Specialization
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Certified in Personality Disorders
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Eclectic Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
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Attachment & Relational Dynamics
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Trauma-Informed Approaches
Specialized Training & Focus Areas
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Personality Disorders
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
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Attachment Dynamics
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Trauma & Relational Patterns
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Communication & Behavioral Patterns
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Workplace & Interpersonal Dynamics
