About Me

My name is Maria Shkreli, and I believe that understanding ourselves is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves and the people we love. Every person has a story, every family has a history, and every generation passes something on to the next. Some of those gifts are beautiful. Others become patterns that quietly shape our lives until someone has the courage to ask, "Why?" and choose a different path. That question has guided both my personal life and my professional career.

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My story began long before I became a therapist. My parents are first-generation Albanians from Montenegro who left everything they knew in search of a better future. On their journey to America, they spent time in Italy, where I was born before our family eventually settled in the United States. I was raised in a deeply traditional Albanian home where family, loyalty, hard work, resilience, and respect were not simply values—they were a way of life. I am incredibly proud of my heritage and the strength it has given me. At the same time, growing up between two cultures allowed me to see how traditions can both strengthen families and, at times, unintentionally contribute to emotional struggles that continue from one generation to the next.

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For much of my life, I believed that if you worked hard, loved your family, and did the right thing, life would naturally unfold the way you hoped. Then everything changed.

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The unexpected death of my father became the turning point of my life. Losing him forced me to confront not only my grief but also the reality of my own life. It was during that time that I realized I no longer wanted to continue living patterns that had been passed down through generations. I wanted something better for myself. I wanted something better for my family. I wanted to understand why people who loved one another could still hurt one another so deeply, why relationships fell apart, and why families often repeated the same painful cycles despite wanting something better.

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Life, however, did not unfold the way I imagined it would. My marriage faced major challenges, my relationships with my family became strained, and I experienced periods of estrangement that left me questioning everything I thought I understood about love, loyalty, and belonging. Having been raised with very traditional beliefs, I accepted circumstances that today I would see very differently. Those years became some of the darkest of my life. While others often assumed they knew my story, the reality was far different. Behind closed doors, I was grieving, struggling with depression, and desperately searching for answers. I wasn't looking for distractions—I was searching for understanding.

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Instead of allowing those experiences to define me, I made a decision that would change the course of my life. Every moment I wasn't spending with my children became an opportunity to grow. I immersed myself in education, not because I was chasing degrees, but because I needed to understand human behavior. I wanted to know why people think the way they do, why families repeat unhealthy patterns, why relationships succeed or fail, and most importantly, whether those patterns could truly be changed.

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That journey led me to earn two master's degrees, become a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and build my own private practice. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with thousands of individuals, couples, and families navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship conflict, family dysfunction, attachment wounds, personality disorders and traits, workplace conflict, and major life transitions. Every client has reinforced one truth: while our stories are different, the patterns beneath them are often remarkably similar.

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Through both my personal experiences and my clinical work, I developed what is now known as The Cycle Breaker Method®. It wasn't created overnight, and it certainly wasn't created in a classroom. It evolved after years of recognizing the same relationship dynamics, emotional wounds, communication patterns, and generational beliefs appearing in family after family. I realized that lasting change doesn't happen simply by treating symptoms. Real healing begins when we understand the patterns driving our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships. Once we understand the "why," we gain the ability to choose something different.

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Education has always been one of my greatest passions because knowledge has the power to reduce fear, replace shame with understanding, and create hope. That passion has expanded beyond the therapy office into writing, speaking, teaching, and developing practical resources that people can use in their everyday lives. I have written numerous books and workbooks focused on mental health, relationships, family dynamics, personal growth, and breaking unhealthy cycles. I also host educational conversations through my podcast and continue developing resources designed to make psychology practical, understandable, and accessible to everyone.

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As a first-generation Albanian American, I have also become deeply committed to bringing mental health education into the Albanian community. For far too long, emotional struggles have often been hidden behind strength, silence, or stigma. My hope is not to change our culture but to help preserve its greatest strengths while encouraging conversations about the beliefs and patterns that may no longer serve us. That vision inspired the creation of The Albanian Mental Wellness Hub, a place where culture and mental wellness can exist together with compassion, education, and understanding.

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People often assume therapists have all the answers. The truth is, I continue to learn every day. My greatest teachers have not only been my education or the thousands of clients I have been honored to work with—they have also been life itself. My children continue to challenge me, humble me, and help me grow in ways no textbook ever could. They have reminded me that growth is not about perfection. It is about remaining open, accountable, curious, and willing to keep evolving.

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Today, my mission is simple. I want to help people understand themselves more deeply, strengthen their relationships, break free from unhealthy patterns, and create lives that are no longer dictated by the past. Whether you are seeking therapy, reading one of my books, listening to my podcast, attending a workshop, or exploring the resources throughout this website, my hope is that you leave with more than information. I hope you leave with understanding, because understanding is where lasting change begins, and every healthier future starts with one person who is willing to become the cycle breaker.