Mental Health and Behavioral Health Blog

By Maria Sikoutris-DiIorio, MA, EdS, MFT, LPC Clinical Director, Hellenic Therapy Center Every September, we remember where we were when the planes hit the towers, when the buildings fell, and when our world changed forever. We remember the photographs. We remember the names. We remember the families standing behind barricades, holding pictures of the people they were desperately hoping to find. And we remember the first responders. On September 11, 2001, firefighters, police

There is a point in some relationships when a couple looks around and realizes something has changed. They still live together, take care of the children, pay the bills and manage the daily responsibilities of life. From the outside, everything may look fine. But something feels missing. They have become roommates. The conversations are mostly about schedules, groceries, appointments, work, children and what needs to get done. They may sit next to each other at night, each on

There are plenty of things couples talk about. Where they're going for dinner. What they're doing this weekend. Who is picking up the kids. What needs to get done around the house. But money? That's often the conversation couples keep avoiding. Many couples live together, raise children together and plan a future together, yet rarely sit down and talk honestly about what they earn, what they spend, what they owe or what they are saving for. Some have separate bank accounts. S

“Why don’t you just leave?” It’s a question we often ask when we see someone we care about in an unhealthy relationship. But leaving is rarely as simple as it looks from the outside. People stay for many reasons. They may still love their partner. They may hope things will change. They may be afraid of being alone, it may be due to financial reasons, starting over, hurting their family, or making the wrong decision. Sometimes they have invested years in the relationship and s

We often think that being close to someone means doing things together, agreeing with each other, and wanting the same things. But what if a healthy relationship isn't about becoming more alike? What if it's about becoming more comfortable being different? In relationships, differentiation is the ability to remain connected to someone while maintaining a strong sense of yourself. It means I can love you without needing to agree with you. I can listen to you without changing m

If you're a grandparent, few things are more painful than watching your grandchild run into someone else's arms while barely acknowledging yours. You may wonder, Why do they seem to love Grandma more than me? The hurt can be surprisingly deep, especially if you've invested time, love, and energy into building the relationship. The good news is that, in most cases, a child's preference has far less to do with love than it does with familiarity, opportunity, personality, and no

One of the quickest ways to erode intimacy in a relationship is when couples begin keeping score. “I cooked dinner yesterday, so you should do it tonight.” “You went out with your friends, now it's my turn.” “I apologized last time. Now you apologize.” “You hurt me, so don't expect me to be nice to you.” This is what we call "tit for tat"—responding to your partner based on what they did or didn't do for you. On the surface, it may seem fair. After all, relationships should f

One of the most painful questions I hear in my office after an affair is: “If my partner truly loved me, how could they have cheated?” Closely followed by another question that is equally heartbreaking: “How can they say they still love me after what they did?” For many people, these two ideas seem impossible to reconcile. We often believe that love and betrayal cannot exist in the same relationship. Yet, as difficult as it is to accept, human relationships are rarely that si