DeAnna Meckling-Peruto, MS, LPC, NCC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor dedicated to providing compassionate, person-centered counseling for children, teens, and adults. She holds a Master of Science (MS) degree in Community and Trauma Counseling from Thomas Jefferson University. During her time in graduate school, she pursued a specialization in Child Trauma and Play Therapy to cultivate the skills necessary to meet her clients where they are at the developmental level and to foster communication with younger clients through their primary language of play.
Background
DeAnna completed her clinical internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she provided counseling services to youth in the Community Violence and Trauma Support Program. In this role, she provided individual, trauma-informed counseling to youth on a weekly basis and acted as a co-facilitator in an adolescent group therapy program called Building Resilience After Violent Experiences (BRAVE).
Approach to Therapy
In her counseling practice, DeAnna takes an eclectic approach to client care that incorporates techniques and interventions from a variety of different therapeutic modalities to find an approach that best aligns with a person’s unique needs and goals for counseling. Her primary counseling modalities include person-centered, trauma-focused, strengths-based, solution-focused, cognitive restructuring, attachment-focused, narrative, and play therapy. She is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) through the Trauma Institute & Child Trauma Institute and has completed her Level 2 Animal Assisted Play Therapy® Training through the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy. Her clinical areas of expertise include trauma, stress management, depression, anxiety, neurodivergence, abuse recovery, life transitions, grief and loss, attachment ruptures, codependency, relational concerns, and LGBTQIA+.
What to Expect
DeAnna understands that the therapeutic experience varies for everyone, and she aims to support clients to engage in treatment in a manner that suits their individual preferences. For those who prefer meeting in the office, she cultivates a safe, supportive, and sensory-friendly environment with various creative and expressive mediums for clients to utilize. For those who enjoy spending time outdoors, she offers nature-based approaches such as going for walks on our beautiful premises and practicing grounding activities outdoors. The therapy space contains several play items and creative outlets such as sand tray, coloring and painting activities, board and card games, crafts, and more that are available to clients of any age. DeAnna also offers telehealth visits for those who would feel more comfortable participating in treatment from the privacy of their home.
Outside the Office
Outside of the therapy space, DeAnna enjoys aerial yoga, paddleboarding, hiking, spending time outside, fantasy books, video games, riding horses, animated shows, painting, drawing, and hanging out with her dogs, Pickles and Ponzu.