Meghan DeFino

Meghan's style can be described as warm and collaborative. She believes everyone is an expert on themselves and has the innate capacity to care for their bodies intuitively. With disordered eating, the dialogue between the mind and the body has become disrupted and Meghan's goal is to help clients learn to trust themselves and their bodies again. Meghan utilizes humor and helps clients set actionable goals so they can make measurable changes. She believes the client/therapist relationship is the cornerstone of the healing that occurs through therapy. Meghan is trained as both a psychotherapist and a nutritionist so that she can better treat the psychological and physiological components of disordered eating. Meghan has experience with all types of disordered eating, including Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge-Eating, Compulsive Overeating, Orthorexia and Exercise Addiction. Meghan has an extensive network of medical doctors, psychiatrists, dietitians, and other psychotherapists with whom she collaborates in order to make sure each client has a treatment team, if needed. Meghan utilizes Cognitive Behavioral therapeutic techniques, as well as Motivational Interviewing and Family Systems Theory. She works with individuals (adolescents and adults), couples, and families who are affected in some way by eating disorders. She has spent many years advocating for more treatment options for males affected by disordered eating, as well as families, and she welcomes both into her practice.
In addition to eating disorders, Meghan sees clients dealing with a range of other issues. These include:
- Identity development
- Intimate relationships
- Difficulties with family
- Academic and career stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Drug & alcohol abuse
Meghan holds a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from The University of Pennsylvania and a Master's degree in Psychology from the University of Chicago. She is board certified as a Holistic Health Practitioner by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP) and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Pennsylvania. Meghan has worked for The Renfrew Center and was the Director of an Intensive Outpatient Program for Eating Disorders for several years. In addition to the treatment of disordered eating, Meghan has worked at Rehab After Work, counseling those with addictions to drugs and alcohol. She has also worked for The Light Program, counseling adults and adolescents struggling with anxiety and depression. Meghan currently teaches graduate courses in counseling at the University of Pennsylvania.