Joanne Perilstein, Phd — Counselor in Philadelphia, PA

She’s really good but not for the fair hearted. She will tell like it is and won’t sugar coat. For me, that’s very effective. She got me through some of the hardest experiences in my life and she really pushed me to be better. She’s really good if you want someone who is going to be straight with you and will push you to better yourself. If you want a therapist that will agree with you about everything you do and just gets paid to listen without more than agreement, this isn’t the therapist for you.

I started seeing Dr. Perilstein a few months ago and have found our sessions very helpful. I appreciate that she helps introduce coping strategies and solve problems with me. Some therapists only just listen to their patients, but Dr. Perilstein is fully engaged. She has recommendations for what I can do to improve my life outside of our sessions, and has let me know of different books to read to accentuate my growth.

I was a patient of Doctor Perilstein for about two years. I had come with a a great deal of work stress as well as some recent personal trauma. Over the period in which I was with her, I found Doctor Perilstein to insightful and understanding. She really helped me to move forward in a lot of ways and deal with some of those personal anxieties. More than anything, she was a good listener, which allowed her to work with me, not based on how the world should be, but how I was really feeling about certain things. She also provided me with honest feedback, not just what I wanted to hear, but what I needed to hear. I am really glad I found her and she was able to meet with me regularly. It made a difference for me going forward.

Dr. Perilstein is a thoughtfull listener and helped me navigate and make sense of a difficult family situation. I highly recommend her!

Dr. Perilstein has allowed me to guide my own therapy since we started. We focus on what I want to focus on during sessions. At the beginning of each session, she asks what I want to talk about and we work through it. Dr. Perilstein is both gentle, and holds me accountable. I’ve made significant progress with this therapist and would recommend her to anyone who prefers this kind of approach.

Dr. Joanne Perilstein Was my first psychologist as an adult and she triggered my depression. She told me I shouldn’t be studying nursing because of my ADHD. She even talked me down like I was a child. I should feel safe but instead I was spiraling down and got depressed. I do not recommend her.

I scheduled an appointment with this therapist and the day after making an appointment she called me again asking if we had scheduled an appointment after all(I cancelled the previously made appointment after feeling a bit uneasy). I just got another message from her saying she was accepting new clients. I just don't understand. I just don't think I would personally feel comfortable seeing a therapist that can't remember if we had made an appointment or not. But that's just my personal opinion.

Dr. Perilstein is a great friend and a very talented counselor. I highly recommend her. :)

I went to see Dr. Perilstein once and I will not go back. The entire session was her asking me a series of questions with little opportunity to elaborate or discuss my answers. She was also too aggressive in her response to my answers. Our session ran over and she was very firm about me setting up another appointment and to make sure that I had insurance. I think that her aggressive style might work for some but I prefer a therapist who will listen, respect and engage and who will allow me to open up at my own pace. I also found some of Dr. Perilstein's responses judgmental

I saw Dr. Perilstein twice about a month ago. The initial consultation was good. She asked a lot of questions , which I like, almost as if she was diagnosing me. I could immediately tell that she's firm, and oddly I felt like I was talking too much when answering. Next session I had to let her know that I got a job and wouldn't be able to see her after a few weeks, and thats where it went downhill. Instead of continuing the sessions until I started working (which turned out to be over a month later), she basically stopped the therapy right there by wasting my entire session talking about how far the job is and doing whatever mental calculations in her head. When my hour was up and I told her that we didn't talk about anything, she said "Of course we did". I would never go back.