Positive Impact Counseling
Based in Summerville, and serving all of South Carolina
Special Group Event!
Are you READY for Middle School?!?!
Rising 6th grader small group prep sessions!
Next Session THIS SATURDAY July 29th!!
About Me
My name is Dinoca Ihrig and I love working with children, adolescents, as well as adults! I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), TeleMental Health Provider, and have been a counselor for over 12 years in the school setting. I have extensive experience with children's developmental issues and help adults face the resulting challenges encountered in their parental roles and personal lives. I also have comprehensive personal and professional experience facing the unique challenges of blended families.
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I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from College of Charleston, and a Masters degree in School Counseling from The Citadel. I served in the United States Air Force and understand military life. Taking many classes in special education, I have performed ABA Behavioral Therapy with preschool children with autism. I am a member of the South Carolina Clinical Mental Health Counselor Organization (SCCMHCA), the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and the American School Counseling Association. I am a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF), and a Darkness to Light Facilitator (child sexual abuse prevention program).
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I stay current on research findings from both mental health and physical health fields which enable me to uniquely tailor counseling techniques to address the individual issues of my clients.
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In order to bring my clients my best, I believe I must also live my best life. I reach for wholeness through feeding my mind, body and spirit with positive and continual growth. I incorporate exercise through running, yoga and fitness classes with friends. Experiences with marathons and ultra-marathons have reinforced the power of positive attitude and mental strength. Breathing, mindfulness and relaxation are tools I use in my life and teach to my clients when appropriate.
My beautiful, blended family consists of our “Fantastic 4” young adult ladies, ages 19-23, my accomplice in running and adventure husband Dave, and two small energetic dogs, Jersey and Carolina. We enjoy food, laughter and fun times when we get together.
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I'm looking for clients who are willing to explore their challenges, and to put forth the effort and commitment to do the work it takes to improve those areas. Pain is not easy or comfortable, but I will walk through it with you and we will leave it where it needs to be left. Running away, ignoring or stuffing it does not lead to health, but rather leads to carrying heavy emotional weight that effects every area of your life.
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Specializing in Anxiety Treatment, Depression and Adolescent Therapy
Anxiety
The most presented area of focus for people I work with is anxiety. Largely influenced by the culture in which we live, anxiety can cripple us from being fully alive. With clients of all ages, I use grounding techniques to help you identify and learn how to decrease anxiety and increase well being. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Reality Therapy are tools I use, along with educating about physiology and how our brain is wired to react to anxiety.
Anxiety often affects multiple family members. In this case the family can work together to implement new strategies.
Depression
Depression comes in many forms, and often looks different in children than it does in adults. Acting out in anger, being disruptive, or the flip side of struggling to do anything, even fun things can be signs indicating depression exists. Situational depression has increased significantly this past year with all of the challenges people have had to face through the COVID-19 pandemic.
There IS hope and there are solutions to helping bring relief, hope and new life if you or a loved one is dealing with depression.
Relationships
Communication. Every age, in every area of our lives we actively must evaluate and look for ways to improve the way we communicate with others. No one is born a perfect communicator, reminding us this is a skill that can be learned.
Relationships are complex, and often are a central focus in counseling. They should be life-giving, not life-depleting. Together, we will explore how you can evaluate and improve your existing and future relationships.
Couples Therapy
In addition to my professional training, my husband and I study, practice, and incorporate daily (when we are good!) principles from multiple programs, research-based studies and marriage retreats! No marriage is easy, and every marriage takes purposeful effort and often hard work. Prioritizing your relationship by going to counseling to strengthen skills and learn to love through your struggles can completely transform your marriage story.
Learning to love each other better is a continuous journey. If you have children watching, you also are shaping their views of what love should look like. It's worth every effort for your own satisfaction and for those around you to create a marriage which produces positive, healthy, intimate loving connections.
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Christian Counseling
For Christians or those exploring Christianity, who want a counselor with knowledge of the Bible, who seeks direction for answering life's challenges through this perspective, I will bring relevant counseling techniques that align with Christian values.
Life's challenges can shake our spiritual walk, and an important part of healing is strengthening the foundations of your life.
If you have past wounds in this area, please consider meeting with me to see if I can help.
Christian counseling will strengthen your relationship with Jesus by incorporating scripture, prayer, and encouragement into the counseling session to enhance your spiritual life.
Adolescent Therapy
I have a thorough understanding of how to work with the gifted and talented child and the unique struggles they face (perfectionism, anxiety), as well as those who have ADD, ADHD and those who need extra help with learning. Anxiety, depression, LGBTQ+ issues and processing through the COVID-19 pandemic have been areas of most recent focus.
The reason I love working with children and adolescents is they become empowered when they learn new strategies of thinking, being and doing. Children can change their ways of thinking quickly and feel results immediately when they are motivated to do so. They connect the relevance of mental health and can take these skills on to have a full, healthy adulthood.