Counseling Raleigh NC

Counseling Raleigh NC

Deep down you've always desperately wanted the kind of relationship that you could truly count on. One that lasts. One where you feel safe, secure, and deeply loved. Love that feels like home. Love that doesn't just come and go like the seasons, but one that roots itself deeply within your heart. You've had little moments where you feel like you've glimpsed this... but like trying to grab a rainbow it just floats through your fingers. 

You don't know what you are doing wrong. Is it you? Is it them? Is it both? Are healthy, lasting relationships that are deeply fulfilling really a thing, or are they just made up hallmark bullshit? 

If you are being honest with yourself, deep down you don't even have a good relationship with yourself. You've mouthed the words of self-love, but when you look in the mirror, doubts linger. You feel like you are never enough. You don't trust your intuition. You struggle to know what you want, and even when you do it’s hard to actually make it happen. Can you truly embrace every facet of who you are? Can you stand tall in your decisions and trust your instincts?

How can you delve into a deep, trusting relationship with another person when you don't even fully know and love you? That isn't the place to date, get married, get divorced, or any of the rest of it. 

What sets Irina’s Counseling Raleigh NC apart?

I am more than a therapist with over a decade of clinical experience and years of training. I am more than a mom, a wife, an immigrant, and someone who went through a divorce at a young age. I am a real person who is deeply passionate about her clients. Therapy is a lot more than a job for me. As a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP, )I am dedicated to helping you embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery, intuitive growth, and building meaningful connections with others. With a wealth of knowledge and a heart full of empathy, I am here to empower you to navigate the intricate landscape of relationships with confidence and authenticity. I will work hard to walk side by side you so I can truly see you and share your pain. I am here for you each step of the way and I know how to get you home-where you will be feel confident, loved, and joyful.

How is Working With Irina Different From Traditional Weekly Therapy

Most people are familiar with the traditional model of weekly 50 or 60-minute therapy sessions. While that works for some, many find it frustratingly slow. You leave just as you’re opening up, only to wait another week to pick up the thread again. Real change takes momentum, and momentum is hard to build in short, scattered sessions.

That’s why I don’t offer weekly therapy. Instead, I use a model that’s proven to create faster and more lasting results: 6-hour intensive sessions. So basically a whole day retreat!

Why Retreat in North Carolina Works

Such a retreat gives you the time and space to dive deep—without the constant ticking of the clock. In this container, you can:

• Explore the roots of your patterns in a meaningful, uninterrupted way

• Move through emotions instead of stopping just as they surface

• Create clarity and direction that might take months to reach in weekly therapy

Most of my clients describe walking out of an intensive feeling lighter, clearer, and more hopeful than they have in years. My couples describe it as the difference between chipping away with a teaspoon and using a shovel.

The Role of Ketamine

In some cases, I also integrate Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) into this work. Ketamine is a well-researched medicine with a safe profile, used in hospitals every single day around the world. At low, therapeutic doses, ketamine can:

• Quiet the inner critic and open space for new insights

• Amplify neuroplasticity, helping your brain form healthier patterns

• Unlock stuck emotional material and accelerate healing

When combined with an intensive therapy session, ketamine can act like a catalyst—helping you access breakthroughs that might otherwise take years.

How a 6-Hour Intensive Works

Many people think: “Six hours? Isn’t that just like doing six weekly sessions in one day?”

The truth is—it’s not even close.
A 6-hour intensive is more like the equivalent of 10–12 weekly sessions. Why? Because in weekly therapy, you only get about 25 minutes of true, deep work once you factor in settling in, catching up, and closing out before the clock runs out. In an intensive, we don’t have to stop just as we’re getting somewhere.

The Weekly Session Reality

• Minute 0–10: You arrive, settle in, and update me on your week.

• Minute 10–35: We finally begin to drop into the deeper emotional work.

• Minute 35–50: The session is almost over, so we start pulling back up and closing out. That leaves about 20–25 minutes of real progress each week.
  

The Intensive Advantage

A 6-hour intensive gives us uninterrupted space. Here’s what it looks like:

1. Arrival + Grounding
   We start by slowing down together, reviewing your goals, and getting you comfortable in the space.

2. Deep Therapeutic Work
   Without the pressure of the clock, we move into your story, patterns, and emotions at a natural pace—exploring what needs attention.

3. (Optional) Medicine Session
   For those who choose to include Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, we create a safe, structured experience with time to prepare, journey, and reflect.

4. Integration
   After the medicine or deep work, we process together, weaving your insights into real-life application.

5. Breaks & Nourishment
   We’ll take a lunch break and bio breaks as needed—you’ll have space to rest, reset, and come back ready.

6. Closing & Next Steps
   We finish with clarity: concrete takeaways, practices for home, and next steps for keeping momentum going.

Why It Works So Well

Instead of weeks of “stop–start–stop–start,” an intensive allows your nervous system to stay engaged long enough for real rewiring and breakthroughs. That’s why many clients walk away from a single intensive saying it gave them more relief, clarity, and hope than months of weekly sessions ever did.

Is This Right for You?

If you’re:

• Feeling stuck in painful cycles

• Tired of “just talking about it” without real movement

• Have tried talk therapy and/or EMDR before and it doesn’t cut it anymore

• Longing for a more accelerated, transformative process

…then this approach may be exactly what you need.

Next Step

I offer a free 30 min phone consultation to explore whether intensive individual therapy, with or without ketamine, is the right fit for you.

You don’t need to wait years to feel better. With the right support, you can begin to shift in weeks.

The gains of counseling Raleigh NC for one are boundless

By taking this step toward self-discovery and personal growth, you're not only investing in yourself – you're investing in a future where you experience fulfilling connections and a renewed sense of purpose.