OUR TEAM
Creativity, originality, and experience are core components of our therapy team. Our group of experienced therapists and assistants provide individualized treatment that considers the whole family and whole child.
Toa Panapa, Office Manager
As the Office Manager, Toa consistently goes beyond the call of duty to do what is necessary to ensure each family is served thoughtfully and well. Toa is responsible for making sure all areas of the office and therapy team are able to run smoothly. His efficiency and resourcefulness is a great asset to our team. Family satisfaction is his greatest priority.
Christopher Branch, Health Care Manager
Christopher has a degree in healthcare administration and has years of experience in managing scheduling and healthcare offices.
Irene Ingram, Founder, Occupational Therapist
Irene Ingram has been an Occupational Therapist since graduating from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1978. In 1980, she founded Therapeutic Designs and Services, Inc. to provide therapy for children in a creative environment. She was cetified in Sensory Integration in 1981.
She has developed research opportunities to advance the study of the autonomic nervous system's role in trauma, stress, healing, attention, creativity, and reflex maturation. She has also researched and developed specialized skills for treating the head and neck.
Irene has trained in the following disciplines:
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Auditory integration with the use Therapeutic Listening and Samonas Sound Therapy
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Cranial Sacral Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage of the brain to assist the body with information processing and overall health. Read More...
Betty Howell, Occupational Therapy Assistant
Betty is an integral component of the team at TDS. She has a soothing and calming demeanor that helps children feel at ease when they arrive. Betty enjoys building relationships with the children and connecting on a personal level. She has a special gift for listening, and truly gives every child her utmost attention. She is flexible and open-minded which gives her the ability to work with children of all ages and under all circumstances.
Betty received her Occupational Therapy Assistants degree from Pitt Community College in Greenville, North Carolina in 1996. Since then, she has been engaged in a variety of different therapeutic work experiences. She has worked as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) in both the school and health systems. She has provided outpatient treatment through rehabilitation and pediatric therapy services.
Ashley Evans, Occupational Therapist
Ashley graduated in May 2018 with a Master's of Occupational Therapy from the University at Buffalo. During her time at university, she was a Division 1 Student-Athlete on the women's soccer team, a tutor, youth soccer coach and worked in a childcare facility. Ashley has gained much experience working with people from 6 months old to 21 and loved every second of it. Young people have shown her that there is resilience and beauty instilled in all. Ashley has also completed further learning opportunities with sensory integration, DIR/Floortime and feeding which she found an interest in. She is always looking for ways to learn and use her knowledge to guide others.
Ashley loves to travel and has been to nine different countries and has 8 more states to visit in the US! The cultural diversity and various ways of life intrigue her. Traveling reminds her of her favorite quote by Helen Keller: “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”. Ashley does her best to live by this quote working together with the kiddos and their family as a team.
Morgan Howle, Occupational Therapy Assistant
Morgan is a 2017 graduate of Trident Technical College. She has always had a passion for working with children and loves helping them grow through play. She is a good problem solver and is driven to continue learning new and better ways to treat the children she works with. Morgan is a Hartsville native and is happy to be back serving her community. In her free time, Morgan enjoys going on walks, being outdoors and spending time with her dog Abby.
Danielle J. Reames, Speech Language Pathologist
Danielle graduated from Columbia College in 2012 where she received her Bachelor’s of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology. She then went on to purse her Master’s Degree at Appalachian State University and graduated in 2014 with a Master's of Science in Speech-Language Pathology. She was licensed by the American Speech Language and Hearing Association with a Certificate of Clinical Competence and has 4 years experience in the field. Danielle is a full-time employee for the Darlington County School District where she works closely with the Preschool and Kindergarten Special Needs students and regular education. She enjoys working with children of all ages and with varying disabilities.
Beverly Cannarella, Speech Pathologist
Beverly loves to establish a relationship with each and every child she works with. With a calm and confident demeanor, Beverly is determined to bring out the best in a child. Using positivity as her foundation, she breaks off a child's old belief system that they "can't" do something and implants in them a desire to come forth in the area of communication. Beverly's therapy style is functional and meaningful, so that her work correlates with the child's needs and can be applied to their everyday life.
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Elizabeth Quinn, Speech Language Pathologist
Elizabeth is a Hartsville native who moved back home to this special town 15 years ago. She graduated in 1994 with a degree in Secondary English Education, then attended the University of South Carolina, achieving a Masters plus 30 in Communication Sciences and Disorders in order to become a speech-language pathologist. Mrs. Quinn has been a speech-language pathologist for 24 years and has provided speech services to adults and children in a number of different settings, addressing a variety of communication delays and disorders. Primarily she finds her joy working with the pediatric population and has had the opportunity throughout her career to work with children with autism and special needs. She enjoys working alongside and collaborating with the wonderful staff at Therapeutic Designs and Services. Mrs. Quinn also works with the Darlington County School system. She loves spending time with her husband, two children and their sweet Boykin Spaniel Louie. In her free time, she loves to travel, spend time on the South Carolina coast, and follow Clemson football.
Nicole Kennedy, Physical Therapist
Nicole graduated from the Medical College of Georgia in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy. She has practiced in Georgia and South Carolina in a variety of settings including outpatient clinics, home health, rehabilitation centers, and at the Medical College of Georgia Medical Center. Nicole has a private practice in Hartsville, SC which was established in 1993. She specializes in pediatric physical therapy and yoga therapy for adults and children. She has training in NDT, Sensory Integration, Myofascial Release, Balance Training, and Kinesotaping, and Yoga for the Special Child. Yoga therapy training has included Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, YogaFit Level 1, Yamuna Body Rolling, and Professional Yoga Therapy Studies
Sarah Robker, Speech Language Pathologist
Sarah graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2018 with her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. She immediately went on to pursue her Master's Degree in Speech Language Pathology from the same university, with which she graduated in 2020. While there, she worked as a Graduate Research Assistant for the South Carolina Research on Language and Literacy Lab (SCROLL Lab), focusing on studies related to reading comprehension. Sarah also has a particular interest in therapy intervention designed for receptive and expressive communication growth. She has always loved working with children and finding new ways to help them succeed, and believes functional and individualized communication always works best. She grew up in Hartsville, and is excited to be back in the community. In her spare time, she loves to draw or read, go to the beach, and spend time with family.
Mary Alice Gainey, Occupational Therapy Assistant
Mary Alice is a 2022 graduate of Trident Technical College. She loves connecting with and getting to know each child to help them succeed at following their passions. She enjoys using play, arts and crafts, and movement to help children grow. She always strives to learn from the children she works with to help them best. She enjoys working with children of all ages and all disabilities. Mary Alice is a Hartsville native and she is happy to be back and serving her community.
Katelyn Kondla, Occupational Therapy Assistant
Katelyn graduated from Coker College in 2015, where she received her Bachelors of Science degree in Exercise Science. She continued her education at Cabarrus College of Health Science where she received her degree as a Occupational Therapy Assistant. Katelyn has been a devoted COTA/L for 5 years. She has worked with all ages from Geriatrics to babies!
Katelyn is a devoted wife to Fico and mother to Little Fico and Luca. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.
Victoria (Tori) Grant, Occupational Therapist
Tori graduated from the University of South Carolina in May 2018, moving forward to then pursue her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Lenoir-Rhyne University in May 2020. Tori has always had a passion to work with young children from an early age. During her time in school, she worked with an afterschool program for preschoolers as well as private childcare. Tori is a Hartsville native and is happy to finally be fulfilling her dream of working with the pediatric population at TDS. She loves to work with all children but specializes in Kinesioptaping, treating the hemiaplegic child, neurofeedback, and kids challenged with modulation. In her free time, Tori enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and traveling.
Caroline Zissette, Occupational Therapist
A lowcountry native, Caroline was born and raised in Barnwell, South Carolina. Caroline graduated from Clemson University in 2020 with her Bachelors of Science in Recreational Therapy. She then pursued her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Lenoir-Rhyne University and graduated in 2022. Caroline's love for working with children began through serving in her church nursery and babysitting. She completed her Occupational Therapy fieldwork at TDS and couldn't wait to get back once she graduated. Caroline also works as a school-based Occupational Therapist in Florence County. She enjoys using crafts and woodwork for their therapeutic benefits. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, antiquing, and watching football.
Dawn Katko, Speech Language Pathologist
Dawn is a graduate of both Columbia College and the University of South Carolina with a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. With over 28 years of experience, Dawn retired from the Darlington County School District. During her school career, she worked with children aged 3-21 years with a variety of disabilities. Additionally, Mrs. Katko has experience with adult patients in skilled nursing facilities. Problem solving for and seeing growth in children keeps Dawn energized and eager to learn and grow herself.
Janna McIntyre, Speech Language Pathologist
Janna graduated from Clemson University with her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and went on to finish her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology at the University of South Carolina in 2020. Janna completed her clinical fellowship in adult rehabilitation, working with cognitive and swallowing disorders in geriatric populations. Currently, she is employed full-time by Darlington County School District, where she works with preschool and kindergarten students in exceptional and general education classrooms. Janna loves working with children to help them reach their potential and has a special interest in early language development. In her spare time, Janna loves to spend time with her family.
Heather Boatwright, Occupational Therapist
Heather graduated in May 2020 with a Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy from Lenoir-Rhyne University. Prior to her educational journey, Heather gained much experience with caring for children of all ages and varying abilities through private childcare and involvement in a therapeutic preschool. During this time, Heather learned that children have so much to teach just as they are today; we will only miss out while waiting for what they’ll teach us in the future. Heather has a heart for helping others, so participating in further learning opportunities in order to share her knowledge always excites her. She has completed continuing education in kinesiotaping, sensory integration, and neuromuscular approaches for establishing skill and adaptation for success. In her spare time, Heather enjoys exploring old and new attractions across the nation, exercising, and spending time with family and friends.
Tiffany Neely, Occupational Therapy Assistant
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