Grief Counseling in South Carolina | Oceanic Counseling Group

Grief is not a disorder. It's the natural cost of having loved someone or something, and most people move through it with time and the support of the people around them. Counseling isn't meant to make grief go away; it gives you a place to carry it where you don't have to protect anyone else from it.

Sometimes grief gets stuck. The loss stays as raw a year or two later as it was in the first weeks, and life can't restart around it. The DSM-5-TR now recognizes this as prolonged grief disorder, and it responds well to specific treatment.

Kinds of loss we help with

Only prolonged grief disorder is a DSM-5-TR diagnosis. The rest are human experiences that often benefit from support.

Bereavement: The death of a spouse or partner, parent, child, sibling, friend or pet. Grief after an expected death and after a sudden one can look very different; both are real.
Prolonged grief disorder: Added to the DSM-5-TR in 2022. Intense yearning for the person who died, or preoccupation with them, nearly every day for at least a year (six months for children and teens), along with symptoms such as identity disruption, disbelief, avoidance of reminders, intense emotional pain, numbness, feeling life is meaningless, or difficulty re-engaging with life. The reaction clearly exceeds cultural norms and impairs daily functioning.
Loss by suicide: Grief complicated by shock, stigma, unanswered questions and sometimes trauma. We provide a space where none of it has to be explained or defended.
Pregnancy and infant loss: Miscarriage, stillbirth, termination for medical reasons, infertility and infant death. Losses that others often don't see, carried by both parents.
Anticipatory grief: Grieving someone who is still here: a terminal diagnosis, dementia, or a long decline. Support for family members and caregivers, and for people facing their own serious illness.
Non-death losses: Divorce, estrangement from a child or parent, loss of a pregnancy you planned for, a career or identity, a home, health, or the future you expected. The grief is just as legitimate and often less acknowledged.
Grief in children and teens: Children grieve in bursts and re-grieve as they grow. Our child clinicians use play and creative approaches and help parents know what to say.

How we treat it

For ordinary grief, counseling offers support, a place to tell the story as many times as it needs telling, and help with the practical and relational fallout. For prolonged grief, structured approaches such as prolonged grief treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy for grief have strong evidence. When the death was traumatic, EMDR and trauma-focused methods help with the intrusive images that keep the loss frozen. Several of our clinicians have backgrounds in hospice and end-of-life care.

When to reach out

You don't want to burden the people around you anymore
Months have passed and it feels as raw as the first week
You can't function at work or at home
The death was sudden, violent or by suicide
A child in your family has lost someone and you're not sure how to help

Schedule an appointment Call (843) 894-0000

Common questions

How soon after a loss should I see someone?

Whenever you want to. There's no required waiting period and no "too soon." Some people come in the first weeks, some a year later when everyone else has moved on. Both are good reasons.

Is grief counseling covered by insurance?

Insurance covers treatment of a diagnosable condition. Grief often comes with depression, anxiety, an adjustment disorder or prolonged grief disorder, all of which are covered. Your clinician will make an appropriate diagnosis after the first visit, and we verify your benefits beforehand.

Do you offer faith-based grief support?

Yes. Several of our clinicians offer Christian-based counseling and will integrate your faith into the work if you want that. Others work from a secular frame. Tell us your preference when you call.

Where to get help for grief & loss

Based on our clinicians' current specialties, this is treated at ten locations:

Closer to Anderson? Call (843) 894-0000; the right therapist may be available by video, or we'll suggest the nearest office with the right fit.

Diagnostic descriptions on this page are summarized in plain language from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR, 2022). This page is educational. It is not a substitute for evaluation by a licensed clinician, and only a licensed clinician can make a diagnosis.

Ready when you are.

Call us or submit a short intake form. A Patient Account Representative will match you with a therapist, and most new clients have their first appointment within a few business days.