Relationship Counseling for Couples in South Carolina

Most couples wait years longer than they should before getting help, and most arrive with the same handful of problems in different clothes: the argument that never resolves, the distance that crept in, the betrayal that hasn't healed, the decision that neither of you can make alone. None of that means the relationship is over. It usually means the two of you have been trying to fix it with the same tools that aren't working.

Relationship counseling gives you a third person in the room whose only job is the relationship. You don't have to be married, in crisis, or both equally willing to start. One of you picking up the phone is enough.

Self-pay. Most health plans do not cover counseling for relationship distress on its own, because it is not a diagnosed mental-health condition, so couples sessions are usually self-pay. See our self-pay rates. If one partner is also dealing with anxiety, depression or trauma, that individual care may be covered; ask us.

What we help with

Relationship distress isn't a mental-health diagnosis, which is why health insurance doesn't cover couples counseling. These sessions are self-pay; see the note below.

Communication and conflict: Learning to say the hard thing without it becoming a fight, and to hear it without becoming defensive. Breaking the pursue-withdraw pattern most distressed couples fall into.
Trust and infidelity: Structured work for the partner who was hurt and the partner who did the hurting: full disclosure, accountability, understanding how it happened, and deciding together what comes next.
Intimacy and sexual concerns: Desire differences, intimacy after children, illness or trauma, and the emotional distance that often sits underneath sexual problems.
Premarital counseling: Structured preparation for marriage, covering expectations, money, family, faith, conflict style and roles before they become problems.
Discernment counseling: Short-term help for couples where one or both are unsure whether to continue. The goal is clarity and confidence about a direction, not pressure toward either one.
Separation and co-parenting: Ending a relationship with as little damage as possible, especially where children are involved, and building a workable co-parenting arrangement.
Faith-based couples counseling: For couples who want their faith integrated into the work, several of our clinicians offer Christian-based relationship counseling.

How we treat it

Our relationship counselors use structured, evidence-informed approaches to couples work: identifying the cycle the two of you get caught in, slowing it down in the room, and rebuilding communication and trust step by step. Sessions are typically weekly or every other week with both partners present; your counselor may also meet with each of you individually. Where one partner's own mental health is part of the picture, we can refer within the group so that individual work and couples work support each other.

When to reach out

You keep having the same argument
You feel lonely inside the relationship
Something happened and you can't find your way back
You're facing a decision you can't make alone
You're getting married and want to start well

Schedule an appointment Call (843) 894-0000

Common questions

Why doesn't insurance cover couples counseling?

Insurance pays for treatment of a diagnosed mental-health condition in an individual. Relationship distress isn't a diagnosis, so couples sessions are self-pay. We'll tell you the rate before you book, and a prompt-pay discount may apply when you pay at the visit.

My partner won't come. Can I come alone?

Yes. Individual sessions focused on your relationship can change the dynamic on their own, and partners often join later once they see it's not about blame.

Do we have to be married?

No. We work with dating, engaged, cohabiting, married and separating couples.

Do you offer premarital counseling?

Yes. Some couples complete it in a few sessions before the wedding.

Where to get help for relationship counseling

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

Closer to North Charleston? 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.

Schedule an appointment Call (843) 894-0000