Marriage Counseling & Couples Therapy in Charleston, SC
Did you know that the single biggest predictor of long-term health and happiness is the quality of your close relationship? It’s not wealth, fame, or career success? Your marriage or relationship is one of your most valuable assets, and it’s worth investing in.
Our licensed therapists guide you to stronger communication, trust, and intimacy with your partner through life transitions, co-parenting, and different points of view. With a holistic approach that honors mind, body, and spirit, we help you create deeper connection and lasting change.
Start your journey toward a healthier, happier relationship today.
Understanding Relationship Challenges
When Your Relationship Doesn’t Feel the Same
If your relationship doesn’t feel the way it used to, you’re not alone. Many couples reach a point where conversations feel tense, emotional closeness fades, or the same arguments repeat without resolution. You may still care deeply about one another, yet feel unsure how to reconnect or move forward together.
At Deeply Well, we believe seeking marriage counseling or couples therapy is not a sign that your relationship has failed. Many couples reach out because they want to protect what matters to them before distance, resentment, or misunderstanding grows deeper. Counseling can help you and your partner notice the warning signs early.
Whether you’re feeling disconnected, stuck, or uncertain about what’s next, couples therapy offers a supportive, structured space to understand what’s happening in your relationship and learn how to create healthier patterns moving forward.
Relationships naturally evolve over time. Stress, work demands, family responsibilities, life changes, and unresolved conflict can slowly shift how partners communicate and connect. What once felt easy may now feel confusing, exhausting, or lonely.
These challenges don’t mean your relationship is broken. More often, they signal that the tools and strategies that once worked are no longer enough (which is completely normal) and that additional support can help you navigate this new phase together.
Understanding what to expect from couples therapy can make taking the first step feel less overwhelming.
When Relationships Start to Feel Harder Than They Should
1) Starting With Understanding, Not Blame
Couples therapy begins by creating a space where both partners feel heard, respected, and safe to speak openly. Rather than focusing on who is right or wrong, early sessions center on understanding each person’s experience, concerns, and hopes for the relationship. Together, you and your therapist clarify what brought you to counseling and what you want to change.
What Couples Therapy Looks Like at Deeply Well
2) Identifying Patterns That Keep You Stuck
Most relationship distress is not caused by one single argument, but by repeated patterns over time. In couples therapy, these patterns are identified so both partners can better understand communication breakdowns, emotional reactions, and unmet needs. Seeing these patterns clearly often brings relief and new perspectives.
3) Learning New Ways to Communicate and Repair
As patterns become clearer, therapy focuses on developing healthier ways to communicate. This includes learning how to express needs, share emotions safely, and repair conflict when it happens. The goal is not to eliminate disagreements, but to handle them in ways that build trust and connection instead of distance.
4) Practicing Change Inside and Outside Sessions
Progress happens both in and out of the therapy room. Couples are encouraged to practice new skills between sessions, notice what works, and reflect on challenges as they arise. Over time, these changes support a more stable, connected, and supportive relationship.
Our Couples Therapists
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John Karabees - Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
John has a passion working with couples and emotionally focused therapy (EFT).
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Rose Anderson - Licensed Professional Counseling Associate (LPC-A)
Rose helps couples navigating life transitions who want to feel emotionally understood and reconnected.
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Chad Cooper, Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPC-A)
Chad works well with couples dating, engaged, or married who want to build a healthier relationship.
When Counseling Helps:
Marriage counseling and couples therapy can be especially helpful when:
Communication feels tense, repetitive, or unproductive
Emotional closeness has decreased
Conflict escalates quickly or never feels resolve
Trust has been strained, but both partners want to repair it
One or both partners feel unheard, disconnected, or stuck
Changes in life have transformed your relationship stage like having children, children entering a new life stage, change in a job or income, living in a new place, caring for parents or in-laws, etc.
At Deeply Well, couples therapy works best when both partners are willing to participate honestly, reflect on their own contributions to the relationship, and try new approaches, even when change feels uncomfortable at first.
When Separation or Discernment May Be More Appropriate
Not every couple arrives at therapy with the same level of clarity or readiness. In some situations, traditional couples therapy may not be the best starting point, particularly when:
One partner is unsure about continuing the relationship
There is ongoing dishonesty without accountability
One or both partners are already committed to separation or divorce
In these cases, discernment counseling or individual support may help provide clarity. The goal is not to rush a decision, but to help each person understand their options and move forward thoughtfully rather than from crisis or pressure.
Readiness Indicators for Couples Therapy
Couples therapy is often most effective when:
Both partners are open to examining their own behaviors and responses
There is a shared desire to improve the relationship, even if hope feels low
Safety and respect can be maintained during sessions
Both partners are willing to attend consistently and engage in the process
FAQ’s about Marriage Counseling & Couples Therapy
How long does couples therapy usually take?
1
Many couples attend between 12 and 20 sessions, though the length of therapy depends on goals, history, and the challenges being addressed.
Does marriage counseling actually work?
2
Research shows that couples therapy can be effective and increase relationship satisfaction, especially when both partners are willing to engage and apply what they learn outside of sessions (Rathgeber et al., 2019).
Is couples therapy only for couples in crisis?
3
No. Many couples seek therapy to strengthen communication, rebuild connection, or prevent future problems before they escalate. 70% of couples in therapy report significant improvement in their relationship (Lebow et al., 2012).
What if my partner is hesitant about therapy?
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It’s common for one partner to feel unsure. A free 15-minute consultation with our therapists can help explain the process, address concerns, and determine whether couples therapy feels like a good fit.
How often do couples attend sessions?
5
Most couples begin with weekly or biweekly sessions and adjust frequency as progress is made.
Getting Started With Deeply Well
Choosing marriage counseling or couples therapy is an investment in your relationship and your future together. At Deeply Well in Charleston SC, support is grounded in compassion, clarity, and practical guidance. If you’re feeling uncertain, stuck, or ready for change, help is available — and you don’t have to navigate it alone.
Sources
Lebow JL, Chambers AL, Christensen A, Johnson SM. Research on the treatment of couple distress. J Marital Fam Ther. 2012 Jan;38(1):145-68. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-0606.2011.00249.x. Epub 2011 Sep 9. PMID: 22283385.
Rathgeber M, Bürkner PC, Schiller EM, Holling H. The Efficacy of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and Behavioral Couples Therapy: A Meta-Analysis. J Marital Fam Ther. 2019 Jul;45(3):447-463. doi: 10.1111/jmft.12336. Epub 2018 May 20. PMID: 29781200.