You Don’t Have to Carry This Alone

Grief doesn’t follow a schedule. Some days you’re fine—getting through work, holding conversations, almost forgetting. Other days the weight hits without warning. A song, a smell, an empty chair.

If you’ve experienced loss—whether a loved one, a relationship, or a life you expected to have—you already know that grief touches everything.—your sleep, your energy, your ability to feel present in your own life. The people around you mean well, but they don’t always understand why you’re still struggling months later. Some days you feel like you’re moving backward.

At Therapy Group of Charleston, our grief counselors provide a dedicated space to process your loss without rushing you toward some artificial “closure.” We use evidence-based counseling techniques—including client-centered therapy, CBT for grief, family systems work, and play therapy for children—to help you move through the grief process at your own pace, in your own way.

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Is Grief Counseling Right for You?

You might benefit from grief counseling if you:

• Feel stuck in sadness, anger, or numbness months after a loss
• Have lost a loved one and can’t seem to return to daily life
• Experience intense feelings of guilt, regret, or “what if” thinking
• Notice physical symptoms—fatigue, headaches, appetite changes—connected to your grief
• Feel isolated because no one around you truly understands
• Are grieving a loss others dismiss (a pet, a friendship, a miscarriage, a divorce)
• Worry that your grieving is becoming depression
• Have experienced multiple losses that compound the emotional pain
• Are navigating traumatic loss—suicide, homicide, sudden death—where the circumstances feel as overwhelming as the grief itself

What to know:

• Grief is natural—not a disorder. It’s your mind and body’s response to losing someone or something that mattered deeply. Seeking professional help isn’t weakness; it’s wisdom.
• There is no right timeline. Some people seek support weeks after a loss; others come years later. Both are valid.
• Complicated grief is real. When grief intensifies rather than gradually easing—interfering with your ability to function, connect, or find any hope—it affects roughly 7-10% of bereaved adults and benefits from specialized treatment.
• Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. With the right support, you learn to carry grief more gently and re-engage with a life that holds both pain and meaning.

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How Grief Shows Up

Every person grieves differently. There is no “right” way—but recognizing the symptoms can help you understand what you’re going through.

Emotionally: Waves of sadness, anger, guilt, anxiety, and sometimes numbness or unexpected relief. These emotions often arrive without warning.

Physically: Fatigue, disrupted sleep, appetite changes, headaches, chest tightness. Grief lives in the body as much as the mind.

Cognitively: Difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, replaying events, struggling to accept a new reality. Many grieving people describe feeling like they’re lost in fog.

Relationally: Withdrawing from friends and families, difficulty communicating needs, friction with people who grieve differently than you.

In Charleston, where families often have deep roots and tight-knit communities, loss reverberates through entire networks. Military families near Joint Base Charleston face deployment-related grief. Transplants to the Lowcountry grieve the support systems they left behind. Whatever your loss looks like, we meet you where you are.

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Our Approach to Grief Counseling

We don’t follow a one-size-fits-all grief process. Your treatment is shaped by your loss, your history, and what feels most pressing right now.

Client-centered grief therapy starts with your experience—not a textbook. Your therapist follows your lead, creating a space where you feel truly heard without judgment or pressure to grieve on anyone else’s timeline. This person-centered foundation shapes everything we do.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for grief helps you identify thought patterns that keep you stuck—guilt spirals, avoidance, or the belief that moving forward means forgetting your loved one. We help you challenge those patterns while honoring what you’ve lost.

Family systems therapy recognizes that grief doesn’t happen in isolation—it ripples through relationships and family dynamics. When one person is grieving, the whole family feels it. We help families communicate about loss, support each other through the grief process, and navigate the ways roles and relationships shift after a death or major loss.

Play therapy for children and teens gives younger clients a way to process grief when words aren’t enough. Through games, art, and creative expression, children explore big emotions in a safe setting—building coping skills and emotional resilience at their own pace.

We also address what grief often brings with it: depression, anxiety, sleep disruption, stress, and the strain grief places on your relationships and self-esteem. When additional support is needed, we coordinate with psychiatrists and community resources.

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What to Expect

Your first session focuses on your story—who or what you lost, how it happened, and what your world looks like now. There is no pressure to revisit anything you’re not ready for. We start building coping strategies from the first session—practical tools for managing the hardest moments.

Sessions are typically weekly, 50 minutes. Many people feel meaningful relief within 8-12 sessions, though some choose longer-term support for deeper healing. Others return around anniversaries, holidays, or new life changes that resurface grief. Each of our licensed professional counselors brings specialized training in grief and loss, with coping strategies tailored to your situation.

We offer flexible access at our Mt. Pleasant office and via secure telehealth throughout South Carolina—including downtown Charleston, North Charleston, West Ashley, and the wider Lowcountry. Whether you’re in Charleston SC or anywhere in the state, hope and support are closer than you think.

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Beyond Therapy: Charleston Grief Support

When it’s helpful, we connect you with grief support groups and community resources alongside your individual work. We encourage reaching out to peer support options when you’re ready—it doesn’t replace therapy, but it can make the process feel less isolating. Charleston has a strong network of peer support options—including bereavement support groups for adults, specialized grief support groups for children and teens, faith-based groups like GriefShare that run spring and fall sessions at churches across the tri-county area, and support groups for specific types of loss such as suicide, homicide, and substance abuse. Local organizations also offer suicide prevention resources, crisis support, and survivor groups.

Some grief support groups meet weekly; others are periodic programs. Some are led by licensed counselors; others are peer-led. Your therapist can help you find the right fit based on where you are in the grief process and what kind of support feels most useful. We also connect families with children’s grief programs and youth support groups that help kids develop coping skills in age-appropriate settings.

For parents navigating grief conversations with kids, we wrote a guide: The Three C’s of Childhood Grief: What Parents Need to Know →

If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988—available 24/7 for suicide prevention and support. If you’ve lost a loved one to suicide, specialized grief support and suicide loss survivor groups are available in the Charleston area.

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Our Grief Counselors

Our therapists bring specialized training in grief, trauma, and bereavement counseling. They understand that every loss is different and that healing requires both clinical skill and genuine human warmth.

Samantha Runyon, LMFTA

Sam specializes in grief and loss therapy for children, teens, and families—using play-based, art-based, and creative approaches to help children and young people give voice to emotions they can’t yet put into words. Grief therapy changed her own life as a teenager, and that personal understanding shapes every session. View Sam’s full profile →

Jan Stone Allen, MA, LMFT

Jan is a co-founder of Therapy Group of Charleston and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with deep Lowcountry roots. Her experience as a Military & Family Life Counselor gives her particular insight into grief within military families—deployment-related loss, separation, and the unique pressures service members and their families carry. Jan also works with adults and couples navigating grief alongside relationship and family challenges. View Jan’s full profile →

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Begin Grief Counseling in Charleston, SC

You don’t have to grieve on anyone else’s timeline. Whether your loss is recent or years old, whether it’s a death, a relationship, or a life you expected to have—grief counseling can help you process the pain and find a way forward that honors what you’ve lost.

At Therapy Group of Charleston, your grief is taken seriously, your pace is respected, and healing happens on your terms. There is hope on the other side of this—and we’ll help you find it.

Schedule an Appointment →

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Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of therapy is best for grief?

The best approach depends on your loss and how you’re experiencing grief. Client-centered therapy and CBT for grief are effective foundations for most people. For families, a family systems approach helps everyone grieve together rather than in isolation. For children and teens, play therapy and creative approaches often work best. Your therapist will tailor the approach to fit your situation—and may recommend combining individual therapy with grief support groups for additional support.

What are the 3 C’s of grief?

The three C’s—you didn’t Cause it, you can’t Cure it, and you can’t Control it—are especially helpful for children and families processing loss. We wrote a detailed guide for parents: The Three C’s of Childhood Grief →

What is the hardest stage of grief?

Many people find depression—the quiet stage where the full reality of loss settles in—to be the hardest. But grief doesn’t follow neat stages. You might cycle between anger, sadness, bargaining, and acceptance many times. The hardest moments are often the ones that catch you off guard—a birthday, a habit, a place you shared.

What not to do while grieving?

Avoid rushing the grieving process, isolating yourself completely, numbing with alcohol or substance use, or comparing your grief to someone else’s timeline. And don’t believe anyone who says you “should be over it by now.” There is no deadline for grief. If isolation is a struggle, individual counseling, support groups, or both can help you feel less alone.

How much does grief counseling cost?

We accept most major insurance plans. Self-pay options are available for those without coverage. Contact us to verify your insurance and discuss fees before your first session.

How soon should I start grief counseling?

There is no wrong time. Some people reach out weeks after a loss; others come years later when grief resurfaces during life transitions or new losses. If grief is affecting your daily life, your relationships, or your ability to feel hope, that’s a good sign to seek support. Your therapist can also help you decide whether individual counseling, a grief support group, or both would be most helpful.