Christian Couples Counseling in South Carolina: Greenville and Columbia

They met at church in Greenville, married in front of the same congregation, and for years their faith was the thing that held steady when everything else moved. Now they are arguing about the same three things on a loop, and both of them feel a little ashamed that it has come to this. One wants counseling. The other worries that a therapist will treat their marriage vows, and their prayers about it, as part of the problem. (This is an illustration drawn from what couples commonly describe, not a real client.)

To start, contact us or check your insurance. Christian couples counseling in South Carolina is with Katharine Kilpatrick, LMFTA, by secure video anywhere in the state, including Greenville and Columbia. It sits alongside our couples therapy, Gottman couples counseling, family therapy and individual therapy services. We offer couples therapy in South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, New York and Tennessee, plus five more states (full list below).

Christian Marriage Counseling With Katharine Kilpatrick

Katharine Kilpatrick, LMFTA, is a marriage and family therapist licensed in South Carolina. She sees couples, including engaged couples preparing for marriage, who want their Christian faith to be part of the work rather than left at the door. She has Level 1 training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which is not the same as EFT certification, and she is also trained in AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy).

This is licensed clinical therapy that makes room for your faith. It is not a church ministry, and New Reflections Counseling has no church affiliation. If what you want is counseling led by a pastor or built mainly around scripture study, a church counseling ministry may serve you better, and we would rather say so here than in the first session.

How Faith Shows Up in the Room

For couples who ask for it, faith is treated as a resource. If prayer is how one of you calms down, or your understanding of covenant is part of why you are fighting for this marriage, that belongs in the conversation. If the two of you read the same verses differently, or one partner’s faith has changed and the other’s has not, that belongs in the conversation too, and it often turns out to be close to the center of the conflict.

What Katharine will not do is use scripture to push you toward a decision, take one partner’s side because their position sounds more devout, or report anything to a pastor or small group. Sessions are confidential in the ordinary clinical sense.

Emotionally Focused Therapy, in Plain Terms

EFT starts from the idea that most repeating fights are not really about their topic. Underneath the argument about chores or spending is a cycle: one partner reaches harder for connection, the other pulls back to keep the peace, and each move makes the other’s worse. The work is to slow that cycle down until you can both see it, then to get at what sits under each move, often fear of not mattering or fear of failing the other person. Couples who feel distant more than angry often find it a good fit.

One of you ready and the other hesitant? Call (843) 699-6220 or send us a message, and say you are asking for Christian couples counseling. We will book you with Katharine directly.

For Engaged Couples

Katharine also works with engaged couples who want to prepare for marriage with their faith at the center: expectations about roles, money, children, family and how you will handle conflict once the wedding is over. Csilla Hajnal, MS, LPC, LMFT, also offers premarital counseling in South Carolina, using the Prepare/Enrich questionnaire, which each of you completes separately; there is no separate assessment fee. Our premarital counseling page explains more.

By Video, Anywhere in South Carolina

All of our South Carolina sessions are online. Couples meet with Katharine from Greenville, Greer, Simpsonville, Spartanburg, Columbia, Lexington, Irmo, Charleston, Rock Hill and across the state. Both of you need to be in South Carolina during the session, and you can join from the same room or from two places. Evening appointments are available for couples.

When Couples Counseling Is Not the Right Step

If you are afraid of your spouse, or if money, your phone, your movements or your faith community is being used to control you, joint sessions are not the safe place to start. Individual support comes first. If you are in danger, call 911. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 988 at any hour.

Insurance and Fees in South Carolina

South Carolina plans we are in network with: Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare (including UMR plans) and Tricare. Blue Cross Blue Shield is out of network in South Carolina, but you can use your out-of-network benefits, and we will give you a superbill to submit. Medicare and Medicaid are not accepted. Insurers cover therapy for a diagnosed condition, so couples sessions are not always billed the way couples expect; send your details through our insurance verification form and we will email you what your plan is likely to do within a couple of hours.

Self-pay is $125 per individual session and $175 for couples, family or EMDR sessions, each 45 to 50 minutes, and $200–$250 for an extended 90-minute individual, couples or EMDR session. You can pay with an HSA or FSA card. Self-pay clients can also ask for a Good Faith Estimate before starting. Most new clients are seen within a week.

Common Questions

Is there Christian marriage counseling in Greenville, SC?

Yes. Katharine Kilpatrick sees Greenville couples by secure video, so you can meet from home anywhere in the Upstate.

Do you offer Christian couples counseling in Columbia?

Yes. Because sessions are online, Columbia, Lexington and Midlands couples work with Katharine the same way Greenville couples do.

Do both of us have to share the same faith?

No. Some couples come in because one partner’s faith has deepened or changed and the other’s has not. That difference can be part of the work.

Will you pray with us in session?

Ask when you call, or ask Katharine in your first session. How prayer fits is something to talk through with her directly.

Is this the same as pastoral counseling?

No. Katharine is a licensed marriage and family therapist, not a pastor, and this is clinical counseling that includes your faith. We have no church affiliation.

Where We Work

All South Carolina sessions are by secure video. We are licensed in twelve states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee. Christian counseling is offered in Florida, New York and South Carolina. You can read about the clinicians who work here.

More on This

• Christian counseling at New Reflections
• Couples counseling in Greenville, SC
• EFT and Gottman couples therapy in South Carolina
• Couples therapy in Columbia, SC
• Premarital counseling
• Online therapy in South Carolina