What Is Abortion Support Therapy?
Abortion support therapy (also called reproductive health counseling or pregnancy options counseling) is exactly what it sounds like—having a space to process your experience without judgment.
Whether you're making a decision, have already had an abortion, or are thinking about one from years ago, counseling can help you:
Whether you're making a decision, have already had an abortion, or are thinking about one from years ago, counseling can help you:
- Talk freely without fear of judgment
- Make sense of your emotions (whatever they are)
- Learn coping tools that actually help
Who Is Abortion Support Therapy For?
Healing after abortion looks different for everyone. Some people seek therapy because they have a lot to process, while others just want a place to check in with themselves.
Abortion support counseling is for anyone who:
There’s no right or wrong way to feel about abortion—just your way. Whatever your experience looks like, you don’t have to figure it all out alone.
Abortion support counseling is for anyone who:
- Wants space to reflect on their experience without judgment
- Feels impacted by stigma, outside pressure, or religious or cultural beliefs
- Needs support navigating conversations with a partner, family, or friends
- Is experiencing abortion grief or emotional recovery and wants help working through it
- Has had multiple abortions and is sorting through different emotions for each experience
- Simply wants nonjudgmental counseling for pregnancy and reproductive choices to feel more at peace with their decision
There’s no right or wrong way to feel about abortion—just your way. Whatever your experience looks like, you don’t have to figure it all out alone.
Your experience is yours.
If you want to talk, I’m here to listen.
How Abortion Affects Mental Health
Big life decisions and experiences can be overwhelming—abortion is no exception. But despite what some people say, abortion itself doesn’t cause mental health issues—stigma and barriers to care do.
What the Research Says
Let’s be clear: Abortions do not cause mental health problems.
Research shows that when someone wants an abortion, their mental health is not worse if they receive it than if they are denied it (Source). In fact, the opposite is true! Being denied an abortion is more likely to lead to negative mental health effects, like increased anxiety and low self-esteem.
Research shows that when someone wants an abortion, their mental health is not worse if they receive it than if they are denied it (Source). In fact, the opposite is true! Being denied an abortion is more likely to lead to negative mental health effects, like increased anxiety and low self-esteem.
What Actually Impacts Mental Health
It’s not the abortion itself that affects mental health—it’s everything around it.
Some common challenges include:
Barriers to access
Some common challenges include:
Barriers to access
- Having to travel, wait for appointments, or disclose an abortion when you don’t want to can add stress (source).
- Worrying about how others see you—or how they’d react if they knew (source).
- Navigating the emotional weight of beliefs you were raised with, even if you feel confident in your decision.
How Abortion Affects Relationships
Abortion happens within the context of your life. It can impact relationships, too.
Navigating romantic relationships
Talking to and setting boundaries with family & friends
Supporting a partner or loved one
Navigating romantic relationships
- You and your partner might feel differently about the experience, and that’s okay. Therapy can help you communicate and process in a way that works for both of you.
Talking to and setting boundaries with family & friends
- Not everyone understands or agrees with your decision, and figuring out what to say (or whether to say anything at all) can be tough. We can work on setting boundaries and protecting your peace.
Supporting a partner or loved one
- If someone you care about has had an abortion and you’re unsure how to support them, therapy can help you show up in a way that’s helpful, not harmful.
Common Myths
about Abortion Support
Relief—not regret—is the most common emotion both right after an abortion and even years later (source). Some people seek support because of how their abortion makes them feel, but many seek support because of how they think they should feel, or because of outside judgment and stigma.
Needing support doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice—it just means you’re human. Therapy is about making sense of your experience, not second-guessing your decision.
You don’t have to be in crisis to benefit from support. Some people just want space to reflect, process, or talk freely without stigma—and that’s reason enough.
In my practice, abortion support counseling is safe, confidential, and private.
I stay informed about both the changing legal landscape and the best practices recommended by pro-choice experts. Your decision to seek support for abortion experiences will never be documented in your record without your clear and explicit consent.
No matter what laws or headlines may say, I promise that I will always protect your confidentiality, your autonomy, and your right to choose.
“Liberty, taking the word in its concrete sense, consists in the ability to choose.”
— Simone Weil
“The Needs of the Soul”
Therapy for Abortion Support:
How I Can Help
Abortion is a deeply personal experience, and everyone processes it differently. I offer a safe, judgment-free space where you can talk openly—without worrying about how others might react.
In therapy, we can:
Stigma can make people feel like they should struggle or suffer—even when they don’t. It can create shame, self-doubt, or the belief that something is ‘wrong’ with them for how they feel (or don’t feel).
Together, we’ll focus on validating your emotions, rejecting harmful narratives, and helping you move forward on your own terms.
In therapy, we can:
- Sort through emotions without pressure—whether you feel relief, grief, anger, numbness, or something in between
- Untangle self-blame and stigma—so you can separate what’s truly yours from what’s been imposed on you
- Work through relationship and family dynamics—especially if outside voices are making things harder
- Reclaim your own story—so you can move forward in a way that feels right for you
Stigma can make people feel like they should struggle or suffer—even when they don’t. It can create shame, self-doubt, or the belief that something is ‘wrong’ with them for how they feel (or don’t feel).
Together, we’ll focus on validating your emotions, rejecting harmful narratives, and helping you move forward on your own terms.
In-Person & Virtual Therapy for Abortion Support in South Carolina
I offer in-person and virtual counseling for abortion support across South Carolina. Whether you prefer face-to-face sessions or the flexibility of online therapy, you’ll have a confidential space to process your emotions, find clarity, and receive compassionate support.
Reach out today for the support and space you deserve—without judgment.