Build a strong foundation for the years to come! Premarital Counseling highlights relationship strengths, exposes incompatibilities and provides tools to build and maintain a better relationship. Premarital counseling offers a head start by addressing differences and enhancing strengths.  Most of us wouldn’t hesitate investing in what was meaningful to us, but a large percentage of couples still don’t invest in their relationship by participating in some form of premarital counseling. Studies indicate that overall, married couples who participate in premarital counseling have greater marital satisfaction, better communication skills and a lower divorce rate than married couples who don’t go through premarital counseling.

Premarital counseling affords a couple the opportunity to learn effective communication skills, deepen understanding and uncover possible differences that weren’t seen prior to the premarital work. It’s the hidden differences and lack of communication skills which create great conflict in many couples. Often couples who are ready to marry are still in their “honeymoon phase” and get married without taking the time to explore their relationship more deeply to ensure a stronger foundation. Premarital counseling provides a forum to enhance strengths in the relationship and take a look at possible pitfalls of the future and tackle them before they become a problem! To help ensure that strong happiness and deep satisfaction continues for the years to come, you may  consider investing in premarital counseling.

How Does Premarital Counseling Work?

I use the PREPARE-ENRICH premarital counseling program. It’s a very convenient process where each couple completes an individual online assessment which examines a variety of relationship, personality and family factors. After the assessments are completed by both individuals, we meet and the couple is given a customized report outlining the assessment results and a Couples’ Workbook to utilize between sessions. Various handouts and reading are also provided to give couples more tools and understanding of their relationship patterns. Premarital counseling is usually completed in 3 sessions and we go ever the assessment in detail during sessions examining areas where the couple is strong and any areas indicating a need for growth and improvement.

What Is PREPARE-ENRICH?

PREPARE-ENRICH is a program that examines major relationship issues experienced by most couples. It has high levels of reliability and validity and is used as the foundation for a great deal of research. Counselors who administer PREPARE-ENRICH must be formally trained. During premarital sessions, the assessment results are discussed and growth areas explored in more detail.

The 6 main goals of PREPARE-ENRICH are to:

• Explore relationship strengths & growth areas
• Improve communication
• Learn how to resolve conflict
• Help couples discuss their Family of Origin
• Help couples with financial planning & budgeting
• Focus on personal, couple and family goals

How Much Does Premarital Counseling Cost?

All premarital packages include:

• Online Assessment
• Customized Report Based on Assessment
• Workbook
• Handouts and Readings

If your financial situation does not allow you to pay the below fees, please talk to me about the possibility of a reduced fee package.  I don’t want anyone to have to bypass premarital counseling due to financial constraints.

3 Session Package (50 minute sessions) – $375

This is the most common package and usually gives more than adequate time to review the results of your customized report. The first session is spent obtaining a basic history of your relationship where you have the opportunity to convey anything you feel is important about your relationship and as individuals.  Your counselor then reviews, explores and explains the beginning of your customized premarital report.  During the second session we complete the review of  your customized report and further explore areas of strength and growth in your relationship based on your report.  The third session involves more detailed focus on any growth areas that could cause your marriage trouble in the future.  The goal is for you both to have a firm grasp on what your strengths are so you can reinforce and further build on those areas and to have tools and confidence to tackle any areas needing improvement.

2 Session Package – (50 minute session) – $260

This package is normally too slim for most couples but if you are quite confident you have few areas needing improvement or analyzing or are on a tighter budget, this is a good option.  The two session package provides ample time to go through your customized report in a general but thorough manner.  The entire report is reviewed but you don’t have the time to closely explore and discuss your growth areas.  Report, workbook and handouts are provided as in the above package.

4 Session Package – (50 minute sessions) – $480

This package if for the couple who really wants to invest time and energy into their premarital counseling.  This package affords couples the extra time to really delve into the dynamics of their relationship and leave no stone unturned!  The first two sessions are spent reviewing the basic themes and principles of the customized report and the last two sessions are spent examining relationship dynamics closely and what contributes to them.  Couples will have the time to understand their strength areas and how to reinforce them.  They will also have tools to buffer and handle relationship patterns or areas of differences that could cause problems in the future.

Pay by the Session – (50 minute sessions)

If you wish to pay a session at a time, the cost is $130 per session and this also includes the Prepare Enrich Assessment, customized report and handouts.