Premarital Counseling

Congratulations on your engagement! We are so excited for the journey you are about to take with “your person”. As you enter into this commitment together, you dedicating yourself to sharing your life together. We deeply believe in the importance of connections and committed relationships. They provide safety, comfort, support, and so much more.

As you enter into this marriage, it is so important to be prepared for “the bumps” that all couples will face: issues with in-laws, finances, sex, sharing tasks, kids, time management, and how you share your values together (things such as religion, education, medical care, and more). We want to help you navigate these issues in a way that strengthens your relationship rather than weakens it.

Couples that partake in premarital counseling are 30% happier in their marriages than those that do not. That is a pretty big number!

Our office offers premarital counseling by registered Prepare/Enrich facilitators, Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT, Ariel Stern, LPC, Deirdre Cosgrove, LMFT and Nora Nova, MEd. Prepare/Enrich is a well researched, concise, and helpful premarital counseling program. While going through the Prepare/Enrich program you will take an assessment which provides a detailed report of your strengths and growth areas. At the beginning of premarital counseling you will also receive a workbook which your facilitator will support you in completing together. By the end of the program you will have a better understanding of your relationship and what you can do to improve or maintain your bond.

From the Prepare/Enrich website:

PREPARE/ENRICH leads the way in helping couples explore and strengthen their relationships. The main component of the program is an online survey you each complete in about 30-45 minutes.

PREPARE/ENRICH is not just any survey. The items you respond to are based on research and are intended to help you identify the unique strengths and potential growth areas of your premarital or married relationship. Built on a solid research foundation, PREPARE/ENRICH has been improved and refined over the years to become one of the best, most effective, easy-to-use relationship assessment tools available.
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Over the last 30 years, the PREPARE/ENRICH relationship assessment has empowered and energized more than 3 million couples. We’re the number 1 premarital inventory and couples assessment tool.

PREPARE/ENRICH will help you:

  • Identify strength and growth areas

  • Explore personality traits

  • Strengthen communication skills

  • Resolve conflicts and reduce stress

  • Compare family backgrounds

  • Comfortably discuss financial issues

  • Establish personal, couple, and family goals

PREPARE/ENRICH assesses these areas of your relationship:

  • 12 Relationship Scales — communication, conflict resolution, roles, sexuality,

  • finances, spiritual beliefs, and more

  • 5 SCOPE Personality Scales

  • 4 Couple and Family Scales — based on Circumplex Model

  • 4 Relationship Dynamic Scales

  • 30 Customized Scales