Prepare-Enrich is a program designed for marriage preparation (for engaged couples or those thinking about marriage) and marriage enrichment (for couples who are already married).

For detailed information about it directly from the creators, click below:

The real program can only be accessed through a trained Prepare-Enrich facilitator.

As a trained facilitator for the program, I always recommend an initial assessment session of couples therapy to discuss your relationship and if the program is appropriate for you and your partner.

If it’s a good fit, you have the option of starting the program with me during session #2 or doing traditional couples therapy.

After your initial assessment session, couples who decide to do the program begin by taking an online test at home.  This takes most people 20-30 minutes.

Then, your results are sent to me via email.  Once I receive the results, I prepare your personalized couples report and review the results of it with you during our sessions.

Each session consists of reviewing your results in select areas and completing program activities with my guidance.  You will receive activities from me in your couples workbook.

Between sessions, there will be homework for you and your partner to complete before returning for your next session.

The only cost for the program (in addition to my regular session fee) is a one-time $35 fee.  

This is paid when you take the online test at home and goes directly to the company which created the program.

This fee covers the report fee per couple (so for both you and your partner) and must be paid online.

Beyond that, your cost would be the same for each session as it would be with couples therapy with me.  See current session fees.

If budget is a concern – as it is for many couples who are also paying for wedding expenses – we can discuss doing fewer of the program sessions or spacing them out to help you afford the full program.

I strongly recommend completing the full program but if that is not a possibility for you and your partner, I’d encourage you to complete a minimum 4 of the program sessions before ending.

You should also check to see if your locality offers a discount on your marriage license for completing premarital counseling.

The full program can be done in 8 standard sessions with me.  My standard sessions are 50-minutes each.

I require ALL couples to start with an initial assessment session (a non-program session), and then we will begin the program at session #2, assuming that it’s a good fit for you and your partner.

If it’s not an appropriate fit (e.g., there are severe relationship problems that need attention) we would begin traditional couples therapy and see if completing the program at a later time would be a better option for you two.

In total, couples who do Prepare-Enrich with me should plan for 9 sessions (1 assessment session + 8 program sessions).

Some couples also opt to schedule follow-up sessions after completion of the program. This is completely up to you and your partner but not a requirement to do the program.

The Prepare-Enrich premarital counseling program seems to work best for couples who are getting married within the next 6-24 months, or who have just recently married.

However, some couples do the program 1-2 months before their wedding.

If you are on a tight time frame, we can discuss how you can finish the program quickly or you can opt to begin it before your wedding and complete the remaining sessions a few weeks post-wedding.

Most all of the couples I have worked with have found the program useful and choose to complete it in full even if they have to space it out over several weeks.

Yes. And I enjoy working with a diversity of couples!

I am LGBTQ friendly and poly friendly. I’m also open to working with couples who are interracial, intercultural, interfaith, religious or non-religious, liberal, conservative, etc.

The Prepare-Enrich program offers slight variations for couples who are religious, and for couples who are parents.

Please be aware though that parts of the program activities do make assumptions that do not fit many modern couples.

For example, the organization of the questions about sex and affection may assume that couples aren’t engaging in certain sexual activities before marriage (and instead waiting until after marriage).

However, I will always tailor activities and homework to make sure it represents your unique relationship!

Considering the program for you and your partner? Have more questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact me.

It is a great program but not appropriate for everyone, as there are some cases in which there are very serious relationship issues that need to be addressed with traditional couples therapy.

I have found that Prepare-Enrich works best for couples who are premarital or in their first couple of years of marriage, as relationship patterns are being established but still very open to change.

However, couples who have been married for several years have found it useful as well.