Prepare-Enrich Premarital Counseling
A research-based program for couples preparing for marriage, building a strong foundation through communication and relationship skills.
What Is Prepare-Enrich Premarital Counseling?
Prepare-Enrich is the most widely used couples assessment program in the world, validated through over 1,000 research studies and used by more than four million couples across 70+ countries. Developed by Dr. David Olson at the University of Minnesota, it combines a comprehensive assessment inventory with structured skill-building exercises.
Each partner completes the assessment individually, measuring strengths and growth areas across communication, conflict resolution, finances, intimacy, family influences, relationship roles, and personality compatibility. The results provide an objective snapshot (not based on guesswork but on research-validated metrics) of where your relationship is thriving and where it may face challenges. At Restored Family Counseling, our certified facilitators use this data-driven starting point to create focused, productive sessions that target what matters most for your specific relationship.
How Prepare-Enrich Premarital Counseling Works
The process starts with each partner independently completing the online assessment (about 30-45 minutes). Because you complete it separately, the results reveal both areas of agreement and areas where your perceptions or expectations differ, often the most fruitful areas for exploration.
Your therapist reviews the detailed Facilitator Report before your first feedback session. The report covers communication quality, conflict resolution styles (including the destructive "Four Horsemen" patterns), personality compatibility via the SCOPE assessment (Social, Change, Organization, Pleasing, Emotionally Steady), financial management, leisure activities, sexual expectations, family influences, and more.
In feedback sessions, your therapist walks you through the results together, facilitating discussion and guiding you through targeted skill-building exercises: the Ten Steps for Assertive Communication, the Ten Steps for Conflict Resolution, and structured dialogue practices. A typical program consists of four to eight sessions, enough to cover the assessment findings and build lasting skills.
What Prepare-Enrich Premarital Counseling Can Help With
Building a strong foundation before marriage or commitment
Improving communication skills and reducing misunderstandings
Developing healthy conflict resolution strategies
Aligning expectations around finances, family, and roles
Navigating differences in personality and communication styles
Addressing family-of-origin patterns that affect the relationship
Strengthening emotional and physical intimacy
Preparing for major life transitions such as moving in together or starting a family
Identifying and addressing potential areas of friction early
Rebuilding connection in relationships that feel stagnant or disconnected
Is Prepare-Enrich Premarital Counseling Right for You?
Prepare-Enrich is most associated with premarital counseling, and for good reason: research shows that couples who complete a structured premarital program have significantly higher satisfaction and lower divorce rates. But it's far from limited to engaged couples. Seriously dating couples benefit from the clarity the assessment provides around topics many avoid early on (finances, family planning, intimacy expectations). Cohabiting couples use it to address friction points. Married couples at any stage use it to strengthen their relationship or address emerging concerns.
The program works best when both partners approach it with openness and genuine desire to understand each other better. It's not designed as a weapon to prove one partner right. It's a collaborative tool for mutual growth.
What to Expect in Sessions
You'll start with an initial consultation, then each receive a link to complete the assessment independently (about 30-45 minutes). Your therapist reviews the comprehensive results before your first feedback session.
In feedback sessions, your therapist walks through each area, showing where you're strongly aligned, where you have moderate agreement, and where significant differences exist. These conversations often reveal assumptions and expectations partners have never explicitly discussed, even after years together. You'll practice the assertive communication and conflict resolution exercises with your therapist's real-time coaching.
A typical program is four to eight sessions, meeting weekly or biweekly. Some couples prefer an intensive format, especially if approaching a wedding date. By the end, you'll have a clearer understanding of each other's inner worlds, a shared language for important topics, and practical skills that serve you throughout your life together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Approaches
Explore other therapeutic modalities that complement Prepare-Enrich Premarital Counseling.
Ready to Write Your Next Chapter?
Your first step is the hardest. We'll walk the rest together.