We have been using this resource for over 9 years. We have found it to be a very helpful framework for many couples. It is designed to cover all the major aspects of a couple’s life together that are important to discuss when preparing for marriage, and we believe it does a good job of this.

Prepare and Enrich is very reputable, highly researched, and widely used. In fact, it’s been the most widely used premarital and marriage assessment for 35 years. You can read more about this on the Prepare-Enrich website. Certified Prepare Enrich facilitators, walk you through the program typically in 6-8 sessions, beginning with an in-depth online assessment. Then, using the assessment results and exercises from the program, they make sure to cover all the essentials. Based on you and your partner’s unique results, there may be additional specialized exercises and conversations to make sure you are prepared for your marriage.

What is the content of Prepare Enrich?

• COMMUNICATION

• CONFLICT RESOLUTION

• PARTNER STYLE AND HABITS

• FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• LEISURE ACTIVITIES

• SEXUALITY AND AFFECTION

• FAMILY AND FRIENDS

• RELATIONSHIP ROLES

The Process & the Prepare Enrich Assessment:

Right in the beginning (usually after the first session), you will be emailed a link to go online and take the couples relationship assessment. The Prepare/Enrich Assessment involves a series of questionnaires that are completed separately by you and your partner. These questionnaires cover various aspects of a couple’s relationship, including communication, conflict resolution, financial management, intimacy, personality, and more. 

The assessment is taken online and can generate a detailed report that provides insights into your relationship’s strengths and areas where you may need to work to improve the relationship. The assessment costs $35 and is paid to Prepare-Enrich. It is important that you and your partner take the Prepare Enrich Assessment separately and as honestly as possible, and do not discuss the test with each other. It usually takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete.

The Prepare Enrich Assessment serves several purposes, including:

1. Identifying Strengths: It helps couples identify their strengths as a couple, reinforcing positive aspects of their relationship.

2. Highlighting Areas for Growth: The assessment identifies areas of potential concern or areas where couples may need to improve their communication and problem-solving skills.

3. Tailored Counseling: Based on the assessment results, therapists and counselors can provide more personalized and effective guidance to help couples strengthen their relationship.

4. Communication Tool: It provides a framework for couples to discuss important topics and address issues in their relationship.

Then, in your next scheduled session, the Prepare-Enrich facilitator will go over some of the results of your unique assessment and will begin to tailor a specific plan for you and your partner based on your own individual results.

The remaining sessions will go through each of the major topics listed above, and your specific assessment results, using structured exercises to help you make improvements and grow in your understanding of your partner and relationship. Sometimes there are homework assignments to do between the sessions, to really make sure you are implementing what you learned into your everyday life.

One of our favorite things about Prepare-Enrich:

It’s VERY thorough, and the results and sessions are unique to you. The assessment reports contain all kinds of graphs and charts describing you and your partner on many different relationship domains. It includes assessments of your personalities and how they differ or are similar to your partner. It looks at certain key aspects of the family you grew up in (How open was your family? How flexible were they?) and compares them to your partner’s family, and your current relationship with your partner (How open or flexible do you and your partner view your relationship?). There also is a 30+ page couples workbook with additional exercises that can be administered when applicable to your specific relationship needs. This takes the premarital process from being a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all all experience, to a truly tailored and specialized experience unique to your relationship.

Here's our final two cents:

Overall, we find it to be a great framework not only for the premarital process, couples struggling as well as those who have been married for a long time. If after reading this, you are fully sold and want to get started today, contact us, and we can get your first session scheduled. You can also go directly to our portal and schedule a consultation with any of our team members.

What is the Prepare Enrich program in marriage?

The Prepare/Enrich program is for couples who want to enhance their healthy relationship. The Prepare/Enrich program includes an online assessment and then a follow-up session. Together, you and your partner can discover areas of strength and stress.

Research has shown that taking the Prepare/Enrich assessment prior to marriage reduces your risk for divorce by 30%.

The core scales in PREPARE/ENRICH cover the topics of communication, conflict resolution, partner style and habits, financial management, leisure activities, affection and sexuality, family and friends, relationship roles, and spiritual beliefs.

Prepare/Enrich Facilitators work with dating, engaged, or married couples in churches, counseling centers, and communities. They help couples identify their relationship strengths, gain understanding about the underlying dynamics that influence their communication, and then help couples develop skills to improve their growth areas. Facilitators work with couples in facilitator/couple relationships, small groups, retreats, marriage mentor programs, church-wide formats, and many other settings.

Prepare-Enrich