As a pastoral counselor who is passionate about sharing God’s heart for marriage, I find that walking couples through Prepare/Enrich is an excellent way to do so. Prepare/Enrich is a marital and premarital assessment tool designed to enhance communication in relationships. Over 5 million couples have gone through Prepare/Enrich, and it is one of the most widely researched assessment tools.
Couples individually fill out an extensive questionnaire focused on their own perception of their relationship, and that is tailored to their stage of life and beliefs. For example, premarital couples, couples with kids, or couples looking to prepare for adoption will take the assessment with questions tailored to their specific circumstances. The versatility of Prepare/Enrich is part of what makes it such an effective tool.
Once both people fill out the questionnaire, Prepare/Enrich then compares the answers given, and organizes the 9 different topics into strength and growth areas depending on the range of discrepancy between the answers given. These 9 topics are…
Communication
Conflict Resolution
Partner Style & Habits
Financial Management
Leisure Activities
Sexual Expectations (Sexual Relationship if married)
Family & Friends
Relationship Roles
Spiritual Beliefs
As a Prepare/Enrich facilitator, my job is to then guide couples through their results so that they become better communicators with one another. This looks like examining the “why” behind areas of agreement and disagreement. Prepare/Enrich is at its best when it highlights areas of disagreement, often in areas that couples didn’t even know they disagreed in! Even so, I believe it is still important to walk through areas of agreement with couples as well to help learn the process behind coming to an agreement. I am then able to help couples learn how to have healthier disagreements by utilizing their strength areas that ultimately serve to bring them closer together instead of farther apart.
Prepare/Enrich will usually last from 8-9 sessions as I will walk through one section per session. Some couples prefer to spend several sessions focusing on a particular area, while others move quicker through their strength areas meaning we cover more ground in any given session. I let the couples decide the pace they want to go for whatever works best for them.
My heart for every couple I walk through Prepare/Enrich with is to help them come to a deeper understanding of God’s own heart for marriage, and creating a deeper well of love to pull from for another as a result. If we love because Christ first loved us (1 John 4:19), then would we not be better able to love our significant others through a better understanding of God’s heart for us and for marriage? This is the foundation that I build on when working with couples during counseling.
About Austin
Austin graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary with a MA in Pastoral Counseling, as well as a MA in Spiritual Formation. He believes that a person's beliefs have a direct correlation to their overall wellbeing, and therefore desires to help people develop a symbiotic relationship between their spiritual and mental health. If you want to learn more about Prepare/Enrich, visit https://www.prepare-enrich.com/about/
Looking for counseling for yourself or as a couple? Check out Lane of Roses Counseling.