Christian premarital
What if you walked into marriage already knowing how to fight fair, talk about money, and stay connected? Christian premarital counseling helps you and your partner build that foundation, rooted in faith, grace, and real preparation.
Maybe you've already got the date set. Maybe you're just starting to plan. Either way, you know marriage is more than a wedding day, and you want to walk into it prepared, not just hopeful. You're looking for a space to talk about the real stuff, together, before life gets busy and habits get set. You want your faith to be part of the conversation, not set aside from it.
This might be you if:
You want to build strong communication habits before conflict becomes a pattern
You're navigating blended families, financial differences, or different expectations around roles
You want a shared understanding of how faith will guide your marriage, not just your wedding
You're curious about each other's love languages, attachment styles, or conflict styles
You want practical tools, not just a conversation, something you can actually use
You want premarital counseling to feel like a gift to your marriage, not a hoop to jump through
Premarital counseling with us follows the Prepare/Enrich curriculum: a well-researched assessment that helps you and your partner understand your relationship's strengths and growth areas before you say "I do." You'll each complete a personalized online assessment, then work through the results together in session with your counselor, covering topics like communication, conflict resolution, finances, family dynamics, and spiritual beliefs.
From there, sessions become a guided space to talk through what came up, with practical tools you can actually use, not just conversation for its own sake. Most couples meet for 6-10 sessions, working at a pace that fits their timeline and their relationship.
The consultation: Free, twenty minute call, with one or both of you. We answer the practical questions and work out whether this is the right fit.
The assessment: Completed on your own, before your first or second session.
The sessions: honest, guided conversation: a counselor helping you and your partner work through your assessment results, talk openly about what matters most, and walk away with practical tools for the marriage ahead.
Ellen Johnson
MA, LPC | Clinical Director
Premarital counseling here isn't a one-size-fits-all checklist: it's built around your relationship. Using the Prepare/Enrich assessment as a starting point, you and your partner will work through key topics together (communication, conflict, finances, family dynamics, intimacy, and faith) with a counselor guiding the conversation. But the real work happens beyond the assessment: your counselor will help you dig into the specific questions, challenges, and family dynamics unique to your relationship, whether that's blending families, navigating different backgrounds, or working through old patterns before they become new ones. The goal isn't just to check a box before the wedding, it's to help you build real skills for communication and connection that will carry you well into your marriage. And when it's done, you're not starting from scratch if life gets hard down the road. You'll already have a counselor who knows your story and your relationship, ready to support you whenever you need it.
Church mentorship gives you wisdom, community, and a biblical vision for marriage, and that matters deeply. But a mentor couple isn't a trained counselor, and premarital counseling brings something different to the table: a licensed professional who can help you navigate the harder conversations with clinical tools, not just shared experience. Think of it less as either/or and more as both/and: your mentors pour into you spiritually and relationally, while your counselor helps you build practical skills for communication, conflict, and connection, and works through any deeper patterns or challenges that a mentorship conversation alone might not have space for. Together, they give you a fuller foundation for your marriage.
No, and couples from two different traditions, or one practicing and one not, are common here. Working out how that runs day to day is part of what this is for.
Different, and the two sit together well. A church program gives you community and continuity. This gives you a structured instrument, a clinician, and confidentiality.
No. Nothing the assessment surfaces is a ruling on your relationship, and the decision was never anybody else's to make. Surfacing a difference early is the entire point.
Often, yes. Sessions can be spaced closer together when a date is near, and starting after the wedding is also fine. Say the date on the consultation and we will be straight with you.
Most couples complete premarital counseling in 8 sessions, though the timeline is flexible and built around your wedding date and your relationship's needs. Some couples move through it in a few weeks; others prefer to spread it out over a couple of months. Pricing depends on the counselor you work with. We offer a range of fees to fit different budgets and experience levels.
Appointments Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, in person in Central Austin (across from Pease Park) or virtually across Texas. Weekends are sometimes available, so please ask if that works better for you.
No, we're an out-of-network, private-pay practice.
Share a few details with us, and we'll reach out to you.
A free, twenty minute call, alone or with your significant other. We'd love to talk through the details with you!
Book your timePick a time that suits you, sometimes as early as today.
We answer your questions and connect you with the right therapist.
You are scheduled and ready to start, or we can refer you to another resource in the area.
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