Prepare & Enrich: Strengthen Your Relationship Before You Say “I Do”
Are you wondering if your marriage is set up for success?
With how much you are spending on the wedding, you should be able to invest some in the
marriage.
Prepare and Enrich (PREPARE/ENRICH) is a science based relationship assessment and skill
building program designed to help couples from those dating and engaged to those married
grow stronger together. It’s widely used in premarital counseling, marriage enrichment, and
relationship strengthening settings.
What Is Prepare/Enrich?
Prepare/Enrich is a leading, research based relationship assessment and skill building program
used by more than 3 million couples worldwide.
It’s not just “talk therapy,” it’s a structured, personalized experience that helps couples identify
their strengths and growth areas in key areas like:
● Communication and conflict resolution
● Financial management
● Roles and expectations
● Affection and sexuality
● Family dynamics
● Faith and values
● Relationship goals and stress management
Research Highlights & Evidence-Based Findings
Predictive Validity of PREPARE (Engaged Couples)
A longitudinal follow-up study involving 179 engaged couples who completed the PREPARE
assessment found that it could predict, with roughly 80% accuracy, which couples would
remain happily married versus those who might divorce. This reinforces the premarital period as
a critical window for intervention and prevention.
ENRICH’s Strong Predictive Power
The original ENRICH inventory, upon which Prepare/Enrich builds, demonstrated exceptional
predictive accuracy. In studies, it could distinguish happily married couples from unhappily
married ones with 85–95% accuracy.
Evidence of Long-Term Relationship Gains
A faith-based version of a PREP model (closely related to Prepare/Enrich) showed that
engaged couples who participated in skill-focused or informational interventions scored higher
than a control group in relationship confidence and dedication, a compelling sign of positive
long-term impact.
Meta-Analysis of Premarital Education (Including Prepare/Enrich)
One meta-analysis reviewing 11 experimental studies found a large overall effect size (~0.80).
Couples who received premarital education (like Prepare/Enrich) saw a 79% improvement in
marital outcomes vs. those who didn’t undergo such programs.
Other findings:
● 30% reduction in divorce rates among couples who participated
● Significant gains in couple satisfaction, communication, conflict resolution,
financial satisfaction, and lower domestic violence rates
Sustained Benefits Over Time
Premarital education has been shown to produce benefits that aren’t just immediate. Couples
maintain improved relationship satisfaction and communication abilities well into the
marriage.
Building a Strong Foundation for Marriage
Getting engaged is exciting but beyond the dress fittings, cake tastings, and venue tours, it’s
also the perfect time to invest in the most important part of your wedding: your relationship.
How It Works
- Customized Online Assessment
Each partner completes a tailored online survey (about 30 minutes each) that measures
strengths and growth areas across different dimensions.
There is no need to study or prepare, simply answer the questions honestly based on
your own experience in the relationship. - Comprehensive Report
Results are compiled into a detailed report featuring:
○ Relationship satisfaction, idealism, and couple classification
○ Scores across key areas like communication, conflict resolution, finances, roles,
and more.
○ Personality profiles, stress indicators, and a guide to personalized skill-building
exercises. - Feedback and Skill-Building Sessions
A trained counselor reviews the results with the couple and leads them through
structured exercises designed to strengthen communication, resolve conflicts, set goals,
and explore background dynamics.
Together we will walk through the results and understand where to focus. Objective
results paired with customized feedback is critical to relationship growth and a reduced
risk for divorce.
You’ll learn: Insights into how your partner thinks, where you already are winning as a
couple, and how your upbringing impacts your relationship. - Building Skills
Your counselor will pose questions and prompt thinking to guide you into thoughtful and
engaging conversations. This establishes a framework for future discussions you’ll have
whether it be working through conflict, exploring financial priorities, or aligning on
household roles and responsibilities.
You’ll work through skill-building exercises that provide practical ways to learn and apply
crucial relationship skills that keep your relationship strong.
You’ll gain: Strategies for active listening, skills to communicate effectively, and pathways
to resolve conflict.
Common Misconceptions About Premarital & Marital Counseling
- “Counseling is only for couples in crisis.”
Reality: Many couples seek counseling before problems get serious. Premarital counseling is
proactive as it helps couples build tools for communication, conflict resolution, and shared
vision. Healthy couples use it to strengthen their bond, not just “fix” issues. - “If we need counseling, something must be wrong with us.”
Reality: Seeking counseling doesn’t mean the relationship is broken. It shows commitment and
maturity, the willingness to invest in growth, just like going to the gym for physical health. - “The counselor will take sides.”
Reality: A good counselor acts as an unbiased party, not a referee. Their role is to help both
partners feel heard, understood, and supported, while teaching tools for healthier interaction.
Who Should Try Prepare & Enrich?
Prepare/Enrich is perfect for:
● Engaged couples preparing for marriage
● Dating couples exploring long-term commitment
● Married couples seeking a relationship “check-up”
● Faith-based or secular couples, the program adapts to your values
What to Expect from Our Program:
Empower Counseling’s Prepare/Enrich program includes:
● Access to the online assessment
● A curated number of private counseling sessions that fits your needs
● Personalized feedback and exercises
● Take home materials and follow up support
● Conflict Management Skills
Each session focuses on deepening understanding, building empathy, and creating lasting
communication habits.
Start Your Marriage with Confidence: Prepare & Enrich
Marriage is more than a beautiful wedding day, it’s a lifelong partnership. Prepare/Enrich gives
you the tools to build that partnership with intention, clarity, and love.
Ready to get started? Empower Counseling is your place for Prepare & Enrich
Meet Cattiyan, MA, ALC, NCC
She specializes in several areas of couples counseling:
Pre-Engagement & Pre-Marital Couples Counseling
Cattiyan is a Prepare and Enrich Facilitator for premarital counseling.
She specializes in couples therapy and helps partners build strong foundations before making
lifelong commitments. Her structured couples counseling approach addresses crucial topics like
communication patterns, conflict styles, financial goals, and family planning.
Gottman Method
Cattiyan’s Level 2 Gottman couples counseling training equips her with advanced skills to help
couples strengthen friendship, manage conflict, and create shared meaning in their
relationships. Her Gottman couples counseling approach is backed by over four decades of
research and provides practical tools couples can use immediately to improve their relationship.
LGBTQ+ Affirming Couples Counseling
Cattiyan’s LGBTQ+ couples counseling creates a safe, affirming environment for LGBTQ+
couples, understanding the unique challenges they may face. Her inclusive couples counseling
approach honors all gender identities, sexual orientations, and relationship structures.
Welcoming of All Religions and Spiritualities
Clients appreciate Cattiyan’s warm, non-judgmental couples counseling style and her ability to
help couples transform conflict into connection. By combining evidence-based couples
counseling techniques with genuine compassion, she creates a therapeutic environment where
meaningful relationship change can occur.
Cattiyan offers couples therapy, marriage counseling, pre-engagement counseling, and
pre-marital counseling in person at our Mountain Brook location and across the state of
Alabama online.
Not in a couple?
Cattiyan also offers individual counseling using Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and Dialectical
Behavioral Therapy (DBT) in her work.
To get started with couples therapy:
- Click here
- Schedule your free consultation.
- Get started down the path toward a better life.
At Empower, we offer many services such as Acceptance Commitment Therapy, EMDR, and other scientifically proven methods for teens, college students (Auburn University, Samford University, the University of Alabama, UAB), young adults, adults, and professionals in Alabama both in person at our Mountain Brook office and through online counseling in Alabama.
Marti, Payton, Kathryn, Cattiyan, and Tommy offer counseling for anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma and PTSD, perfectionism, bipolar, difficult life transitions, and women’s issues. Peyton offers therapy for body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and body image issues. Marti offers EMDR for anxiety, trauma, and PTSD. Tommy also offers addiction counseling and therapy for men’s issues. Cattiyan specializes in couples and pre-marital therapy. Kathryn offers an online course for the difficult transition from high school to college. 76% of college students report moderate to severe psychological distress. To get the most out of the college years and set your student up to thrive in life visit Courageous Course.
We are therapy in Mountain Brook-just down the street from Mountain Brook Village. We are therapy near Homewood-right off of Hollywood Boulevard. We are therapy near Vestavia Hills and Forest Park. Empower Counseling & Coaching specializes in Acceptance Commitment Therapy for perfectionism, anxiety, relationship issues, and authentic living. We are therapy near Trussville. And we are online therapy in Auburn, Tuscaloosa and all over the state of Alabama.
