PREPARE/ENRICH® Assessment & Facilitated Feedback Sessions

A healthy marriage doesn't happen by chance—it is built through intentional conversations, self-awareness, and the willingness to grow together.

At Live Better Counseling, both Kira Akulova-Nickerson, LMFT, LPC and Dawn Rodriguez-Insanalli, MFT Associate, are certified PREPARE/ENRICH® Facilitators, helping dating, engaged, and committed couples strengthen their relationships before marriage and throughout their lives together.

Whether you're newly engaged, discussing marriage, blending families, or simply wanting to invest in your relationship, PREPARE/ENRICH provides an evidence-based framework for meaningful conversations and long-term relationship success.

PREPARE/ENRICH is one of the most widely researched and trusted premarital and relationship assessment programs used by therapists, clergy, and relationship professionals worldwide.

Research has shown that couples who participate in structured premarital education and relationship skill-building experience stronger communication, greater relationship satisfaction, and may reduce their risk of divorce by helping identify challenges early and strengthen relationship skills before marriage.

Rather than waiting until problems develop, PREPARE/ENRICH helps couples proactively build a resilient foundation for their future together.

Your PREPARE/ENRICH experience typically includes:

1. An introductory session to learn about your relationship and answer questions.
2. Completion of the confidential online assessment by each partner.
3. Several feedback sessions with your facilitator to review results.
4. Practical exercises to strengthen communication, conflict resolution, emotional intimacy, and shared decision-making.
5. Personalized recommendations that you can continue using throughout your marriage.

Every relationship has strengths worth celebrating and opportunities for growth.

The PREPARE/ENRICH assessment helps couples:

• Improve communication skills
• Discover individual and relationship strengths
• Navigate conflict in healthy ways
• Understand personality differences
• Explore expectations surrounding marriage
• Discuss finances, intimacy, family, parenting, and life goals
• Build deeper emotional connection
• Develop practical tools for lifelong relationship success

Our role as facilitators is not to judge your relationship—it is to guide thoughtful conversations that help you better understand one another and strengthen your partnership.

After each partner completes the confidential online assessment, your therapist receives a comprehensive Facilitator Report that serves as the roadmap for your sessions together.The report includes:

• Relationship strengths and growth areas
• Overall relationship satisfaction
• Individual expectations and idealism
• Communication and conflict styles
• Personality profiles
• Stress and coping patterns
• Family-of-origin influences
• Financial attitudes
• Relationship dynamics
• Customized relationship-building exercises
• Guided discussion topics designed specifically for your relationship

Because every couple is unique, no two reports are exactly alike. Your sessions are personalized to address your relationship's specific strengths, challenges, and future goals.

Every couple receives an assessment tailored to their current stage of the relationship.

If you're exploring a long-term future together, PREPARE/ENRICH offers valuable insight into compatibility, communication patterns, and important life discussions before making the commitment to marry.

Wedding planning often focuses on one special day. PREPARE/ENRICH focuses on the decades that follow. Together, we'll explore the conversations that matter most before saying "I do," helping you enter marriage with greater confidence, understanding, and connection.

It's natural for couples preparing for marriage to see their relationship through an optimistic lens.

PREPARE/ENRICH provides a balanced, objective snapshot of your relationship by 

highlighting both strengths and areas where intentional growth can lead to even greater satisfaction. Rather than taking away from the excitement of engagement, it gives couples confidence that they are building their future on open communication and mutual understanding.