Premarital Counseling in Newport Beach
Start your marriage strong with a thoughtful, personalized approach to building a lasting foundation.
If you are looking for premarital counseling in Newport Beach or Costa Mesa, you’re in the right place. Welcome! And congratulations on taking this important step to invest in your relationship – and your future.
I offer premarital therapy in Newport Beach for engaged couples throughout Orange County who want to build a strong, connected partnership before marriage.
Together, we’ll strengthen communication, navigate important conversations, and build a foundation that lasts.
Ways We Can Work Together
Structured Approach: PREPARE/ENRICH
Through the PREPARE/ENRICH assessment and program, we explore your strengths, growth areas, and the patterns shaping how you show up for each other—so you're not just planning a wedding, you're building a strong foundation for your marriage.
Flexible Approach: Session-by-Session
Not every couple wants a structured premarital program. Some prefer to meet one session at a time, focusing on what feels most important in the moment. If that approach fits you better, you're welcome to book individual sessions and we’ll take it from there.
Whichever route you choose, our work can also continue into couples therapy in Newport Beach as you grow and begin your life together.
My hope is that we build a strong working relationship that extends beyond your wedding day—so I can be your go-to therapist as life unfolds and challenges arise.
Premarital Counseling in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa
Getting married is one of the most meaningful decisions you will ever make. It deserves more than just a beautiful wedding day. It deserves intention.
If you’re looking for premarital counseling for couples in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and throughout Orange County, I offer structured premarital counseling series to help couples approach marriage with clarity and intention.
I am certified in premarital counseling through a program called PREPARE/ENRICH - a research-based, strengths-focused program designed to help couples understand what they’re doing well and where they may need to grow.
Premarital counseling gives couples a structured, safe way to talk about topics they knew mattered, but weren’t quite sure how to approach on their own. Communication patterns. Conflict. Finances. Family boundaries. Roles. Expectations. Intimacy. Stress. The practical and emotional realities of building a life together.
I recently shared a short post about premarital counseling for couples in Newport Beach on my Google Business profile. You can read it here.
Premarital Counseling for Couples Across Orange County
I work with engaged couples across Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Corona del Mar, and throughout Orange County who want to enter marriage feeling more connected, prepared, and confident in their relationship.
You can absolutely take an assessment and read through results on your own. But when you explore it with a trained couples therapist, the results are just the beginning.
A couples therapist helps you…
Notice patterns.
Catch assumptions.
Understand the meaning beneath reactions.
Instead of surface-level understanding, we explore the results on a deeper level. We unpack family-of-origin influences. We look at how each of you handles stress. We identify emotional triggers and attachment needs. We practice real-time skills in session.
PREPARE/ENRICH gives us structure. Therapy gives you integration.
Together, they create meaningful conversations that strengthen not just your plans for marriage — but your ability to navigate it together.
If you’re ready to begin premarital counseling in Newport Beach or online in California, schedule your free consultation today!
And, if you are still wondering whether premarital counseling is right for you, you may also enjoy reading my blog about: Do We Need Premarital Counseling Before Getting Married?
Benefits of Premarital Counseling with a Couples Therapist
“Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.”
How the PREPARE/ENRICH Process Works
You and your partner each complete the PREPARE/ENRICH assessment individually, which takes about 20–45 minutes. From there, we meet for premarital counseling in Newport Beach or online throughout California. During our feedback and exploration sessions, we review your personalized results together and use them to guide meaningful conversations, deepen understanding, and strengthen your foundation for marriage.
One Session Insight Package
Includes:
• PREPARE/ENRICH assessment
• Personalized report
• Workbooks + discussion guide
• One 75-minute feedback session
In this extended session, we’ll walk through your assessment results together, highlighting your strengths and the most meaningful growth areas. You’ll gain insight into communication patterns, areas of alignment, and places that may need intentional attention. You’ll leave with practical tools, greater clarity about your relational dynamics, and thoughtful next steps if you’d like to continue building on the work.
Four-Session Package (Most Popular)
Includes:
• PREPARE/ENRICH assessment
• Personalized report
• Workbooks + discussion guide
• Four 50-minute feedback sessions
Four sessions provide a structured and supportive framework to explore your assessment results in greater depth. Together, we’ll strengthen communication, navigate differences with curiosity and respect, and work through the most important themes in your relationship before marriage. This option offers both clarity and practical skill-building within a clear, manageable timeline.
Six-Session Package (Best Value)
Includes:
• PREPARE/ENRICH assessment
• Personalized report
• Workbooks + discussion guide
• Six 50-minute feedback sessions
Six sessions allow us to thoughtfully move through all of the major topics highlighted in your assessment, while also creating space for deeper integration. With additional time, we can practice communication skills in real time, process more complex dynamics, and strengthen habits that support long-term connection. This option is ideal for couples who want to enter marriage with confidence and a strong relational foundation.
Weeknight and weekend appointments available to accommodate busy schedules. Congratulations on taking this next big step together! Reach out to set up a free consultation and learn more about premarital counseling with me. I would love to set up a complimentary call or Zoom to meet you both.
Why this work means so much to me…
I’m a therapist — and I’m also a wife. This year we celebrate 25 years of marriage, and it remains one of the things I’m most proud of.
I truly love marriage. When time and intention are invested, walking through the inevitable ups and downs of life as a connected team is one of life’s greatest gifts.
As a couples therapist, I often meet partners after hurt has built up over time. Premarital counseling is different. It’s proactive rather than reactive. It gives us the opportunity to identify differences early, raise gentle “flags” where growth is needed, and strengthen your foundation before resentment has a chance to take root.
If marriage is like building a home, it’s the foundation that matters most. Premarital counseling creates space to build that foundation intentionally — together.
One of my favorite parts of this work is meeting couples at the very beginning of their life together. My hope is to be your go-to therapist long after the wedding day, supporting you through whatever seasons come next.
Some couples choose to continue working together in couples therapy after marriage to keep strengthening their relationship.
Life will bring transitions and stress. When you already know who to call, reaching out becomes easier.
I would be honored to be that person for you.
Why Premarital Counseling Matters Before Engagement or Marriage
Premarital counseling gives couples the opportunity to explore important topics before marriage, including communication styles, conflict patterns, finances, expectations, and family dynamics. Many couples in Newport Beach and across Orange County find that taking this time before the wedding helps them enter marriage with greater clarity, confidence, and connection.
Not sure if premarital counseling is right for you?
Learn more about the benefits in my blog post →
Premarital Counseling FAQs
Many couples begin searching for premarital counseling near me after getting engaged and realizing how helpful it can be to talk through important topics before marriage. Often, they also have questions about what to expect in premarital counseling. Whether you’re preparing for marriage, recently engaged, or seriously dating and wanting to build a stronger foundation, these FAQs offer a glimpse into what our time together can look like.
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PREPARE/ENRICH is a research-based relationship assessment used to help couples identify their strengths and potential growth areas. Each partner completes the online assessment separately (about 20–45 minutes), and it generates a personalized Couples Report.
In our sessions, we use that report as a roadmap. It helps us structure conversations around communication, conflict patterns, finances, family dynamics, expectations, intimacy, stress, and more — so nothing important gets overlooked.
The assessment provides insight. Therapy provides depth. Together, they create meaningful, focused conversations that go beyond surface-level advice.
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Not at all!
Premarital counseling is proactive. Most couples I work with are doing well — they simply want to begin marriage intentionally. PREPARE/ENRICH helps strong couples become even stronger by identifying blind spots before they become recurring conflicts.
Think of it as strengthening your foundation before you build on it.
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Many couples have discussed finances, family, or future goals — but not always in a structured or deeply facilitated way.
The PREPARE/ENRICH assessment often surfaces differences in expectations, stress responses, or communication patterns that don’t fully show up in everyday conversation. Working with a therapist allows you to slow down, clarify assumptions, and practice skills in real time.
It’s not just about having the conversation. It’s about how you navigate it together with the help of a marriage and family therapist.
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After you complete the assessment, we meet to review your Couples Report. I guide you through each area, highlighting strengths and identifying growth opportunities.
We don’t just read results. We:
Explore underlying patterns
Discuss family-of-origin influences
Practice communication tools
Build conflict-repair strategies
Identify shared values
My role is to help you understand each other more clearly and strengthen your partnership.
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That depends on the level of support you want.
Some couples choose the Insight Package, which includes the assessment and report only. Others prefer four or six sessions so we can fully explore the results and integrate practical tools.
During our free introductory consultation, we’ll talk through your goals and decide what makes the most sense for you.
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There are choices for standard or faith-based assessments. The standard assessment is non-religious. For the faith-based options, there are 7 versions to chose from. We can discuss which is right for you during our free consultation.
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That’s exactly why working with a therapist can be so helpful.
Sometimes the assessment highlights differences or unresolved issues. Rather than avoiding those conversations, we create a safe space to address them thoughtfully and constructively.
Premarital counseling isn’t about proving you’re ready. It’s about strengthening your ability to navigate challenges together.
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I offer both in-person sessions in Newport Beach and virtual sessions throughout California. Many couples find virtual sessions convenient and just as effective.
To accommodate busy schedules, weeknight and weekend appointments are available.
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The first step is a free 15-minute introductory consultation. We’ll review how PREPARE/ENRICH works, discuss your goals, and make sure we’re a good fit.
Premarital counseling is an investment in your future. I want you to feel confident in that decision!
