Do we need
Pre-marital Counseling?
Prior to marriage, most couples will spend more time investigating their choice of which caterer they will use at their wedding ceremony than their choice of spouse. We live in a society where there is almost an equal chance of divorce after marriage as there is staying together. The PREPARE/ENRICH Program can help you identify the skills, strengths and resources you need to make your marriage work.
What does the
PREPARE/ENRICH Program do?
The PREPARE/ENRICH program provides couples with a computerized inventory to quickly gather information about each partner and allows the couple, with the help of a trained facilitator, talk about the relationship’s strengths and areas where growth in the relationship might be needed.
The PREPARE/ENRICH Program has these goals for the couple:
 | Exploring relationship strength and growth areas |
| Strengthen couple communication skills |
| Identify and manage major stressors |
| Learn conflict resolution strategies using the Ten Step Model |
| Explore family-of-origin issues using Couple and Family Map (Circumplex Model) |
| Discuss financial planning and budgeting |
| Develop personal, couple and family goals |
| Understand and appreciate personality differences |
Is PREPARE/ENRICH
accurate?
Prepare/Enrich has been around for over 20 years and has been repeatedly validated as a reliable and valuable resource. Studies on the reliability and validity of PREPARE/ENRICH can be found on the Life Innovations Inc website: https://www.prepare-enrich.com/webapp/pe_main/mainsite/research/template/DisplaySecureContent.vm;pc=1286407659480?id=pe_main_site_content*pages*research*public*ResearchLinks.html&xlat=Y&emb_org_id=0&emb_prp_id=0&emb_unq_id=0&emb_lng_code=ENGLISH.
Can PREPARE/ENRICH
predict the success of our marriage?
The PREPARE/ENRICH Program should not be used to predict
the success or failure of a marriage.
To date, no assessments or inventories are capable of doing this.
The purpose of this inventory is to provide the couple with comprehensive
information about the nature of their relationship.
While some studies indicate that premarital counseling can increase the
chances of success, there are no inventories that can predict with certainty
whether your particular marriage will succeed or fail.
What if this is our
second marriage? Or, what if we live
together now?
PREPARE/ENRICH is customized for individuals who have never
been married, who have previously married or are now co-habiting.
It also is customized for couples who don’t have children or have had
children from previous marriages.
Does PREPARE/ENRICH
have a religious agenda?
No. A secular
version of the PREPARE/ENRICH Program is available.
Since spirituality and religion are an important issue for couples,
PREPARE/ENRICH can be customized for Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox Christians
and Jews. A version for
couples with interfaith marriages is also available.
Will the
PREPARE/ENRICH Program help us stay together?
Is there a risk of us breaking-apart because we took this inventory?
The PREPARE/ENRICH Program can help you get to know each other and understand each other better. PREPARE/ENRICH can’t guarantee how you and your partner use the information it provides. If there is an uncomfortable truth that neither of you are willing to face; certainly, bringing up the issue will place stress on the relationship. Only you and your partner can do the work necessary to strengthen the relationship. Only you or your partner can decide to leave the relationship. Certainly, whether you take the test or not, as a couple, you will have to face uncomfortable truths at some point in the relationship. How you deal with uncomfortable truths will determine the success or failure of your marriage. Can these uncomfortable issues surface when you take the PREPARE/ENRICH assessment? Yes.
Approximately 15% of the couples who have used the PREPARE/ENRICH Program postponed their marriage or decided not to stay together as a result of using this inventory. There is a Chinese folk saying that goes: “Before marriage, eyes wide open. After marriage, eyes half shut.” If you and your partner believe that it would be better to be aware of the potential problem areas of your relationship and make an informed decision, postponing your marriage until your issues are resolved, or even deciding not to get married would be considered a positive effect of taking the PREPARE/ENRICH Program.
When should we do
the PREPARE/ENRICH Program?
The Prepare/Enrich Program can be taken at any time. However, optimally, the couple should take the PREPARE/ENRICH Program six months to a year prior to making wedding preparations. This allows the couple adequate time to examine the dynamics of their relationship, work on challenged areas in their relationship and make an informed decisions.
Does Insurance Cover
PREPARE/ENRICH?
Each insurance policy is written differently. And so, it is impossible to make a blanket statement about whether your insurance company will cover the cost of this program. However, generally speaking, most insurance will not cover PREPARE/ENRICH. To find out if your insurance company does cover PREPARE/ENRICH, please call their member services department.
Spilman & Associates LLC does not bill insurance companies or other third party payers for the PREPARE/ENRICH inventory or for premarital counseling.
How Much Does
Pre-Marital Counseling with PREPARE/ENRICH Cost?
The PREPARE/ENRICH Inventory is administered via your personal computer. Each partner will be provided with a private and secure URL by Life Innovations, Inc. A non-refundable one-time $30.00 charge to your credit or debit card will be made for the administration of the test.
Contact Information
For More Information, please contact Jacob Spilman at:
- Telephone
- (503) 227-3187
- Postal address
- Spilman & Associates LLC, 833 SW 11th Avenue Suite 218, Portland OR 97205
- Electronic mail
- General Information: jacobspilman@msn.com
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