PREMARITAL COUNSELING
Premarital Counseling for Couples Building a Life Together
Getting married is exciting. It can also bring important questions to the surface—about communication, family, money, intimacy, expectations, and the kind of marriage you want to create.
Premarital counseling gives you a place to have those conversations intentionally, strengthen the way you navigate differences, and build a foundation for the life you’re creating together.
Online premarital counseling in NYC, New York, New Jersey & Texas
BEFORE THE WEDDING, THERE’S THE MARRIAGE
You don’t need to have problems to have important things to talk about.
You may already have a strong relationship. You may communicate well, enjoy being together, and feel confident about getting married.
But marriage brings two histories, two families, and two sets of expectations into one shared life. Even couples who know each other well can discover different assumptions about money, conflict, intimacy, family, responsibilities, and the future.
Premarital counseling creates space to talk about those differences before they become assumptions—and to develop ways of navigating them together.
BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION
The goal isn’t to agree about everything. It’s to know how to navigate what matters.
Strong marriages aren’t built by avoiding differences. They’re built by learning how to talk about them, understand one another, repair when things go wrong, and make decisions as a team.
Premarital counseling gives you a place to strengthen those skills while having conversations couples sometimes postpone until after marriage.
Communication & Conflict
How you express needs, handle disagreement, and repair after conflict.
Family & In-Laws
Family expectations, boundaries, traditions, loyalty, and the families you're joining.
Roles & Expectations
The spoken—and unspoken—ideas each of you brings into marriage.
Money & Decision-Making
Spending, saving, priorities, responsibilities, and how decisions get made.
Intimacy & Sex
Expectations, communication, affection, desire, and maintaining connection.
Values, Faith & Culture
The beliefs, traditions and experiences that shape how each of you sees partnership and family.
AN 8-SESSION PREMARITAL PROGRAM
Structured enough to cover what matters. Personal enough to focus on you.
I offer an eight-session premarital counseling program designed to help you explore the areas that most influence life together.
There is structure to our work, but it isn’t a one-size-fits-all curriculum. We’ll identify the conversations that are most important for your relationship and spend more time where you need it.
Some couples use eight sessions as a focused period of preparation before marriage. Others discover areas they want to explore more deeply and choose to continue beyond the initial eight sessions.
THE PREMARITAL BOOT CAMP?
You may have seen this program described as my “Premarital Boot Camp.” It’s the same eight-session framework, with the work tailored to the needs of your relationship.
HOW WE WORK TOGETHER
We’re not just talking about topics. We’re paying attention to what happens between you.
The conversations matter, but so does the way you have them.
As we talk about money, family, intimacy, expectations and the future, we’ll also pay attention to the patterns that emerge between you—how you respond when you disagree, what happens when one of you feels misunderstood, and how each of you reaches for or pulls away from the other.
My approach draws from Emotionally Focused Therapy, the Gottman Method, and psychodynamic and systemic perspectives. The goal is not simply to work through a list of premarital topics, but to help you understand one another more deeply and develop ways of navigating your relationship that you can carry into your marriage.
ONLINE PREMARITAL COUNSELING
Together, even when you’re in different places.
Premarital counseling is available online for couples when one or both partners reside in New York, New Jersey or Texas, including NYC and Austin.
That means you don’t necessarily need to live in the same state to work with me. I regularly work with couples who are long-distance or living in different states—for example, when one partner is in New York and the other is in Texas.
Whether you’re already sharing a home, temporarily long-distance, or navigating a move before or after the wedding, online sessions give you a consistent place to do this work together.
GETTING STARTED
A few things couples often want to know.
DO WE NEED TO BE HAVING PROBLEMS TO COME TO PREMARITAL COUNSELING?
No. Many couples come because their relationship is strong and they want to be intentional about preparing for marriage. Others have a few areas that already create tension and want to address them before those patterns become more established.
DO WE HAVE TO COMPLETE EXACTLY EIGHT SESSIONS?
No. Eight sessions provides a useful structure for premarital work, but we'll tailor the process to your relationship. Some couples find eight sessions is enough; others choose to continue.
WHAT IF OUR WEDDING IS COMING UP SOON?
We can prioritize the conversations that are most important to you based on the time available rather than trying to rush through a fixed curriculum.
CAN WE CONTINUE WORKING TOGETHER AFTER WE'RE MARRIED?
Yes. Some couples choose to continue therapy after the wedding to explore certain areas more deeply or simply to have support as they transition into married life.
WHERE DO WE NEED TO LIVE TO WORK WITH YOU?
I can work with couples when one or both partners reside in New York, New Jersey or Texas. You don't necessarily need to live in the same state—I regularly work with couples who are long-distance or living in different states.
READY TO BEGIN?
Prepare for more than the wedding. Prepare for the marriage.
A strong marriage isn’t something you simply hope for. It’s something you learn how to build together.
If you’re considering premarital counseling, we can start with a free 15-minute consultation to talk about your relationship and what you’d like to get from the process.