Online Couples & Premarital Counseling
Want to do online couples counseling or premarital counseling from the comfort of your own home? We offer both, using the same PREPARE/ENRICH program we use in person, delivered over video wherever you are.
We work with dating, engaged, and newlywed couples for online relationship counseling in Minnesota and nationwide, because we know it can be easier to open up in a familiar, comfortable setting. If you are not local to the Minneapolis area, or your schedules do not line up with in-person appointments, virtual sessions let you enrich your relationship from anywhere in the country without the drive.
Online Couples Counseling for Dating, Engaged, and Newlywed Couples
Online couples counseling is not only for people about to walk down the aisle. PREPARE/ENRICH is a versatile, strengths-based program we use across every stage of a relationship, whether you are dating seriously, planning a wedding, or already married and building a stronger foundation. Virtual sessions cover the same material as in-person counseling, so you get structured conversations about the topics that matter most, with a neutral facilitator guiding you through them from your own home.
How Virtual Sessions Work
Here is what an online counseling engagement looks like from first contact to your last session:
- Free intro session. We start with a free 20-minute video call to get to know you, explain the process, and make sure we are a good fit before you commit to anything.
- Take the assessment privately. We email each partner a private link to the PREPARE/ENRICH assessment, which most couples finish in 20 to 40 minutes on their own device.
- Review your results together. Over video, we walk through your results one topic at a time, spacing sessions two to three weeks apart so you can work through the Couples Workbook in between.
- Build the skills. Each session includes exercises for communication, conflict resolution, and the other topics you choose, so you leave with tools you can use long after we finish.
What You Need to Get Started Online
The setup is simple. You need a laptop, tablet, or phone with a camera and microphone, a private space where both partners can talk openly, and a stable internet connection. We send a video link before each session, so there is nothing to download or configure. Online counseling covers the same PREPARE/ENRICH material as in-person counseling, and it is just as effective, because the assessment, the exercises, and the guidance are identical. The only thing that changes is where you sit.
The PREPARE/ENRICH Approach
PREPARE/ENRICH consists of a customized, strengths-oriented assessment and complementary skill-building exercises. It measures a couple's strengths and growth areas in 12 categories to gain insights into relationship dynamics, stress, personality, and family systems. It is the same program we use for in-person premarital counseling, simply delivered remotely.
Topics Covered in Online Sessions
Topics covered in online counseling include personal stress, communication, conflict resolution, partner style and habits, financial management, leisure activities, sexual expectations, family and friends, relationship roles, spiritual beliefs, marriage expectations, and parenting expectations. You choose the ones that matter most for where your relationship is right now.
A Research-Based Program You Can Trust
PREPARE/ENRICH is one of the most popular relationship counseling programs and one of the most researched assessment tools, with over 1,200 published articles supporting its validity and reliability.
Online Couples Counseling Questions
Does online couples counseling work as well as in-person sessions?
Yes. Online counseling covers the exact same PREPARE/ENRICH material as in-person counseling, using the same assessment, the same skill-building exercises, and the same structured conversations. Both partners take the assessment privately from their own devices, then we walk through the results together over video, one topic at a time. Most couples tell us that opening up feels easier from their own couch, and the video format removes the drive and the scheduling friction that keeps a lot of couples from starting at all.
How do virtual couples sessions actually work?
After your free 20-minute intro, we email each of you a private link to the PREPARE/ENRICH assessment, which takes most people 20 to 40 minutes to complete separately. Once both are done, we schedule your first video session and share your screen-based results together as we discuss them. Sessions run about 50 minutes each, and we generally space them two to three weeks apart so you have time to work through the Couples Workbook between meetings. You get the same facilitation, the same feedback, and the same tools you would get sitting in the office.
What technology and setup do I need for online relationship counseling?
Not much. A laptop, tablet, or phone with a working camera and microphone, a private space where both partners can talk openly, and a stable internet connection are all you need. We send a simple video link before each session, so there is nothing to download or configure ahead of time. If you would rather do the assessment on one device and join the video call on another, that works too.
Can we do online relationship counseling if we are not from Minnesota?
Yes. While we are based in the Minneapolis area and see many local couples for online relationship counseling in Minnesota, the virtual format lets us work with dating, engaged, and newlywed couples anywhere in the country. Wherever you are, you go through the same program from the comfort of your own home.
Is online counseling a good fit for dating and newlywed couples, or only for engaged couples?
PREPARE/ENRICH is a versatile tool we use with dating, engaged, and newlywed couples alike. Whether you are early in a serious relationship, planning a wedding, or already married and want to build a stronger foundation, the online format and the assessment adapt to where you are.