Premarital Counseling in Columbus, Ohio

Premarital Counseling in Columbus, Ohio

Written by Yvonne Judge Updated: 8-17-2026 

TL;DR: Premarital counseling is for couples who are doing well and want to stay that way. It is not couples therapy. It is a guided process where you and your partner talk through the things that shape a shared life, before silence turns into hurt. Revitalize You offers sessions in Columbus and by telehealth across Ohio.

Revitalize You offers premarital counseling in Columbus, Ohio and by telehealth across Ohio. Yvonne Judge, IMFT-S, is an approved facilitator for both Prepare/Enrich and SYMBIS, two tools built specifically for this kind of preparation.

“Many couples don’t discuss things that are vitally important to their relationship before getting married. Sometimes it’s because they don’t know how. Sometimes it’s because they don’t want to rock the boat.” — Yvonne Judge, IMFT-S

This might be right for you if:

• You are engaged and want real conversations before the wedding
• You are planning to move in together and want to get on the same page first
• Your church requires premarital counseling before your ceremony

Why Prepare Before the Wedding or Move-In Date?

Most couples spend more time planning a wedding than preparing for the marriage. That is not a criticism. It is just what happens. The big discussions, the ones about about children, money, careers, and how you handle a fight, often get pushed off because they feel risky or too soon. Or sometimes, we just don’t think about them.

But putting them off does not make them go away. It just means you have them later, when there is less room to adjust. When disagreeing in the moment is painful and leads to arguments or silence.

Premarital counseling gives you a space to have those conversations now, while you still have room to negotiate the upcoming changes that affect your lives, goals, and values.

What the research supports, and what it does not

A 2008 meta-analysis looked at more than 100 studies on relationship education programs. Couples who went through these programs communicated better and felt better about their relationship. Programs with more sessions worked better than quick ones. Those gains held up over time.

What this means for you: Doing this work with enough time and depth is linked to real improvements in how you communicate and how you feel about your relationship.

The same research is clear about what it does not show. It does not prove that premarital counseling prevents divorce or guarantees a happy marriage. We will not make that promise, because the research does not back it up.

The Conversations Healthy Couples Often Put Off

Premarital counseling does not create hard conversations. It makes them easier to have before the stakes are high and there is less room to work things out.

“If you talk about the tough topics before getting married you have room to understand each other and to compromise. If you wait until after the wedding, you may feel betrayed. It’s as if you were tricked into marriage under false pretenses, even though that was not the case.” — Yvonne Judge, IMFT-S

The goal is not to agree on everything. Sometimes the goal is just to know where each of you stands. That way you are making a real choice about the life you are building together.

“I have had couples come to see me because they never discussed important topics before marriage. Some of those topics include whether they want children, or if they want to eventually move out of state.” — Yvonne Judge, IMFT-S

The same is true for couples combining households. Moving in together surfaces assumptions fast.

“Couples moving in together often do not discuss topics that are vital to their success in living together. Things like who is going to do chores, how bills will be paid, bedtimes, and time with friends and family.” — Yvonne Judge, IMFT-S

These are not trick questions. They are the conversations that decide whether shared life feels like a partnership or a string of surprises you did not sign up for.

A Guided, Assessment-Led Process

Premarital counseling is not a course you take on your own. It is a guided process. An assessment helps identify what is most worth talking about for your specific relationship, and sessions are built around those conversations.

An assessment is a conversation guide, not a pass-fail test

Both Prepare/Enrich and SYMBIS create a profile of your relationship. It covers things like how you communicate, how you handle money, how you deal with conflict, what you expect from family, and where you want your lives to go. That profile is not a grade. It does not tell you if your relationship will or will not work. It shows you where you agree, where you differ, and what is worth talking through before those differences become a problem.

Yvonne Judge is an approved facilitator for both programs. That means she helps you use the results, not just read them.

Here is how it works:

1. First conversation. You and your therapist talk about what you want and which assessment fits your situation, including any church requirement you need to meet. This is done BEFORE the first therapy session in a free consultation via phone.
2. Assessment. Each of you completes it separately online. The results are combined into one couple profile.
3. Sessions. Your therapist goes through the results with you and guides the conversations your profile points to.
4. Agreements. You leave each session with practical takeaways and, where helpful, tools for keeping the conversation going on your own.

While there is no set number of sessions (The number of sessions depends on what comes up in your profile and what you need to cover.) The process generally takes 6-8 sessions and can be done quickly, or over the course of several months, depending on how much time you have before the wedding.

Both programs are research-informed. You can read more about Prepare/Enrich and SYMBIS on their official sites.

Prepare/Enrich and SYMBIS: Two Ways to Start the Right Conversations

Both assessments are built for premarital preparation and are used by trained facilitators around the world. Which one we use with you depends on your situation, your goals, and any other requirements that you have.

Both programs are research-informed. Prepare/Enrich is backed by peer-reviewed studies on facilitator-led delivery, including research by Knutson and Olson (2003) and Futris et al. (2011). SYMBIS has its own research base, with studies by Abdoli, Tabrizi, and Abdi (2025) and Shaafizadeh, Najarpourian, and Sepehri Shamloo (2020) supporting the areas it covers.

Video resources: Prepare/Enrich and SYMBIS each have short videos that explain what couples can expect. You can find these videos below.

If Your Church Requires Premarital Counseling or a Specific Assessment

As many people get married in churches, this is an important pice of information to consider. Some churches in Columbus ask couples to complete premarital counseling before a ceremony. Some specify a particular assessment or program. If your church has given you a requirement, we can work with you using either Prepare/Enrich or SYMBIS, depending on what your church accepts.

Before you schedule, check these details directly with your church:

• Whether your church accepts Prepare/Enrich or SYMBIS
• How many sessions or hours are required
• Whether your church needs a completion letter or other documentation
• How far in advance of the ceremony you need to finish

We can provide documentation of the work you completed together.

Note: Requirements vary by church. We cannot confirm what any individual church accepts. Always check with your church coordinator before scheduling.

Meeting a church requirement and doing meaningful preparation are not in conflict. The process is the same: structured conversations, guided by a trained facilitator, using a research-informed assessment.

How Premarital Counseling Differs From Couples Counseling

These two services get confused sometimes. The difference matters because they are for different situations.

Neither service is better than the other. They are just for different purposes.

If your relationship is in distress rather than in a preparation phase, couples counseling in Columbus is the better starting point. We offer both, and a first conversation can help you figure out which one fits.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is premarital counseling? Premarital counseling is a guided process for couples who are doing well and want to prepare for marriage or living together. It helps you talk through important topics before small assumptions turn into bigger problems later.

Who is premarital counseling for? It is for engaged couples and couples planning to move in together who want to make shared expectations clear. It is not the right fit for couples in active distress, ongoing conflict, or crisis.

What do you talk about in premarital counseling? Common topics include money, chores, children, family boundaries, communication, intimacy, decision-making, and future plans. The goal is not to agree on everything. The goal is to understand each other well and make real plans.

Do you use Prepare/Enrich or SYMBIS? We use both. Yvonne Judge is an approved facilitator for each program, and which one you get depends on your situation and any church requirement.

Do some churches require premarital counseling? Some do, and some specify a particular assessment. Confirm with your church before you schedule so you know what documentation and timeline they need.

Start Premarital Counseling in Columbus or by Ohio Telehealth

A good relationship does not need a crisis to deserve attention. Premarital counseling is how you have the important conversations now, before they get locked in from habit and expectation.

Revitalize You offers premarital counseling at her Columbus, Ohio office and by telehealth across Ohio. Sessions are available for:

• Engaged couples preparing for marriage
• Couples planning to move in together
• Couples meeting a church premarital requirement

Schedule a Consultation Call