Choosing to marry is one of the most significant decisions you’ll ever make. While planning a wedding is exciting, preparing for a lifetime together is one of the greatest investments you can make in your relationship.
Over the past 25+ years, I have had the privilege of preparing more than 2,000 couples for marriage through my private practice and the marriage preparation programs at several churches. My goal is to help couples enter marriage with greater confidence, deeper understanding, and practical tools to build a healthy, lasting relationship.
Marriage preparation isn’t about trying to resolve every possible issue before your wedding day. Every couple has differences, and every marriage will face challenges.
The goal is to understand your relationship more deeply, celebrate the strengths that have brought you together, and develop the skills and awareness to navigate life’s inevitable challenges as partners.
I recommend two complementary components to achieve that goal.
The FOCCUS inventory (Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding & Study) is a research-based online assessment that serves as an outstanding conversation starter.
Together, we’ll explore your results through a series of counseling sessions, identifying both the strengths of your relationship and the areas that deserve thoughtful conversation before marriage. Topics include communication, conflict resolution, finances, intimacy, family-of-origin influences, children, faith, personality differences, and shared expectations for married life.
Rather than looking for problems, FOCCUS helps couples better understand one another and begin important conversations that often continue well beyond the wedding day.
Building upon the work of FOCCUS, The Foundation: Wisdom & Tools to Build a Conscious Marriage is a one-day workshop that equips couples with practical skills and a shared vision for marriage.
Together we’ll explore:
The workshop is engaging, practical, and interactive, giving couples tools they can begin using immediately.
Click here for more info and registration for The Foundation Workshop
The first years of marriage are filled with excitement, but they also bring significant change. Many of the issues discussed during engagement—communication, finances, intimacy, work-life balance, extended family, and eventually parenting—become the lived reality of everyday married life.
Research consistently shows that couples who participate in formal marriage preparation report higher marital satisfaction and lower divorce rates than those who do not. Simply put, couples who intentionally prepare for marriage are better equipped to navigate the challenges they will inevitably face.
As legendary basketball coach John Wooden wisely said:
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
Marriage preparation gives couples the opportunity to build a strong foundation before life’s inevitable storms arrive.
Check out TV Host Steve Harvey responding to an audience question from a woman asking if she and her boyfriend need premarital counseling. His response is insightful, and of course, comedic.
If you’re newly married and wishing you had done more preparation before your wedding, don’t worry.
I often tell couples that marriage preparation lasts until your fifth anniversary. The early years of marriage are when many of the conversations from engagement become everyday realities. This is an ideal time to strengthen your relationship and develop healthy patterns that will serve you for years to come.
If you’re in a committed relationship but find yourselves unable to move toward engagement, you are not alone.
Often, the issue isn’t a lack of love, but underlying concerns, old wounds, or relationship patterns that remain unspoken. Through Couples Therapy using Imago Relationship Therapy, I help couples identify these deeper issues, work through them safely, and gain the clarity needed to move forward—whether that means becoming engaged or recognizing that marriage is not the right path.
I’d be honored to accompany you as you prepare for one of life’s most important commitments. Whether you’re just beginning your engagement or your wedding day is right around the corner, we can tailor a marriage preparation experience that meets your needs.
(310) 268-7792
Michael@DrMichaelD.com
11704 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 245
Los Angeles, CA 90025
