Premier Premarital Counseling Dallas Services for Couples
Every couple dreams of a joyful, lasting marriage, yet many quickly discover that love alone cannot resolve communication gaps, unmet expectations, or lingering personal concerns. Premarital counseling offers a supportive place to talk openly about these challenges before they become bigger issues.
At Total Life Counseling (TLC) in Dallas, our therapists help couples strengthen trust, improve communication, and build the emotional tools needed for a confident start to marriage.
We understand how stressful it can feel to face differences or fears about the future, which is why our sessions focus on clarity, connection, and practical skills that set you up for long-term success.
Whether you want to prepare for potential conflicts, deepen your bond, or simply feel more aligned as partners, TLC provides a compassionate, structured path to a strong and resilient marriage.
Call one of our Dallas Premarital Counselors for a 15 Minutes Complimentary Phone Consultation
Dallas Premarital Counseling Overview
Learn about pre-martial counseling: What it is, who should should seek it out, and who benefits
Premarital Counseling methods are geared toward helping both partners build skills and develop the emotional, coping, and communicative tools necessary to have a functioning, healthy marriage. Skill-based programs is the most commonly used method, it teaches couples conflict-resolution skills and communication strategies in order to create a base of a stable marriage and maintain the existence of fragile elements of the relationship, such as trust and honesty.
What Is Pre-Marital Counseling?
Premarital counseling is a supportive and intentional space where couples prepare for marriage by strengthening communication, deepening emotional connection, and building the skills needed for a healthy future together.
With guidance from a trained therapist, couples gain clarity, confidence, and practical tools that make it easier to handle real-life challenges as a team. Instead of waiting until problems appear, premarital counseling helps you build a strong foundation early so your relationship can grow with stability and joy.
Whether you are newly engaged or planning for commitment after many years together, our best premarital counseling Dallas, TX, services support you in creating a marriage rooted in trust, understanding, and lasting connection.
Why Seek Pre-Marital Counseling?
Premarital counseling gives couples the chance to prepare intentionally for marriage and strengthen their connection before challenges arise.
It helps partners better understand each other and explore important topics such as expectations, values, conflict styles, finances, intimacy, and plans for family life. Together, you learn how to navigate differences with respect and care.
Couples choose premarital counseling to:
- Improve communication and understand each other more clearly
- Learn healthy ways to resolve conflict and manage stress
- Strengthen emotional and physical intimacy
- Explore expectations around finances, family, and shared values
- Build trust and confidence before major life decisions
Starting strong is one of the most meaningful investments you can make in your future together. Our therapists provide caring and effective premarital therapy to help you enter marriage with clarity, unity, and confidence.
When Should You Consider Premarital Therapy?
Premarital therapy can benefit couples at many different stages, not just right before the wedding. You might consider starting sessions if:
- You want to strengthen communication or understand each other’s needs more clearly
- You’re facing recurring disagreements and want healthier ways to work through them
- You’re blending families or navigating cultural or religious differences
- You feel anxious about marriage or want guidance on handling major life changes
- You want to talk openly about finances, roles, intimacy, or long-term expectations
- You simply want to start your marriage with intention and a strong foundation
Some couples begin therapy soon after getting engaged, while others start once wedding planning becomes stressful or emotional topics begin to surface. There’s no “perfect time” to start, but beginning early gives you more space to grow, learn, and build the relationship skills that support a long, healthy marriage.
What Is PREPARE and ENRICH?
PREPARE and ENRICH is a customized online assessment that helps couples gain a deeper understanding of their relationship before marriage. It highlights strengths, identifies growth areas, and guides meaningful conversations that support long term success.
After completing the assessment, a trained TLC facilitator provides four to eight feedback sessions to help you review your results and learn proven relationship skills that strengthen communication, trust, and teamwork.
How Many Couples Have Taken the PREPARE and ENRICH Program?
More than 2.5 million couples have completed the PREPARE and ENRICH Program since 1980, making it one of the most widely respected premarital assessment tools available.
What Are The Goals of the PREPARE and ENRICH Program?
The program is designed to help couples who want to:
- Explore relationship strengths and growth areas
- Strengthen communication and listening skills
- Identify and manage major stressors
- Resolve conflict with structured problem-solving techniques
- Build a balanced and supportive partnership
- Understand the family of origin influences
- Improve financial planning and budgeting conversations
- Establish personal, couple, and family goals
- Appreciate and work with personality differences
What Relationship Areas Are Assessed By The Inventories?
PREPARE and ENRICH evaluate multiple dimensions of a relationship through:
- Twelve relationship scales, including communication, conflict resolution, roles, intimacy, finances, and spiritual beliefs
- Five SCOPE personality scales
- Four couples and family scales based on the Circumplex Model
- Four relationship dynamic scales
- Thirty customizable scales tailored to each couple
Experience a Total Life Counseling Difference
Get your marriage off to the best possible start with our pre-marital counseling services
Why Premarital Counseling Is a Smart Decision?
Preparing for a wedding is exciting, but preparing for a marriage is one of the most meaningful investments you can make. Premarital counseling helps couples build a strong foundation for their future and strengthens the relationship before challenges arise.
Only 63% of marriages stay together long term, which highlights the importance of early support and intentional communication. Premarital counseling increases relationship satisfaction and offers real benefits, including a $60 discount on your Texas marriage license and a waiver of the 3-day waiting period.
At Total Life Counseling, we are committed to helping couples grow with clarity, confidence, and deeper connection. Counseling encourages honest conversations and gives you tools to understand each other more fully.
Key Areas You Will Explore Together
During premarital counseling, couples are guided through important topics such as:
- Communication: Learn how to listen, express needs clearly, and build healthy communication habits.
- Attitudes and Expectations: Discuss daily responsibilities, roles, and lifestyle goals.
- Conflict Resolution: Practice skills for handling disagreements and repairing connection.
- Beliefs and Values: Explore spirituality, family traditions, and shared meaning.
- Finances: Create a plan for budgeting, saving, and managing debt together.
- Intimacy: Strengthen emotional and physical closeness and improve comfort discussing intimacy.
- Family Planning and Children: Talk through expectations, timing, and parenting perspectives.
Premarital counseling gives couples clarity and confidence before marriage begins. It is an intentional step that helps protect your relationship and prepares you for a strong future together.
What To Expect in Premarital Counseling?
Premarital counseling is a relaxed, supportive, and structured experience designed to help you grow closer and prepare for a strong marriage.
Each session focuses on building skills, understanding each other more deeply, and creating a shared vision for the future.
Here is a simple overview of what you can expect when you begin:
- Getting to Know Your Story: Your therapist will learn about your relationship, goals, and what matters most to each of you.
- Personalized Relationship Assessment: Couples complete the PREPARE and ENRICH assessment to identify strengths, growth areas, and patterns to explore together.
- Guided Conversations and Skill Building: You will learn practical tools to improve communication, solve problems together, and support each other through real-life challenges.
- Real-Life Practice and Application: Couples work through examples, scenarios, and exercises that strengthen understanding and teamwork.
- Clear Goals and Action Steps: Each session provides takeaways you can apply at home to strengthen connection and confidence.
Sessions are paced around your needs and can be scheduled weekly or biweekly. In-person and online options are available for flexible access to premarital therapy services.
If you are ready to prepare intentionally for a strong and healthy marriage, we would love to support you as you take this important step together.
5 Tips to Save Your Marriage Before It Starts!
Every great marriage begins long before the wedding day. It begins with mindset, preparation, and honest conversation. Couples who invest in their relationship early often enter marriage feeling more confident, secure, and connected.
Here are five meaningful ways to strengthen your partnership before saying “I do.”
1. Learn to Build a Life Together, Not Just Plan a Wedding
Weddings last a day. Marriage lasts a lifetime. Take time to build daily habits of checking in with each other, practicing patience, and learning how to work as a team. These skills matter much more in the long run than choosing the perfect venue or color palette.
2. Talk About the Hard Stuff Early
Avoiding uncomfortable conversations does not make them disappear. Whether it is finances, family roles, faith, or intimacy, honesty builds trust. The strongest relationships are not the ones without differences. They are the ones that know how to face important topics with respect and curiosity instead of fear.
3. Understand Each Other’s Love Language
We all give and receive love differently. What feels supportive to one partner may feel confusing or unnoticed to the other. Knowing how each of you experiences care can transform how you show up for each other every day.
4. Build Healthy Patterns for Conflict
Disagreements are normal. What matters is how you handle them. Learning to pause instead of react, listen instead of defend, and repair instead of blame can protect your connection even during stressful moments.
5. Protect Your Emotional and Physical Intimacy
Intimacy grows where there is trust, emotional safety, and open communication. Treat this part of your relationship with care and respect. Create space to talk about needs, comfort levels, and boundaries without judgment or pressure.
Strong marriages are not built by accident. They grow through intention, compassion, and the willingness to learn together. Premarital counseling gives couples tools and support to strengthen their connection and build confidence in the future ahead.
Total Life In The News
Total Life Counseling Subject Matter Experts Have Been Featured On Multiple TV Networks and News Stations:
Our subject matter experts have participated in over 150 national & local news interviews and they are here for you!
At Total Life Counseling Center our Counselors are Experts for National and Local TV, Radio and Print Media. We have an excellent reputation amongst graduate & private schools, attorneys, doctors, therapists, providers and corporations. We strive to ensure our therapists have diverse clinical backgrounds, to allow us to match each client to the therapist that will best meet his or her needs.
Licensed Counselors & Therapists
Meet Our Team of Certified & Experienced Professionals
Total Life Counseling Center consists of Licensed Counselors, Masters Level Therapists, Espanol Counselors, Licensed Mental Health Counselors, Business Coaches, Image Enhancement Coaches who provide counseling for emotional, mental, physical and spiritual care including marriage, individual, family, substance abuse and more. Our Counselors are Experts for National and Local TV, Radio and Print Media and we have an excellent reputation amongst graduate & private schools, attorneys, doctors, therapists, providers and corporations.
Dr. Jada Jackson
Ed.D, LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR, NATIONAL CERTIFIED COUNSELOR
Counselor, Coach, Guest Speaker, National TV Host, Self-Esteem, Sports Therapy, Teens, Couples and more!
Marina Sbrochi
M.A., LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor in Dallas Texas specializing in Clinical Hypnosis & Rewind Technique for Trauma, Meditation & Mindfulness, Energy Healing Women’s Empowerment & Life Transitions, PTSD & Trauma-Informed Therapy, & Anxiety & Panic Recovery
Thuraya Alameri
MS, LPC-A
Licensed Professional Counselor Associate, Dating, Relationship Recovery & Dysfunction, Self-esteem, Boundaries, Core Values & Identity, Sex Work (all age groups), Gender & Sexuality, Men’s & Women’s issues, Anxiety, Depression, and Grief.
Helena Davis
M.A., LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor in Dallas Texas specializing in ADHD for Children Teenagers and Adults. She is a Couples Therapist as well as a Family Counselor, Self Esteem Coach and helps individuals struggling with Phobias and Pornography Addiction and more.
Brooke Benedict
Ma, LPC-A
Licensed Professional Counselor Associate specializing in Anxiety, Depression, Life Transitions, Adolescents, Women’s Issues, Spiritual Integration, more
LaWanda Hanes
MAPC, LPC-A
Licensed Professional Counselor Associate, Dallas Couples Therapy, Trauma, Self-Esteem & CBT Read More
Edgar Salinas
M.A., LPC
Dallas Bilingual Licensed Professional Counselor Associate. He specializes in Child, Teen, Adolescence, Parent Support, Family Therapy Specialist, Trauma-Informed Care, Mens Mental Health and Emotional Expression, Teen Substance Abuse and more.
Patricia Arps
MS, LPC-A, CRC
Licensed Professional Counselor Associate specializing in Positive Self-Talk, Cognitive Distortion Reversal Techniques, and Psych-social Intervention through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. more
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does premarital counseling cost in Dallas?
Premarital counseling in Dallas typically ranges from $120 to $220 per first session, depending on the therapist’s experience and format. Many couples counseling programs include assessments and conflict resolution skills that improve marital satisfaction and support a successful marriage for the rest of your lives.
Are there group pre-marriage classes available in Dallas?
Yes, group pre-marriage classes are available in Dallas and nearby areas like Fort Worth and Plano. These sessions offer communication strategies, better communication skills, and a safe place to work through roadblocks together. Many couples find group settings supportive and meaningful.
Is premarital counseling required before marriage in Dallas?
Premarital counseling is not required before marriage in Dallas. However, completing approved sessions offers benefits of premarital counseling, including a marriage license discount. Counseling provides communication skills, conflict resolution skills, and cognitive behavioral therapy tools that strengthen the health of their future marriage under God and Christ.
How soon should I start premarital counseling?
It is helpful to begin premarital counseling several months before the wedding so there is time to practice communication skills and conflict-resolution tools. Starting early offers space to prepare for a successful marriage with support from the top premarital counselors Dallas couples trust.
Are premarital courses worth it?
Yes, premarital courses are worthwhile because they strengthen communication, increase understanding, and help prevent future roadblocks. Couples often report greater confidence and emotional connection, making these sessions a meaningful investment in long-term stability and love, similar to the benefits of the best couples counselling Dallas offers.
Can I get Christian premarital counseling in Dallas?
Yes, many couples seek faith-based guidance to strengthen their relationship through shared values. You can find supportive and meaningful Christian premarital counseling Dallas TX services that integrate Biblical principles, prayer, and emotional growth while helping couples prepare for a healthy and Christ-centered marriage foundation.
What qualifications should I look for in a Dallas premarital counselor?
Look for a licensed therapist (LPC, LMFT, or LCSW) with couples counseling training, experience using evidence-based methods like the Gottman Method, strong communication skills, and a supportive, nonjudgmental approach that fits your relationship needs.
How do premarital counseling services in Dallas compare to those online?
Dallas in-person counseling offers deeper connection, personalized guidance, and a structured environment, while online sessions provide convenience, flexibility, and accessibility. Many couples prefer combining both for a balanced experience that supports communication, understanding, and long-term relationship readiness.
Are there specific premarital counseling options in Dallas for millennials?
Yes. Many Dallas therapists offer millennial-focused premarital counseling that addresses communication styles, career demands, finances, technology boundaries, modern intimacy expectations, and blended values. These sessions provide relatable guidance tailored to millennial couples preparing for long-term commitment.
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Dallas Office Location
Our Dallas counseling, therapy, group, coaching and career services are conveniently located at 6060 N. Central Expressway in Dallas, Tx.
Lucid Private Offices – Dallas, Texas
Mockingbird Station/SMU Location
6060 N. Central Expressway, Ste 500
Dallas, TX 75206
